Francis of Mercy Bust of Mercy on display at the Ruhmeshalle in Munich.
Franz Freiherr von Mercy (or Merci), Lord of Mandre and Collenburg (died 1645), was a German general in the Thirty Years' War. Biography
Franz von Mercy, who came from a noble family in Lorraine, was born in Longwy between 1590 and 1598. From 1606 to 1630 he was employed in the imperial service. For the last year reached a high military rank, and after distinguishing itself in the first Battle of Breitenfeld (1631) directed an infantry regiment in the Rhine and defended Rheinfelden against the Swedes with the greater bravery, surrendering only after resisting five months of siege Now become a cavalry general with the rank of general-feldwachtmeister, and in 1635, 1636 and 1637 participated in future campaigns on the Rhine and Doubs. In September 1638 Maximilian I of Bavaria promoted him to general master of artillery in the army of Bavaria, already in then the second largest army in Germany. In the next campaign was practically commander in chief of the Bavarians, and sometimes also of an army allied of the imperialists and the Bavarians. Now considered one of the most important soldiers in Europe, he became General Field Marshal in 1643 when he won his great victory over French Marshal Marshal Rantzau at the Battle of Tuttlingen (Nov. 24-25), capturing the marshal and seven thousand of his men.
In the following year, Mercy expelled the French armies, now under the charge of Luis II de Borbón and Enrique de la Tour. He fought and in the end lost the desperate Battle of Freiburg, but he avenged the following year for causing Tour to defeat at the Battle of Mergentheim (Marienthal). Later in 1645, he fought once again against Louis and Tour, Merci was assassinated in the Battle of Nordlingen (or Allerheim) in the compromise crisis, which, even Merci's orders, was almost a drawn battle. He died on August 3, 1645. In the place where he fell, Louis de Bourbon erected a monument, with the inscription Sta viator, heroem calcas.
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