Jean-Philippe-Eugène de Mérode-Westerloo
Encyclopedia
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
, 22 June 1674 – Merode castle, 12 September 1732) was a Belgian military and Feldmarschall of the Holy Roman Empire
Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire was a realm that existed from 962 to 1806 in Central Europe.It was ruled by the Holy Roman Emperor. Its character changed during the Middle Ages and the Early Modern period, when the power of the emperor gradually weakened in favour of the princes...
.
Jean-Philippe-Eugène de Merode was the only surviving child of Maximilian de Merode and Isabella-Margaretha de Merode. His father died one year after his birth and his mother remarried with the Joachim Ernest II, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Rethwisch
Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Plön-Rethwisch
The ducal line of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Plön-Rethwisch descended from the line of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Plön. It was founded by Joachim Ernest II who as the third son of the Duke of Plön, Joachim Ernest, received the estate of Rethwisch in Storman as his inheritance...
. This was an army commander who guided Jean-Philippe towards a military career. At the age of five Jean-Philippe was already present at the siege of Oran
Oran
Oran is a major city on the northwestern Mediterranean coast of Algeria, and the second largest city of the country.It is the capital of the Oran Province . The city has a population of 759,645 , while the metropolitan area has a population of approximately 1,500,000, making it the second largest...
in Northern-Africa.
During the consecutive wars which raged in the Spanish Netherlands, Jean-Philippe switched sides a few times to maintain his possessions. First he and his Regiment of Westerloo served the anti-French coalition under King William III of England
William III of England
William III & II was a sovereign Prince of Orange of the House of Orange-Nassau by birth. From 1672 he governed as Stadtholder William III of Orange over Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Guelders, and Overijssel of the Dutch Republic. From 1689 he reigned as William III over England and Ireland...
and King Charles II of Spain
Charles II of Spain
Charles II was the last Habsburg King of Spain and the ruler of large parts of Italy, the Spanish territories in the Southern Low Countries, and Spain's overseas Empire, stretching from the Americas to the Spanish East Indies...
. In 1694 he was made Knight in the Order of the Golden Fleece
Order of the Golden Fleece
The Order of the Golden Fleece is an order of chivalry founded in Bruges by Philip III, Duke of Burgundy in 1430, to celebrate his marriage to the Portuguese princess Infanta Isabella of Portugal, daughter of King John I of Portugal. It evolved as one of the most prestigious orders in Europe...
.
During the War of Spanish Succession he served the new Bourbon
House of Bourbon
The House of Bourbon is a European royal house, a branch of the Capetian dynasty . Bourbon kings first ruled Navarre and France in the 16th century. By the 18th century, members of the Bourbon dynasty also held thrones in Spain, Naples, Sicily, and Parma...
King Philip V of Spain
Philip V of Spain
Philip V was King of Spain from 15 November 1700 to 15 January 1724, when he abdicated in favor of his son Louis, and from 6 September 1724, when he assumed the throne again upon his son's death, to his death.Before his reign, Philip occupied an exalted place in the royal family of France as a...
, and fought on the side of the French and Bavarians under Maximilian II Emanuel, Elector of Bavaria
Maximilian II Emanuel, Elector of Bavaria
Maximilian II , also known as Max Emanuel or Maximilian Emanuel, was a Wittelsbach ruler of Bavaria and an elector of the Holy Roman Empire. He was also the last Governor of the Spanish Netherlands and duke of Luxembourg...
, new governor of the Southern Netherlands
Governors of the Habsburg Netherlands
The Governor of the Habsburg Netherlands ruled the Habsburg Netherlands as a representative of the Duke of Burgundy .- Habsburg Netherlands :...
. He played an important role in the Battle of Eckeren in 1703.
The next year he fought in the Battle of Blenheim
Battle of Blenheim
The Battle of Blenheim , fought on 13 August 1704, was a major battle of the War of the Spanish Succession. Louis XIV of France sought to knock Emperor Leopold out of the war by seizing Vienna, the Habsburg capital, and gain a favourable peace settlement...
on the side of the French under Tallard
Camille d'Hostun, duc de Tallard
Camille d'Hostun de la Baume, duc de Tallard was a French noble, diplomat and military commander, who became Marshal of France.-Military career:...
and Marsin
Ferdinand de Marsin
Ferdinand, comte de Marsin was a French general and diplomat, who was Marshal of France.-Biography:...
. The battle was a great defeat and Mérode narrowly escaped death.
After the battle, Mérode retired to his castles in Westerlo
Westerlo
Westerlo is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Antwerp. The municipality comprises seven towns:- Westerlo centrum - Oevel - Tongerlo - Heultje...
, Pietersheim and Merode
Merode
Merode may refer to:* MERODE, an Object Oriented Enterprise Modeling method developed at Kuleuven * de Mérode or van Merode or von Merode is the name of a princely dynasty belonging to the Belgian nobility...
. From then on he served the new rulers of the Southern Netherlands : the Austrian Emperors Joseph I
Joseph I, Holy Roman Emperor
Joseph I , Holy Roman Emperor, King of Bohemia, King of Hungary, King of the Romans was the elder son of Emperor Leopold I and his third wife, Eleonor Magdalene of Neuburg....
and Charles VI
Charles VI, Holy Roman Emperor
Charles VI was the penultimate Habsburg sovereign of the Habsburg Empire. He succeeded his elder brother, Joseph I, as Holy Roman Emperor, King of Bohemia , Hungary and Croatia , Archduke of Austria, etc., in 1711...
.
In 1717 he was rewarded with the title of Field Marshal
Field Marshal
Field Marshal is a military rank. Traditionally, it is the highest military rank in an army.-Etymology:The origin of the rank of field marshal dates to the early Middle Ages, originally meaning the keeper of the king's horses , from the time of the early Frankish kings.-Usage and hierarchical...
.
Merode had a difficult character and had personal conflicts with Prince Eugene of Savoy
Prince Eugene of Savoy
Prince Eugene of Savoy , was one of the most successful military commanders in modern European history, rising to the highest offices of state at the Imperial court in Vienna. Born in Paris to aristocratic Italian parents, Eugene grew up around the French court of King Louis XIV...
and the Marquis de Prié.
Marriage and children
He married first in 1701 in Bayonne in 1701 with Maria-Theresia de Aragon y Pignatelli, daughter of Nicolas Pignatelli, Duke de Monteleone and Viceroy of Sardinia. They had three children of whom only Isabella-Marie (1703-1780) survived infancy, marrying a Count Czernin.Maria-Theresia died of Smallpox
Smallpox
Smallpox was an infectious disease unique to humans, caused by either of two virus variants, Variola major and Variola minor. The disease is also known by the Latin names Variola or Variola vera, which is a derivative of the Latin varius, meaning "spotted", or varus, meaning "pimple"...
on 9 August 1718.
Merode married again on 29 September 1721 with Princess Charlotte Wilhelmine Amalie Alexandrina (1703–1740), daughter of Franz Alexander, Prince of Nassau-Hadamar.
Children :
- Jean-Guillaume-Augustin (16 June 1722 - 7 January 1763), married Eléonore de Rohan, daughter of Charles de Rohan, Prince of Rochefort (1728-1792),
- Johanna-Christina (7 May 1724 - ?), a nun in MaubeugeMaubeugeMaubeuge is a commune in the Nord department in northern France.It is situated on both banks of the Sambre , east of Valenciennes and about from the Belgian border.-History:...
. - Marie-Elisabeth-Félicité (2 July 1728 - ?), a nun in Thorn.
- Philippe-Maximilien (4 July 1729 - 25 January 1773), married Marie Catherine de Merode-Montfort (1743-1794), had offspring.
- His grandson was Werner de Merode-Westerloo (1797-1840), whose daughters were
- AntoinetteAntoinette de Mérode-WesterlooAntoinette de Merode , Princess of Monaco, was born in Brussels as the daughter of Count Werner de Merode and his spouse Countess Victoire de Spangen d'Uyternesse ....
(1828–1864), who married Charles III, Prince of MonacoCharles III, Prince of MonacoCharles III was Prince of Monaco and Duke of Valentinois from 20 June 1856 to his death. He was the founder of the famous casino in Monte Carlo, as his title in Monegasque and Italian was Carlo III.-Birth:... - Louise, mother of Maria Vittoria del Pozzo della CisternaMaria Vittoria del Pozzo della CisternaMaria Vittoria dal Pozzo was an Italian noblewoman and was the Princess della Cisterna in her own right. Married to the Duke of Aosta, a son of Victor Emmanuel II of Italy she was later the queen of Spain from 1870 until her husband's abdication in 1873...
, Queen consort of Spain (1870-1873)
- Antoinette
- His grandson was Werner de Merode-Westerloo (1797-1840), whose daughters were
- Maria-Theresia (8 June 1730 - ?)
- Maria-Josepha (21 February 1730 - ?)
Memoirs
Jean-Philippe-Eugène de Merode-Westerloo is best remembered for his memoirs, which were published by his grandson, and which are a valuable source of information on the Battle of BlenheimBattle of Blenheim
The Battle of Blenheim , fought on 13 August 1704, was a major battle of the War of the Spanish Succession. Louis XIV of France sought to knock Emperor Leopold out of the war by seizing Vienna, the Habsburg capital, and gain a favourable peace settlement...
, as seen from the side of the defeated.
- Jean-Philippe-Eugène de Merode-Westerloo: Mémoires de Feld-Maréchal Comte de Merode-Westerloo, Chevalier de la Toison d'Or, Capitaine de Trabans de l'Empereur Charles VI. - 2 Volumes, Brussels, 1840
Literature
- David Chandler (Hg.): Military Memoirs of Marlborough's Campaigns, 1702–12. - London: Greenhill Books, 1998; ISBN 1853673307 - has extracts of the Count's memoires.