Matthias Gallas (17 October 1588-25 April 1647) was an Austrian general who served as an Imperial Field Marshal during the Thirty Years' War.
Biography[]
Matthias Gallas was born in Trento, Prince-Bishopric of Trent in 1588, and he fought in Flanders and Italy as a mercenary in the service of Spain. In 1621, he became commander of an infantry regiment in the service of the Catholic League, distinguishing himself at the Battle of Stadtlohn in 1623 and becoming a colonel two years later. He later served in the War of the Mantuan Succession as an Imperial general, and he was made an Imperial count for his contributions. Gallas went on to return to Germany, commanding a corps at the Battle of the Alte Veste. In 1634, Gallas crushed the Swedes at the First Battle of Nordlingen, and he chased the Swedes into northern Germany. He was relieved in 1639 after he failed to eject the Swedes from Bohemia, but he returned to command after the Second Battle of Breitenfeld. Gallas was sent north to aid Denmark against the Swedes during the Torstenson War; however, his health declined, necessitating his removal from command a second time. He returned to command in 1646, but he again fell ill from fever and died in Vienna in 1647.