Johann Jakob von Bronckhorst (Burg Anholt, 12 February 1582 - Freiburg im Breisgau, 19 October 1630), named ''Graf Anholt'', was Count of Bronckhorst-Batenburg and Imperial fieldmarshal during the

Thirty Years' War The Thirty Years' War was one of the longest and most destructive conflicts in European history, lasting from 1618 to 1648. Fought primarily in Central Europe, an estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died as a result of battle ...

Life

He was the second son of Jacob of Bronckhorst-Batenburg (1553–1582) and Gertrud of Myllendonk (1552–1612). He studied in Lorraine and did a

Grand Tour The Grand Tour was the principally 17th- to early 19th-century custom of a traditional trip through Europe, with Italy as a key destination, undertaken by upper-class young European men of sufficient means and rank (typically accompanied by a tut ...

of Italy. In 1603, like his father, he entered the Spanish army. After the

Twelve Years' Truce The Twelve Years' Truce was a ceasefire during the Eighty Years' War between Spain and the Dutch Republic, agreed in Antwerp on 9 April 1609 and ended on 9 April 1621. While European powers like France began treating the Republic as a soverei ...

in 1609, he became a colonel in the Austrian army. His commander

Leopold V, Archduke of Austria Leopold V, Archduke of Further Austria (October 9, 1586 – September 13, 1632) was the son of Archduke Charles II of Inner Austria, and the younger brother of Emperor Ferdinand II, father of Ferdinand Charles, Archduke of Further Austria ...

, appointed him in his

Geheimrat ''Geheimrat'' was the title of the highest advising officials at the Imperial, royal or princely courts of the Holy Roman Empire, who jointly formed the ''Geheimer Rat'' reporting to the ruler. The term remained in use during subsequent monarchic r ...

and made him commander of a Regiment. He fought in the Thirty Years' War in 1618, and also participated in the

Battle of White Mountain The Battle of White Mountain ( cz, Bitva na Bílé hoře; german: Schlacht am Weißen Berg) was an important battle in the early stages of the Thirty Years' War. It led to the defeat of the Bohemian Revolt and ensured Habsburg control for the n ...

in 1620. As a reward, he became count in 1621 and Field Marshal the following year. In 1622/23 he fought in

Westfalen Westphalia (; german: Westfalen ; nds, Westfalen ) is a region of northwestern Germany and one of the three historic parts of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It has an area of and 7.9 million inhabitants. The territory of the regio ...

against Christian von Braunschweig-Wolfenbüttel and Peter Ernst von Mansfeld, which he pushed back into East Frisia. He played an important role in the victory in the

Battle of Stadtlohn The Battle of Stadtlohn was fought on 6 August 1623 between the armies of the Electoral Palatinate and of the Catholic League during the Thirty Years' War. The League's forces were led by Johann Tserclaes, Count of Tilly, the Protestants by ...

, as commander of the vanguard. In 1624 he participated in the Siege of Breda under

Ambrosio Spinola Ambrogio Spinola Doria, 1st Marquess of Los Balbases and 1st Duke of Sesto (1569-25 September 1630) was an Italian ''condottiero'' and nobleman of the Republic of Genoa, who served as a Spanish general and won a number of important battles. He i ...

, and fought later under Tilly in

Osnabrück Osnabrück (; wep, Ossenbrügge; archaic ''Osnaburg'') is a city in the German state of Lower Saxony. It is situated on the river Hase in a valley penned between the Wiehen Hills and the northern tip of the Teutoburg Forest. With a population ...

against the Danes. In the Winter of 1627/28 he took up winter quarters in East Frisia. In 1628 he became a Knight in the Order of the Golden Fleece, and in 1629 he became Governor of the

Alsace Alsace (, ; ; Low Alemannic German/ gsw-FR, Elsàss ; german: Elsass ; la, Alsatia) is a cultural region and a territorial collectivity in eastern France, on the west bank of the upper Rhine next to Germany and Switzerland. In 2020, it had ...

and of

Further Austria Further Austria, Outer Austria or Anterior Austria (german: Vorderösterreich, formerly ''die Vorlande'' (pl.)) was the collective name for the early (and later) possessions of the House of Habsburg in the former Swabian stem duchy of south-wes ...

. In 1630 he died in Freiburg from

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, i ...

Family

Johann Jakob married on 6 November 1618 with Maria Cleopha von Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen, daughter of

Charles II, Count of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen Charles II, Count of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen ''(German: Karl II, Graf von Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen)'' (1547 – 8 April 1606) became Count of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen in 1576 and remained so until his death. He was the fifth but second survivin ...

and Elisabeth von Pallandt-Culemborg. They had 2 children: * Johanna Katharina Isabelle (1627-1685), married in 1641 with Jacques Philip of Croÿ-Millendonck (died 1683), Their son was Fieldmarshal

Charles Eugène de Croÿ Charles Eugène de Croÿ (; ; russian: Карл Евгений де Круа, tr. ; 1651) was a German and Russian Field Marshal and nobleman from the French noble House of Croÿ. Biography His father was Jacques Philippe de Croÿ-Roeulx (1 ...

. * Dietrich

External links

Biography
(pdf; 103 kB) {{DEFAULTSORT:Bronckhorst-Batenburg, Johann Jakob von Military personnel of the Thirty Years' War German people of the Thirty Years' War Knights of the Golden Fleece 1582 births 1630 deaths Field marshals of the Holy Roman Empire