Michael von Melas (12 May 1729-31 May 1806) was a Field Marshal of the Austrian Empire of Greek and Transylvanian descent. He fought in the Seven Years' War and the French Revolutionary Wars.
Biography[]
Von Melas was born in the Bunesti commune of present-day Romania in the Austrian Empire, and served as the aide-de-camp of Graf von Daun during the Seven Years' War. In 1781 he was promoted to the rank of Colonel and in 1794-1795 fought on the Rhine banks during the French Revolutionary Wars. In 1800 he was made subordinate to Russian general Alexander Suvorov, the Prince of Rymnik, and he fought against Napoleon Bonaparte in the Second Coalition. He nearly captured Genoa and was close to a victory at the Battle of Marengo, but he was wounded and his subordinate mismanaged the army, leading to a catastrophic defeat that ended the war. He was made commander in Bohemia until his retirement in 1803.