''Alférez'' is a junior officer rank in the militaries of

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...

and

Uruguay Uruguay (; ), officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay ( es, República Oriental del Uruguay), is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast; while bordering ...

. The Portuguese variant ''alferes'' is used in

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...

Mozambique Mozambique (), officially the Republic of Mozambique ( pt, Moçambique or , ; ny, Mozambiki; sw, Msumbiji; ts, Muzambhiki), is a country located in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi ...

São Tomé and Príncipe São Tomé and Príncipe (; pt, São Tomé e Príncipe (); English: " Saint Thomas and Prince"), officially the Democratic Republic of São Tomé and Príncipe ( pt, República Democrática de São Tomé e Príncipe), is a Portuguese-speaking i ...

and

East Timor East Timor (), also known as Timor-Leste (), officially the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, is an island country in Southeast Asia. It comprises the eastern half of the island of Timor, the exclave of Oecusse on the island's north-weste ...

and was also formerly used in

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

. The naval rank of ''alférez de fragata'' is used in Spain,

Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic ( ; es, República Dominicana, ) is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean region. It occupies the eastern five-eighths of the island, which it shares wit ...

and

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = Seal (emblem), National seal , national_motto = "Fi ...

. ''Alférez'' and ''alferes'' are often translated as

ensign An ensign is the national flag flown on a vessel to indicate nationality. The ensign is the largest flag, generally flown at the stern (rear) of the ship while in port. The naval ensign (also known as war ensign), used on warships, may be diffe ...

, but are also sometimes translated as

sub-lieutenant Sub-lieutenant is usually a junior officer rank, used in armies, navies and air forces. In most armies, sub-lieutenant is the lowest officer rank. However, in Brazil, it is the highest non-commissioned rank, and in Spain, it is the second high ...

second lieutenant Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank. Australia The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until ...

. These translations are approximate. As a military rank, it corresponds usually to

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...

rank code is OF-1. The Spanish word ''alférez'' and the Portuguese word ''alferes'' were both derived from the Arabic (''al-fāris''), meaning "the knight", "the horseman" or "the cavalryman". The rank of ''alférez'' / ''alferes'' was first used by

Iberia The Iberian Peninsula (), ** * Aragonese and Occitan: ''Peninsula Iberica'' ** ** * french: Péninsule Ibérique * mwl, Península Eibérica * eu, Iberiar penintsula also known as Iberia, is a peninsula in southwestern Europe, defi ...

n armies during the ''

reconquista The ' (Spanish, Portuguese and Galician for "reconquest") is a historiographical construction describing the 781-year period in the history of the Iberian Peninsula between the Umayyad conquest of Hispania in 711 and the fall of the Nasrid ...

'' in the

middle ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...

, being associated to the officer responsible for the carrying of a unit flag. During that time ''alférez'' was the leader of the retinue of a king or high-ranking nobleman. The famous warrior

El Cid Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar (c. 1043 – 10 July 1099) was a Castilian knight and warlord in medieval Spain. Fighting with both Christian and Muslim armies during his lifetime, he earned the Arabic honorific ''al-sīd'', which would evolve into El ...

was the ''alférez'' of King

Alfonso VI of Castile Alphons (Latinized ''Alphonsus'', ''Adelphonsus'', or ''Adefonsus'') is a male given name recorded from the 8th century (Alfonso I of Asturias, r. 739–757) in the Christian successor states of the Visigothic kingdom in the Iberian peninsula. ...

and

Alfonso Núñez Alfonso Núñez ('' fl.'' 1101–1135) was a Galician nobleman and military leader. He was the eldest son of Nuño Velázquez and Fronilde Sánchez, daughter of Count Sancho Ordóñez. From at least 28 January 1090 Nuño's power lay in the regio ...

was the ''alférez'' of Duke

Raymond of Galicia Raymond of Burgundy (c. 1070 – 24 May 1107) was the ruler of Galicia as vassal of Alfonso VI of León and Castile, the Emperor of All Spain, from about 1090 until his death. He was the fourth son of Count William I of Burgundy and Stephanie. He ...

Argentina

In Argentina, the rank of ''alférez'' is used by both the

air force An air force – in the broadest sense – is the national military branch that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an a ...

and the

gendarmerie Wrong info! --> A gendarmerie () is a military force with law enforcement duties among the civilian population. The term ''gendarme'' () is derived from the medieval French expression ', which translates to " men-at-arms" (literally, ...

. It is, however, used differently in the two services. The air force uses the rank for newly qualified officers, while the gendarmerie uses ''alférez'' ranks as an equivalent for the army's "lieutenant" ranks. The other

armed forces of Argentina The Armed Forces of the Argentine Republic, in es, Fuerzas Armadas de la República Argentina, are controlled by the Commander-in-Chief (the President) and a civilian Minister of Defense. In addition to the Army, Navy and Air Force, there are t ...

do not use the rank of ensign.

Chile

In Chile, an officer cadet is known as a ''sub-alférez''. On graduating from officer training, he becomes an ''alférez'' for a year while carrying out training specific to his branch. After this, the ''alférez'' is promoted to

Peru

Frigate ''alférez'' is the lowest naval officer rank.

Philippines

The rank of ''Alférez'', locally spelled as ''Alpéres'', was also used by the

Philippine Revolutionary Army The Philippine Revolutionary Army, later renamed Philippine Republican Army (Spanish: ''Ejército Revolucionario Filipino''; Tagalog: ''Panghimagsikang Hukbong Katihan ng Pilipinas''), was the official armed forces of the First Philippine Repu ...

during the Philippine Revolution and Philippine-American War. It is the lowest commissioned officer rank and is interchangeable with

(

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

: ''Segundo Teniente'') ( Tagalog: ''Ikalawang Tenyente'') on the service. File:PR Alferez SE.svg,

Spain

is the lowest officer rank in Spain, immediately below

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often sub ...

Dominican Republic

''Alférez'' is used in the Dominican Navy, with frigate ''alférez'' (

) and ship ''alférez'' (

first lieutenant First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces; in some forces, it is an appointment. The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations, but in most forces it is sub-divided into a s ...

) being the lowest naval officer ranks.

Venezuela

"Alférez" in Venezuela's Armed Forces is the last rank of a cadet in the three land academies of officers: Army, Air Force and National Guard. The naval academy uses for its last rank "midshipman" or "guardiamarina".

Gallery

Army insignia

File:SS.OO.1.EJER.ALFÉREZ.svg,
(

Chilean Army The Chilean Army ( es, Ejército de Chile) is the land arm of the Military of Chile. This 80,000-person army (9,200 of which are conscripts) is organized into six divisions, a special operations brigade and an air brigade. In recent years, and a ...

) File:07. EGLF-2LT.svg,
( Army of Equatorial Guinea) File:Mozambique-Army-OF-1a.svg,
( Mozambican Army) File:Army-POR-OF-01b.svg,
(

Portuguese Army The Portuguese Army ( pt, Exército Português) is the land component of the Armed Forces of Portugal and is also its largest branch. It is charged with the defence of Portugal, in co-operation with other branches of the Armed Forces. With its ...

) File:STeP OF-1a.svg,
( Army of São Tomé and Príncipe) File:Spain-Army-OF-1a.svg,
(

Spanish Army The Spanish Army ( es, Ejército de Tierra, lit=Land Army) is the terrestrial army of the Spanish Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is one of the oldest active armies — dating back to the late 15th century. The ...

) File:blank.svg,
(

National Army of Uruguay The National Army of Uruguay ( es, Ejército Nacional del Uruguay) is the land force branch of the Armed Forces of the Oriental Republic of Uruguay. Organization The army consists of some 15,000 personnel organized into four divisions. His s ...

)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Alferez (rank) Military ranks Military ranks of Argentina