 Eventually, he rose to the rank of Major General and the post of aide-de-camp to Otto, but his inveterate womanizing led him to become involved in several sexual scandals (such as his notorious affair with Jane Digby) and caused him trouble with Queen Amalia, who demanded his dismissal from the court.In 1854, during the Crimean War, while Greece was officially neutral, he was charged with leading the invasion of Ottoman-ruled Thessaly at the head of irregular forces.Despite early successes, he was defeated and nearly captured by the Ottoman army near Kalambaka.