''Generalissimo'' ( ) is a military rank of the highest degree, superior to

field marshal Field marshal (or field-marshal, abbreviated as FM) is the most senior military rank, ordinarily senior to the general officer ranks. Usually, it is the highest rank in an army and as such few persons are appointed to it. It is considered as ...

and other five-star ranks in the states where they are used.

Usage

The word (), an Italian term, is the absolute superlative of ('general') thus meaning "the highest-ranking of all generals". The

superlative Comparison is a feature in the morphology or syntax of some languages whereby adjectives and adverbs are inflected to indicate the relative degree of the property they define exhibited by the word or phrase they modify or describe. In languages t ...

suffix itself derives from Latin , meaning "utmost, to the highest grade". Similar cognates in other languages include in Spanish, in Portuguese, in

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

, and in Latin. Historically this rank was given to a military officer leading an entire army or the entire armed forces of a state, usually only subordinate to the

sovereign ''Sovereign'' is a title which can be applied to the highest leader in various categories. The word is borrowed from Old French , which is ultimately derived from the Latin , meaning 'above'. The roles of a sovereign vary from monarch, ruler or ...

. The military leader Albrecht von Wallenstein in 1632 was the first imperial generalissimo (general of the generals). 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 Chiang Kai-shek (31 October 1887 – 5 April 1975), also known as Chiang Chung-cheng and Jiang Jieshi, was a Chinese Nationalist politician, revolutionary, and military leader who served as the leader of the Republic of China (ROC) from 1928 ...

in China and later in Taiwan, and

Francisco Franco Francisco Franco Bahamonde (; 4 December 1892 – 20 November 1975) was a Spanish general who led the Nationalist faction (Spanish Civil War), Nationalist forces in overthrowing the Second Spanish Republic during the Spanish Civil War ...

in Spain. The rank ''generalissimus'' of the Soviet Union would have been a ''generalissimo'' but some sources assert that Joseph Stalin refused to accept the rank. In fact the grade was established by the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet which did not need the "approval" of Stalin. The rank of ''generalissimo'' for Stalin was used also by Western diplomacy. In the 20th century, the term came to be associated with military officers who took dictatorial power in their countries, especially due to the Spanish

having this rank. As such, it is used in literature depicting fictional Latin American dictatorial regimes, for example '' Father Hilary's Holiday'' by Bruce Marshall.Marshall, B: ''Father Hilary's Holiday'' Doubleday & Company, New York 1965.

List of ''generalissimo''s

Notes

References

{{Authority control Positions of authority Military ranks Italian words and phrases

Usage

List of ''generalissimo''s

See also

Notes

References