Peter Ernest I of Mansfeld-Vorderort

Peter Ernst I von Mansfeld-Vorderort (20 July 1517 – 25 May 1604) was a Spanish Imperial army commander of German origin and Governor of the Spanish Netherlands from 1592 to 1594. Born in Heldrungen, Saxony, he was the 11th child (of 16) of Ernest II, Count of Mansfeld-Vorderort. His mother was Ernest II's second wife, Dorothea von Solms-Lich. Military career As a young man, Peter Ernst came to the Spanish Netherlands with Charles V. He participated in the expedition against Tunis in 1535 and became governor of Luxembourg in 1545. He was made a knight in the Order of the Golden Fleece in 1546. In the Eighty Years' War, he took part in combat under John of Austria, the illegitimate half-brother of King Philip II of Spain and Alexander Farnese, cousin on his mother's side. He fought amongst others in the Battle of Gembloux (1578).