Charles, Prince of Commercy

Charles de Lorraine, Prince of Commercy, Count of Rosnay (11 July 1661 – 15 August 1702), was a French field marshal of the Holy Roman Empire and a consultant of Eugene of Savoy. He became known after leading imperial troops in the Great Turkish War, in the Nine Years' War, and the War of Spanish Succession.

Life
Charles of Lorraine was born on 11 July 1661 in Bar-le-Duc, a small town in the Duchy of Lorraine. He came from an aristocratic family, which was part of the House of Lorraine. His father was Francis of Lorraine, Prince of Lillebonne, who was a cavalry commander in the French army. His mother was Anne of Lorraine, who was the daughter of Charles IV, Duke of Lorraine. His paternal grandmother was Catherine Henriette de Bourbon, daughter of Henry IV of France.

He had eight brothers and sisters. Three of them lived to adulthood, his two sisters, Béatrice Hiéronyme de Lorraine and Elisabeth de Lorraine-Lillebonne, and his brother, John Francis. Commercy was never married and had no children. He died during the War of Spanish Succession in the Battle of Luzzara.

Military career
Initially Charles of Lorraine joined the French army. In May 1684, he abandoned the French army, in order to join the troops of the Holy Roman Empire. Commercy joined as a volunteer in the imperial forces in the Great Turkish War. In the beginning of the war he served as a consultant of Charles V, Duke of Lorraine, in his negotiations with Friedrich VII, Margrave of Baden-Durlach. In 1685 he took part in the siege of Nové Zámky, where he was injured. In the same year he was one of the commander in the second Battle of Buda (1686), where he was also injured. On 11 October 1685 he was promoted to General Field Sergeant. On 23 November 1685 Emperor Leopold I granted him a personal guard of cuirassiers to reward him for his achievement during the Great Turkish War. In 1688 Charles of Lorraine was one the commanders during the siege of Belgrade. After the successful siege of the city he was promoted to Lieutenant-General. Commercy during those years became one of the most trusted lieutenants of Eugene of Savoy.

After the outbreak of the Nine Years' War, he went to Rhineland as a general of the Holy Roman Empire. In 1690 he defended the city of Mainz against the French army. In 1692 he was promoted to General of the Cavalry. In the same year he took part in the siege of Embrun, where he was injured, after being shot. On 12 May 1696 he was promoted to Field Marshal, which was the highest army rank. In 1701 he took part in the War of Spanish Succession as Field Marshal of Austria. He took part in the Battle of Carpi and in the Battle of Chiari on 1 September 1701. On 1 February 1702 he was one of the commanders of the Austrian army during the Battle of Cremona. He died on 15 August 1702 during the Battle of Luzzara in Cremona, after being shot several times. Charles of Lorraine was buried in Nancy in the graveyard of the House of Lorraine.