He was the second son of Jacob of Bronckhorst-Batenburg (1553–1582) and Gertrud of Myllendonk (1552–1612). He studied in Lorraine and did a
Grand Tour of Italy. In 1603, like his father, he entered the Spanish army. After the
Twelve Years' Truce in 1609, he became a colonel in the Austrian army. His commander
Leopold V, Archduke of Austria, appointed him in his
Geheimrat and made him commander of a Regiment. He fought in the Thirty Years' War in 1618, and also participated in the
Battle of White Mountain in 1620. As a reward, he became count in 1621 and Field Marshal the following year.| In 1622/23 he fought in
Westfalen against
Christian von Braunschweig-Wolfenbüttel and
Peter Ernst von Mansfeld, which he pushed back into
East Frisia. He played an important role in the victory in the
Battle of Stadtlohn, as commander of the vanguard. In 1624 he participated in the
Siege of Breda under
Ambrosio Spinola, and fought later under Tilly in
Osnabrück against the Danes. In the Winter of 1627/28 he took up winter quarters in East Frisia. In 1628 he became a Knight in the
Order of the Golden Fleece, and in 1629 he became Governor of the
Alsace and of
Further Austria. In 1630 he died in Freiburg from
tuberculosis. ==Family==