Graf von Tilly (1559-1632) is considered to be one of the greatest generals of the Thirty Years' War. His career spanned almost sixty years, from entering the military as a 15-year-old cadet until his death from wounds suffered on the field of battle at the age of seventy-four. His piety earned him the nickname "The Monk in Armor."

Johann Tserclaes, Graf von Tilly was born in February 1559 at Castle Tilly, in Brabant (about 50 kilometers southeast of Brussels), in what was then known as the Spanish Netherlands. This area was part of the Holy Roman Empire under the rule of the House of Habsburg. His father, Martin Tserclaes, was the lord of Tilly and an associate of Egmont, a local aristocrat. As the Duke of Alva's "Council of Blood" strove to put down the loyal Spanish subjects in the Netherlands, Egmont was executed in 1568. Martin Tserclaes was forced to...