Girolamo was born in the noble Neapolitan
Carafa family. His parents were Rainaldo Carafa and Portia Carracciola, daughter of the Duke of Sicignano. At the age of 14, he was sent to Rome to study science under guidance of his uncle Cardinal
Antonio Carafa. Girolamo married young with Hippolyta de Lannoy, granddaughter of
Charles de Lannoy, Spanish
Viceroy of Naples. In 1587, Girolamo joined the Spanish army, against the will of his family. First he served under
Alexander Farnese in the
Dutch Revolt. Then he fought against King
Henry IV of France, more specifically at
Ligne (1590) and
Rouen (1592). Later he commanded an army unit in
Friesland,
Brabant and
Flanders. In the
Franco-Spanish War (1595-1598) he first fought in some smaller battles in the border area. But in 1597, he participated in the
Siege of Amiens, where he became leader of the besieged Spanish troops, when General Porto-Carrero was killed. He defended the city with great courage, and was honoured by King Henry IV of France, when he had to surrender the city on September 25. After his return to the Low Countries, he fought in the
Siege of Ostend. When Ostend was taken, he was sent to Italy to fight against
Savoy. After peace was concluded, he became commander of the cavalry in Sicily. Here he was contacted by
Ferdinand II, Holy Roman Emperor and entered in his service at the outbreak of the
Thirty Years' War. He played an important role in the victory at the
Battle of White Mountain, when he prevented the union of the troops of
Gábor Bethlen with his Bohemian allies. He also fought near Milan in 1621. After the peace treaty with Gábor Bethlen was signed, Girolamo became
Geheimrat and
Reichsfürst. He returned to Spain where he became
Viceroy of Aragon. Shortly after, he was sent one more time to the low Countries, but died underway. Carafa was a strict Catholic and was highly educated. == Sources ==