He attended the Gymnasium in Halle and in 1717 entered into Spanish military service. In 1728 he was appointed as the Military commissioner in Lombardy. In 1736 he entered the Regiment von Schauenstein, and, in 1743, he received command of his own regiment in the service of Maria Theresa. After the Siege of Genoa, he was sent to Como, where he commanded the garrison from 1751–1757.