Jean Baptiste van Merlen

Jean Baptiste van Merlen
Baron de l'Empire
Born15 April 1773 (1773-04-15)
Died18 June 1815(1815-06-18) (aged 42)
Burial place
Church of Saint Joseph, Waterloo
Military career
Allegiance United Belgian States
France French Republic
Batavian Republic Batavian Republic
Netherlands Kingdom of Holland
France French Empire
United Kingdom of the Netherlands United Kingdom of the Netherlands
Branch
Cavalry
Service years
1788–1815
Conflicts
French Revolutionary Wars
Napoleonic Wars
AwardsKnight of the Order of the Union
Knight of the Order of the Reunion
Officer of the Legion of Honour

Major General Jean Baptiste Baron van Merlen (11 May 1772 – 18 June 1815) (also spelt Joannes Baptista Baron van Merlen) was an army officer born in the Austrian Netherlands who, following the varied fortunes of his homeland, fought on both sides during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. Fighting in a series of campaigns in the Netherlands, Germany and Spain, he played an important part in the battles of Quatre Bras and Waterloo, where he was killed in action.