Generalissimo

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Generalissimo[1] is a military rank of the highest degree, superior to field marshal and other five-star ranks in the countries where they are used.

Usage

The word generalissimo (Italian: Generalissimo), an Italian term, is the absolute superlative of generale ('general') thus meaning "the highest-ranking of all generals". The superlative suffix -issimo itself derives from Latin -issimus,[2][3][4][5][6] meaning "utmost, to the highest grade". Similar cognates in other languages include generalísimo in Spanish, generalíssimo in Portuguese, généralissime in French, and generalissimus in Latin.

Historically this rank was given to a military officer leading an entire army or the entire armed forces of a nation, usually only subordinate to the sovereign.[7] Other usage of the rank has been for the commander of the united armies of several allied powers and if a senior military officer becomes the head of state or head of government of a nation like Chiang Kai-Shek in China and later in Taiwan, and Francisco Franco in Spain.

The rank Generalissimus of the Soviet Union would have been a generalissimo but Stalin refused to adopt the rank.[8][9]

List of generalissimos

Chiang Kai-shek
Emilio Aguinaldo
Karl Philipp, Prince of Schwarzenberg
Wallenstein – Albrecht von Waldstein, 1625, 1st Generalissimo
Alexander Suvorov
PersonServiceCountryEraNotes
Chiang Kai-shekNational Revolutionary ArmyRepublic of China1926Appointed commander in chief of the Nationalist Army for the Northern Expedition[10]. In 1935 was appointed "general special class" (特級上將 Tèjí shàng jiàng).
Joseph JoffreFrench ArmyFrance1914His rank was Marshal of France, but his title as commander-in-chief of the French Army was généralissime.
Alexander SuvorovRussian Imperial ArmyRussian Empire1799
Alexander Danilovich MenshikovRussian Imperial ArmyRussian Empire1727–1728[11]
Ferdinand FochFrench ArmyFrance1918Généralissime was the title used to describe Ferdinand Foch's Allied Command, starting 26 March 1918. He actually held the rank of général de division, Marshal of France and later the ranks of British Field Marshal and Marshal of Poland.[12]
Maurice GamelinFrench ArmyFrance1939His rank was général d'armée, but his title as commander-in-chief of the French Armed Forces was généralissime.
Maxime WeygandFrench ArmyFrance1939His rank was général d'armée, but his title as commander-in-chief of the French Armed Forces was généralissime.
Francisco de MirandaVenezuelan ArmyVenezuela1812
Miguel Hidalgo y CostillaRevolutionary Army of MexicoAmérica Mexicana1810 September – 1811 February[13]
José de San MartínPeruvian ArmyPerú1821–1822Generalísimo de las Armas del Perú
Francisco FrancoSpanish Armed ForcesSpain1936–1975generalísimo[14]
Emilio AguinaldoPhilippine Revolutionary ArmyPhilippines1898–1901Heneralismo[15]
Ihsan NuriArarat ForcesKurdish Republic of Ararat1927–1930[16]
Crown Prince Charles JohnRoyal Swedish ArmySweden1810–1818[17][Note 1]
Joseph StalinSoviet Armed ForcesSoviet Union1945Generalissimus of the Soviet Union[18] (declined)
Kim Il-sungKorean People's ArmyNorth Korea1992Taewonsu[19]
Kim Jong-ilKorean People's ArmyNorth Korea2012Taewonsu (Promoted posthumously)[20]
Rafael TrujilloDominican ArmyDominican Republic1930[21]
Sun Yat-senNational Revolutionary Army – Warlord Era (Northern Expedition) Republic of China1921Technically as da yuan shuai or "grand marshal of the army and navy"[22][23]
Albrecht von Wallenstein30 Year's WarHoly Roman Empire via the "Principal Decree of the Imperial Deputation"[24]1625[25]
John J. PershingUnited States ArmyUnited States of America1919Promoted to General of the Armies of the United States on September 3, 1919.[26]
John Churchill, 1st Duke of MarlboroughWar of the Spanish SuccessionKingdom of England, Kingdom of Great Britain1702Commanded all English and Dutch Armies and German mercenaries[27]
Prince George of DenmarkWar of the Spanish SuccessionKingdom of Great Britain1708Commanded all English Army and Navy[28]
Louis Dauphin of FranceWar of the Spanish SuccessionFrance1708Commanded French Army[29]
William VIII, Landgrave of Hesse-KasselSwedish ArmySweden1720[30]
George WashingtonContinental Army
United States Army		United States of America1776Promoted posthumously to General of the Armies of the United States on January 19, 1976 with date of rank of July 4, 1976.[31]
Deodoro da FonsecaBrazilian ArmyBrazil1890
KalākauaHawaiian ArmyKingdom of Hawaii1886–1891King of Hawaii, was given titles of "Supreme Commander and Generalissimo of the Hawaiian Army".[32]

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ The Napoleonic Marshal of France Jean Baptiste Bernadotte, Prince of Ponte Corvo, was elected Crown Prince of Sweden by the Riksdag of the Estates and King Charles XIII in 1810. Given his exalted French military rank, the rank of generalissimus was likely granted him in order to give him precedence over "mere" Swedish field marshals. Once he became King of Sweden and Norway in 1818, the generalissimus rank became superfluous.

References

  1. ↑ Encyclopaedia Britannica: Or, A Dictionary of Arts, Sciences, and Miscellaneous Literature, Enlarged and Improved. Archibald Constable. 1823. p. 484.
  2. ↑ Webster's Third New International Dictionary. , French Larousse Étymologique.
  3. ↑ "Online Etymology Dictionary". Online Etymology Dictionary.
  4. ↑ "Define Generalissimo at Dictionary.com". Reference.com.
  5. ↑ "Generalissimo – Definition and More from the Free Merriam-Webster Dictionary". Merriam-Webster.
  6. ↑ "Definition of generalissimo – Oxford Dictionaries (British & World English)". Oxford Dictionary of English.
  7. ↑ Thomas Hobbes (1660), Chapter XVIII: Of the Rights of Sovereigns by institution, retrieved 16 August 2015
  8. ↑ Service, Robert (2005). Stalin: A Biography. Cambridge: Harvard University Press. p. 548. ISBN 978-0-674-01697-2.
  9. ↑ S. M. Shtemenko. The General Staff in the War Years. Moskva 1985. Vietnamese version (vol. 2) . pp. 587–588.
  10. ↑ New York Times, Dec 04, 1926, pg.6.
  11. ↑ "Menschikow und Stalin waren die einzigen Heerführer der russischen Geschichte, die sich "Generalissimus" nennen ließen." [Menshikov and Stalin were the only military leaders in Russian history who declared themselves "generalissimus".] Jena, Detlev (1996): Die russischen Zaren in Lebensbildern, Graz, p. 520.
  12. ↑ John McGroarty :The Gray Man of Christ: Generalissimo Foch (1919) Los Angeles, Walter A Abbott
  13. ↑ Comunica Miguel Hidalgo su proclamaci n como General simo de Am rica. Documentos Historicos de Mexico, 24 Oct 1810.
  14. ↑ Cover, TIME magazine, 18 Oct 1943
  15. ↑ cite archive: |institution= required; (help)
  16. ↑ Bletch Chirguh, La Question Kurde: ses origines et ses causes, Le Caire, Impimerie Paul Barbey, 1930, front cover, IHSAN NOURI PACHA Généralissime des forces nationales Kurdes (in French)
  17. ↑ (in Swedish) Ancienneté och Rang-Rulla öfver Krigsmagten år 1813
  18. ↑ Joseph Stalin was appointed Generalissimus of the Soviet Union. See: Ivan Aleksandrovich Venediktov, Selskokhozyaystvennaya yentsiklopediya, Vol. 4, Gos. izd-vo selkhoz, 1956, p. 584. (in Russian)
  19. ↑ The Daily Yomuiri, 29 September 2010, Kim Jong Un spotlighted / 'Heir apparent' promoted to general, makes DPRK media debut
  20. ↑ The Australian, 15 February 2012, Late Kim Jong-il awarded highest honour by North
  21. ↑ Stanley Walker, Generalissimo Rafael L. Trujillo (1955) Caribbean Library
  22. ↑ Linda Pomerantz-Zhang (1992). Wu Tingfang (1842–1922): Reform and Modernization in Modern Chinese History. Hong Kong University Press. p. 255. ISBN 962209287X. Retrieved 2010-10-31.
  23. ↑ Taylor, Jay (15 April 2009). The Generalissimo: Chiang Kai-shek and the struggle for modern China. Harvard University Press. p. 32. ISBN 978-0-674-05471-4. Retrieved 28 February 2017.
  24. ↑ A short history of Germany. Ernest Flagg Henderson, 1908
  25. ↑ Tilly und Wallenstein – ein Vergleich zweier Heerführer. Harry Horstmann, 2010. (in German)
  26. ↑ Public Law 66-45 of September 3, 1919 to revive the office of General of the Armies
  27. ↑ Rapin de Thoyras (M., Paul) (1745). Nicholas Tindal, ed. The History of England. Volume IV, part 1 (French original: Histoire d'Angleterre, 1724–27). J. and P. Knapton. p. 562. Retrieved 16 September 2018. The Earl of Athlone [Godard van Reede] was set on by the other Dutch Generals, to insist on his quality of Velt-Marshal, and to have the command with the Earl of Marlborough by turns. But, though he was now in high reputation by his late conduct, the States obliged him to yield this point to the Earl of Marlborough, whom they declared Generalissimo of all their forces, and sent orders to all their Generals and other Officers to obey him.
  28. ↑ Rapin de Thoyras (M., Paul) (1745). Nicholas Tindal, ed. The History of England. Volume IV, part 1 (French original: Histoire d'Angleterre, 1724–27). J. and P. Knapton. p. 104. Retrieved 16 September 2018. The Prince was Duke of Cumberland, Lord High-Admiral of Great-Britain and Ireland, Generalissimo of all her Majesty's forces both by sea and land, and Warden of the Cinque-ports.
  29. ↑ Rapin de Thoyras (M., Paul) (1745). Nicholas Tindal, ed. The History of England. Volume IV, part 1 (French original: Histoire d'Angleterre, 1724–27). J. and P. Knapton. p. 68. Retrieved 16 September 2018. But an unexpected alteration was suddenly made, and the French King declared the Duke of Burgundy Generalissimo of his forces, appointing the Duke de Vendosme [sic: Vendôme]  to serve under him; and he was to be accompanied by the Duke of Berry.
  30. ↑ Pock, Johann Joseph (1724). Der politische, katholische Passagier, durchreisend alle hohe Höfe, Republiquen, Herrschafften und Länder der ganzen Welt. Brechenmacher. p. 832. Retrieved 16 September 2018. wurde 1720. von dem König in Schweden [...] zum Generalissimo der sämmtlichen Schwedischen Trouppen ernennet
  31. ↑ Public Law 94-479 of January 19, 1976 to provide for the appointment of George Washington to the grade of General of the Armies of the United States
  32. ↑ Chapter XXII: Act Act To Organize The Military Forces Of The Kingdom. Laws of His Majesty Kalakaua, King of the Hawaiian Islands: Passed by the Legislative Assembly at Its Session of 1886. Honolulu: Black & Auld. 1886. pp. 37–41. OCLC 42350849.
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