The ''Feldhauptmann'' (plural: ''Feldhauptleute'') was a historical military appointment, during the time of the ''

Landsknecht The (singular: , ), also rendered as Landsknechts or Lansquenets, were Germanic mercenaries used in pike and shot formations during the early modern period. Consisting predominantly of pikemen and supporting foot soldiers, their front line wa ...

e'' or

mercenaries A mercenary, sometimes also known as a soldier of fortune or hired gun, is a private individual, particularly a soldier, that joins a military conflict for personal profit, is otherwise an outsider to the conflict, and is not a member of any o ...

in European warfare, who commanded a ''

Fähnlein The ''Fähnlein'' (in Swedish: fänika) was an infantry unit approximately equivalent to the company or battalion which was used in parts of Europe during the Middle Ages. The size of the unit varied; originally a Fähnlein could consist of as many ...

'', a unit of roughly battalion-size. A literal translation is "field captain". The commander of a

regiment A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, service and/or a specialisation. In Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of front-line soldiers, recruited or conscripted ...

, who initially still commanded his own ''Fähnlein'', was designated as the ''Obristfeldhauptmann'' ("senior field captain"), the most senior of the ''Feldhauptleute'' in the regiment. Orally this was abbreviated to '' Obrist'', the equivalent of "colonel" (likewise the rank of

general A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of highest military ranks, high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers t ...

arose from '' Generalobrist''.) Georg von Frundsberg, but later Tilly and Wallenstein as well, were often referred to by their contemporaries as ''Feldhauptleute''. In

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

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 ...

there were ''Feldhauptleute'', the so-called capitani. See also ''

Generalkapitän Captain general (and its literal equivalent in several languages) is a high military rank of general officer grade, and a gubernatorial title. History The term "Captain General" started to appear in the 14th century, with the meaning of Command ...

''.

Sources

German dictionary by Jacob and Wilhelm Grim
General
{{Webarchive, url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080221051911/http://www.woerterbuchnetz.de/woerterbuecher/dwb/wbgui?lemid=GG07915 , date=2008-02-21 Military ranks Generals Warfare of the Middle Ages Warfare of the Early Modern period