De Haes was born in Ghent on 22 April 1597 and in early life worked as a baker's boy in the city. At the age of 26 he joined the
Army of Flanders, serving in the
Palatinate campaign and the
War of the Mantuan Succession. By 1632 he was in Austrian service in Bohemia, commanding an infantry regiment. De Haes fought in the
Battle of Lutzen (1632), the
Siege of Ingolstadt, and the
Battle of Nördlingen (1634). In 1635 he was appointed general of the Army of Tyrol, occupying the
Valtelline in 1637. He was injured in the
Battle of Ziegenhain (1640), and spent six months recovering. In the run-up to the
Cretan War (1645–69) De Haes entered Venetian service. He campaigned successfully on the island of
Zante in 1646–1647. In 1649 he was appointed governor of
Dalmatia. His final victory was at
Sebenico in 1650. He retired to
Zara, where he died in 1657. ==Reading==