Ferdinand, comte de Marsin (or ''Marchin'') (February 10, 1656 – September 9, 1706) was a French general and diplomat, who was

Marshal of France Marshal of France (french: Maréchal de France, plural ') is a French military distinction, rather than a military rank, that is awarded to generals for exceptional achievements. The title has been awarded since 1185, though briefly abolished (1 ...

Biography

He was born in

Liège Liège ( , , ; wa, Lîdje ; nl, Luik ; german: Lüttich ) is a major city and municipality of Wallonia and the capital of the Belgian province of Liège. The city is situated in the valley of the Meuse, in the east of Belgium, not far from b ...

as the son of John Gaspar Ferdinand de Marchin, Comte de Granville and Marie de Balzac d'Entragues. Marsin served in

Flanders Flanders (, ; Dutch: ''Vlaanderen'' ) is the Flemish-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to culture, ...

, and was wounded at the Battle of Fleurus (1690). He took part in the Battle of Neerwinden and the siege of

Charleroi Charleroi ( , , ; wa, Tchålerwè ) is a city and a municipality of Wallonia, located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. By 1 January 2008, the total population of Charleroi was 201,593.

. In 1701–1702 he was French ambassador in

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

. In the

War of the Spanish Succession The War of the Spanish Succession was a European great power conflict that took place from 1701 to 1714. The death of childless Charles II of Spain in November 1700 led to a struggle for control of the Spanish Empire between his heirs, Phil ...

, he was present at the Battle of Luzzara. He became marshal in 1703, after the

battle of Speyerbach The Battle of Speyerbach took place on 15 November 1703 in the War of the Spanish Succession. A French army besieging Landau surprised and defeated a German relief army near Speyer. Prelude In mid October 1703, the allied armies prepared to ...

. In 1704 he was defeated at the

Battle of Blenheim The Battle of Blenheim (german: Zweite Schlacht bei Höchstädt, link=no; french: Bataille de Höchstädt, link=no; nl, Slag bij Blenheim, link=no) fought on , was a major battle of the War of the Spanish Succession. The overwhelming Allied v ...

, together with

Tallard Tallard (; oc, Talard) is a commune in the Hautes-Alpes department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France. Location Tallard is to the south of Gap, close to the road from Gap to Marseille. The motorway A51 ends ju ...

, and was mortally wounded at the Battle of Turin. Imprisoned in the same city, he died a few days later.

Sources

Biography of Ferdinand comte de Marchin
{{DEFAULTSORT:Marsin 1656 births 1706 deaths Military personnel from Liège Marshals of France French military personnel of the Nine Years' War French army commanders in the War of the Spanish Succession