Ernst Mangel was born in 1800 in the Transylvanian city of Gyulafehérvár (in German: Karlsburg, in Romanian: Alba Iulia).
[1] After Byron's death, he followed the French philhellene, Colonel Charles Nicolas Fabvier, who was tasked with creating a regular army.
As part of the first regular regiment, Fabvier organized a military band, called the Musical Troupe (Μουσικός Θίασος), and entrusted its direction to Mangel.
In 1834 Mangel converted to Greek Orthodoxy, choosing the name "Michael", married a local woman, and left the army.
[2] Manuscripts of three triumphal marches dedicated to King Otto, are stored in the Bavarian State Library in the city of Munich.