The younger son of the Duke of Bouillon and a grandson of William the Silent, he was brought up as a Protestant. The art of warfare he learned from his uncle, Prince Maurits. However, in 1630 he received a commission in the French army from Cardinal Richelieu.
He fought with distinction during the French alliance with the Protestants during the Thirty Years' War and, in 1641, was given supreme command. In 1642 he wrested Roussillon from the Spaniards and for this, in 1644, was made a 'Mar‚chal de France' and given the chief command over the army at the Rhine. However, for a while he was superseded by the Prince de Cond‚. After he was restored to the supreme command, he was defeated, on 5 May 1645, by the Imperial army
at Marienthal. However, on 3 August 1645, the Prince de Cond‚ routed the Imperial army at Noerdlingen, while Turenne conquered Bavaria to be followed by a successful campaign in Flanders. 
Turenne joined the 'frondeurs' and, in the civil war that ensued,was defeated at Rethel in 1650 and withdrew to Flanders. He then joined Mazarin's party while the Prince de Cond‚ defected to the
'frondeurs'. In 1652 Turenne twice defeated Cond‚ and forced him to leave France. He conquered much of the Spanish Netherlands and again, in 1658, defeated Cond‚. In 1660 he was created marshal-general of France and in 1668 became a Catholic.
In 1672 he had a successful campaign into Holland and in 1673 withstood the assaults of Montecuculi and the Elector of Brandenburg.In 1674 he crossed the Rhine, ravaging the Palatinate. After defeatingBrandenburg at Colmar, the Alsace was laid waste. He advanced further into Germany, again to meet Montecuculi, but was killed reconnoitring at Sasbach on 27 July 1675.

Source: Leo van de Pas