Born on 25 October 1846 in Darmstadt, part of the
Grand Duchy of Hesse at the time, he was the son of Friedrich Scholl (1815–1875), a colonel in the Hessian army and Head of the Department of War. Following in his father's footsteps, Scholl joined the Hessian Army on 11 February 1863 as part of the 2nd
Reiter (cavalry) Regiment and rose to the rank of Sekonde-Lieutenant (
second lieutenant) on 7 September 1865. During the 1866
Austro–Prussian War, Scholl fought for Hesse against Prussia. Following the war, Scholl joined the Prussian Army. Scholl spent over two years at a cavalry training center between September 1867 and November 1869, becoming an officer of the Prussian Army afterwards. During the 1870–71
Franco–Prussian War, Sekonde-Lieutenant Scholl fought for Prussia in the
Battle of Gravelotte and
Siege of Metz. During the war, Scholl was promoted to
Oberleutnant (First Lieutenant). Scholl also was awarded the
Iron Cross following the war. In 1877, Scholl became
Rittmaster of a cavalry regiment. On 25 February 1880, Scholl was raised to the hereditary nobility of Hesse (now a part of the
German Empire), and shortly later on 15 July 1880, Scholl was further made a member of the Imperial German nobility. Starting on 11 December 1886, Scholl commanded his regiment from Potsdam. On 1 September 1887, Scholl was promoted to
Major. The following June 19, Scholl became an aide to other generals in
Kaiser Wilhelm II’s court. On 18 August 1891 Scholl was promoted to
Oberstleutnant (Lieutenant Colonel). On 14 May 1894 Scholl was promoted to
Oberst (Colonel). On 20 July 1897, Scholl was promoted to
Generalmajor. On 18 May 1901, Scholl was promoted to
Generalleutnant. On Christmas Day, 1905, Scholl was made
General of the Cavalry. On 16 June 1913, Scholl was promoted to
Generaloberst, the rank that he would hold during World War I, during which he was an adjutant general to Kaiser Wilhelm II, advising him throughout the war, at the end of which Scholl retired from active service. ==Personal life==