or is a

junior officer Junior officer, company officer or company grade officer refers to the lowest operational commissioned officer category of ranks in a military or paramilitary organization, ranking above non-commissioned officers and below senior officers. D ...

rank in the militaries of some

Hispanophone Hispanophone refers to anything related to the Spanish language. In a cultural, rather than merely linguistic sense, the notion of "Hispanophone" goes further than the above definition. The Hispanic culture is the legacy of the vast and prolonge ...

and

Lusophone The Portuguese-speaking world, also known as the Lusophone world () or the Lusophony (''Lusofonia''), comprises the countries and territories in which the Portuguese language is an official, administrative, cultural, or secondary language. This ...

countries. The name originates from (), meaning "the knight", "the horseman" or "the cavalryman". However, today the rank is often translated as

ensign Ensign most often refers to: * Ensign (flag), a flag flown on a vessel to indicate nationality * Ensign (rank), a navy (and former army) officer rank Ensign or The Ensign may also refer to: Places * Ensign, Alberta, Alberta, Canada * Ensign, Ka ...

, sub-lieutenant or second lieutenant. The rank was first used by

Iberia The Iberian Peninsula ( ), also known as Iberia, is a peninsula in south-western Europe. Mostly separated from the rest of the European landmass by the Pyrenees, it includes the territories of peninsular Spain and Continental Portugal, compri ...

n armies during the in the

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

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

El Cid Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar ( – 10 July 1099) was a Castilian knight and ruler in medieval Spain. Fighting both with Christian and Muslim armies during his lifetime, he earned the Arabic honorific ("the Lord" or "the Master"), which would evolve i ...

was the 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. I ...

and Alfonso Núñez was the of Duke Raymond of Galicia.

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 army aviati ...

and the

gendarmerie A gendarmerie () is a paramilitary or 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" (). In France and so ...

. 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 () are the combined armed forces of Argentina. It is 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 two ...

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 sub-lieutenant.

Philippines

The rank of ''alférez'', locally spelled as ''alpéres'', was also used by the

Philippine Revolutionary Army The Philippine Revolutionary Army ( Spanish: ; ), later renamed Philippine Republican Army, was the army of the First Philippine Republic from its formation in March 1897 to its dissolution in November of 1899 in favor of guerrilla operation ...

during the

Philippine Revolution The Philippine Revolution ( or ; or ) was a war of independence waged by the revolutionary organization Katipunan against the Spanish Empire from 1896 to 1898. It was the culmination of the 333-year History of the Philippines (1565–1898), ...

and

Philippine–American War The Philippine–American War, known alternatively as the Philippine Insurrection, Filipino–American War, or Tagalog Insurgency, emerged following the conclusion of the Spanish–American War in December 1898 when the United States annexed th ...

. It is the lowest commissioned officer rank and is interchangeable with second lieutenant (; ) on the service. File:,

Spain

is the lowest officer rank in Spain, immediately below

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...

. It's also the entry level for Voluntary Reservists.

Gallery

Army insignia

File:SS.OO.1.EJER.ALFÉREZ.svg,
(

Chilean Army The Chilean Army () is the land arm of the Chilean Armed Forces. This 80,000-person army (9,200 of which are conscripts) is organized into six divisions, an army aviation brigade and a special operations brigade. In recent years, and after sever ...

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

Portuguese Army The Portuguese Army () is the land component of the Portuguese Armed Forces, 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 () is the terrestrial army of the Spanish Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is one of the oldest Standing army, active armies – dating back to the late 15th century. The Spanish Army has existed ...

) File:Uruguay-Army-OF-0.png,
( National Army of Uruguay)

References

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