Peter Ernst I von Mansfeld-Vorderort (20 July 1517 – 25 May 1604) was a Spanish Imperial army commander of

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

origin and Governor of the

Spanish Netherlands Spanish Netherlands (Spanish: Países Bajos Españoles; Dutch: Spaanse Nederlanden; French: Pays-Bas espagnols; German: Spanische Niederlande.) (historically in Spanish: ''Flandes'', the name "Flanders" was used as a ''pars pro toto'') was the Ha ...

from 1592 to 1594. Born in

Heldrungen Heldrungen is a town and a former municipality in the Kyffhäuserkreis district, Thuringia, Germany. Since 1 January 2019, it is part of the town An der Schmücke. Nearby rivers are the Unstrut and the Wipper. It is known for its fortification ...

Saxony Saxony (german: Sachsen ; Upper Saxon: ''Saggsn''; hsb, Sakska), officially the Free State of Saxony (german: Freistaat Sachsen, links=no ; Upper Saxon: ''Freischdaad Saggsn''; hsb, Swobodny stat Sakska, links=no), is a landlocked state of ...

, he was the 11th child (of 16) of

Ernest II, Count of Mansfeld-Vorderort Ernest II, Count of Mansfeld-Vorderort (6 December 1479 - 9 May 1531, Artern) was a German nobleman from the Mansfeld-Vorderort line of the House of Mansfeld. He was the fifth child and third son of Albert III (V), Count of Mansfeld, Lord in Mansfe ...

. His mother was Ernest II's second wife, Dorothea von Solms-Lich.GeneAll:
''Peter Ernst, Graf von Mansfeld-Friedeburg''

Military career

As a young man, Peter Ernst came to the

with Charles V. He participated in the expedition against Tunis in 1535 and became governor of

Luxembourg Luxembourg ( ; lb, Lëtzebuerg ; french: link=no, Luxembourg; german: link=no, Luxemburg), officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, ; french: link=no, Grand-Duché de Luxembourg ; german: link=no, Großherzogtum Luxemburg is a small lan ...

in 1545. He was made a knight in the

Order of the Golden Fleece The Distinguished Order of the Golden Fleece ( es, Insigne Orden del Toisón de Oro, german: Orden vom Goldenen Vlies) is a Catholic order of chivalry founded in Bruges by Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy, in 1430, to celebrate his marriage ...

in 1546. In the

Eighty Years' War The Eighty Years' War or Dutch Revolt ( nl, Nederlandse Opstand) ( c.1566/1568–1648) was an armed conflict in the Habsburg Netherlands between disparate groups of rebels and the Spanish government. The causes of the war included the Refo ...

, he took part in

combat Combat ( French for ''fight'') is a purposeful violent conflict meant to physically harm or kill the opposition. Combat may be armed (using weapons) or unarmed ( not using weapons). Combat is sometimes resorted to as a method of self-defense, or ...

under

John of Austria John of Austria ( es, Juan, link=no, german: Johann; 24 February 1547 – 1 October 1578) was the natural son born to Holy Roman Emperor Charles V late in life when he was a widower. Charles V met his son only once, recognizing him in a secret ...

, the illegitimate half-brother of King

Philip II of Spain Philip II) in Spain, while in Portugal and his Italian kingdoms he ruled as Philip I ( pt, Filipe I). (21 May 152713 September 1598), also known as Philip the Prudent ( es, Felipe el Prudente), was King of Spain from 1556, King of Portugal from ...

and

Alexander Farnese Alessandro Farnese may refer to: *Pope Paul III (1468–1549), Roman Catholic Bishop of Rome *Alessandro Farnese (cardinal) (1520–1589), Paul's grandson, Roman Catholic bishop and cardinal-nephew *Alexander Farnese, Duke of Parma (1545–1592), P ...

, cousin on his mother's side. He fought amongst others in the Battle of Gembloux (1578). When Farnese invaded France in 1590, Mansfeld was appointed Governor ''ad interim'' of the

. When Farnese died in 1592, Von Mansfeld effectively became governor until

Archduke Ernest of Austria Archduke Ernest of Austria (german: Ernst von Österreich; 15 June 1553 – 20 February 1595) was an Austrian prince, the son of Maximilian II, Holy Roman Emperor, and Maria of Spain. Biography Born in Vienna, he was educated with his brothe ...

took over in 1594.

Descendants

His first marriage (1 April 1542) to Margaretha van Brederode (*ca. 1520 – died Nemours, 31 May 1554), daughter of

Reinoud III van Brederode Reinoud III van Brederode (4 September 1492, Brederode Castle, Santpoort – 25 September 1556, in Brussels), lord of Brederode and Vianen, burgrave of Utrecht, master of the woods and master of the hunt of Holland, member of the Council ...

11th Lord of Brederode and Philippine de La Marck, produced: *Friedrich, * 1542, † 1559 * Karl II, Count von Mansfeld zu Friedeburg (Luxembourg, 1545 – siege of Gran (

Esztergom Esztergom ( ; german: Gran; la, Solva or ; sk, Ostrihom, known by alternative names) is a city with county rights in northern Hungary, northwest of the capital Budapest. It lies in Komárom-Esztergom County, on the right bank of the river Danu ...

), 14 August 1596); 1m: Diane de Cossé; 2m: Marie Christine von Egmond († 1622) *Polyxene, died after 17 September 1591, married Palamedes de Châlon, the illegitimate son of

René of Châlon René (''born again'' or ''reborn'' in French) is a common first name in French-speaking, Spanish-speaking, and German-speaking countries. It derives from the Latin name Renatus. René is the masculine form of the name (Renée being the feminine ...

. His second marriage on 22 February 1562 to Marie de Montmorency (died 5 February 1570) produced: *Philipp Oktavian, 1564–1591 *Dorothea, married Spanish General and Admiral

Francisco Verdugo Francisco Verdugo, Spanish military commander in the Dutch Revolt, (born in 1537 in Talavera de la Reina, province of Toledo, died in Luxembourg, 1595), became ''Maestre de Campo General,'' in the Spanish Netherlands. He was also the last Spanish ...

. A liaison with Anna Benzerath resulted in * Peter Ernst II von Mansfeld, who was his best-known descendant; Ernst was an important army commander in the

Thirty Years War The Thirty Years' War was one of the longest and List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, most destructive conflicts in History of Europe, European history, lasting from 1618 to 1648. Fought primarily in Central Europe, an es ...

. He died in

Clausen, Luxembourg Clausen () is a quarter in central Luxembourg City, in southern Luxembourg. Clausen is one of the oldest neighbourhoods in the city of Luxembourg with its earlier history tying back to that of the breweries in the area during the 12th century. I ...

in 1604.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Peter Ernst I Von Mansveld-Vorderort 1517 births 1604 deaths People from Kyffhäuserkreis House of Mansfeld Governors of the Habsburg Netherlands Knights of the Golden Fleece