Senapati (

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominalization, nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cul ...

: सेनापति; ''sena-'' meaning "army", ''-pati'' meaning "lord") is a title in

ancient India According to consensus in modern genetics, anatomically modern humans first arrived on the Indian subcontinent from Africa between 73,000 and 55,000 years ago. Quote: "Y-Chromosome and Mt-DNA data support the colonization of South Asia by ...

denoting the rank of

military commander The commanding officer (CO) or sometimes, if the incumbent is a general officer, commanding general (CG), is the officer in command of a military unit. The commanding officer has ultimate authority over the unit, and is usually given wide latitu ...

general A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". O ...

of the army. It was a hereditary title of nobility used in the

Maratha Empire The Maratha Empire, also referred to as the Maratha Confederacy, was an early modern Indian confederation that came to dominate much of the Indian subcontinent in the 18th century. Maratha rule formally began in 1674 with the coronation of S ...

. During wartime, a ''Sardar Senapati'' or ''Sarsenapati'' (also colloquially termed ''Sarnaubat'') functioned as the Commander-in-Chief of all

Maratha The Marathi people (Marathi: मराठी लोक) or Marathis are an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group who are indigenous to Maharashtra in western India. They natively speak Marathi, an Indo-Aryan language. Maharashtra was formed as a ...

forces, coordinating the commands of the various ''

Sardar Sardar, also spelled as Sardaar/Sirdar ( fa, سردار, , 'commander', literally 'headmaster'), is a title of royalty and nobility that was originally used to denote princes, noblemen, chiefs, kings and other aristocrats. It has also been u ...

s'' in battle. Ranking under the

heir-apparent An heir apparent, often shortened to heir, is a person who is first in an order of succession and cannot be displaced from inheriting by the birth of another person; a person who is first in the order of succession but can be displaced by the b ...

crown prince A crown prince or hereditary prince is the heir apparent to the throne in a royal or imperial monarchy. The female form of the title is crown princess, which may refer either to an heiress apparent or, especially in earlier times, to the wife ...

and other hereditary

prince A prince is a Monarch, male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary title, hereditary, in s ...

s, the title ''Senapati'' most closely resembles a

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English ...

Duke Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of Royal family, royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, t ...

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

Herzog ''Herzog'' (female ''Herzogin'') is a German hereditary title held by one who rules a territorial duchy, exercises feudal authority over an estate called a duchy, or possesses a right by law or tradition to be referred to by the ducal title. ...

'' in rank and function. On occasion, the title ''Mahasenapati'' (

: महा ''maha-'' meaning "great") was granted; this best equates to a Grand Duke or a German ''Großherzog''. Unlike ''Sardar'', ''Senapati'' is a primogeniture hereditary title that passes on to the eldest son. There are several royal ''Senapati'' families alive today, including the

Ghorpade Ghorpade is a surname found among Marathi Brahmins and Marathas in the Indian states of Maharashtra and Karnataka. Notable people * Santaji Ghorpade (1645–1696), Maratha warrior, chief general of Rajaram Maharaj * Yeshwantrao Ghorpade (1908� ...

and

Dabhade Dabhade (Pronunciation: ̪abʱaːɖe is a Koli and Maratha clan found largely in Maharashtra, India. They were originally centered on Talegaon Dabhade (in present-day Maharashtra), but became the Maratha chiefs of Gujarat. A family belongin ...

families.

Outside of India

Cambodia Cambodia (; also Kampuchea ; km, កម្ពុជា, UNGEGN: ), officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochinese Peninsula in Southeast Asia, spanning an area of , bordered by Thailan ...

, the term ''sena padei'' ( km, សេនាបតី) means "military commander". It used in the title of the current Prime Minister of Cambodia,

Hun Sen Hun Sen (; km, ហ៊ុន សែន, ; born 5 August 1952) is a Cambodian politician and former military commander who has served as the prime minister of Cambodia since 1985. He is the longest-serving head of government of Cambodia, and o ...

. In ancient

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

, this title was used by ''Sang pamegat senāpati di Tundun'', the "Commander-in-chief" of Tondo represented by

Jayadewa Jayadewa or Jayadeva (Sanskrit: जयदेव ; full title: Hwan Nāyaka tuhan Pailah Jayadewa) was the name of the Lord Minister of Pailah at the time that the Laguna Copperplate Inscription was written in . According to the document, he serv ...

, Lord Minister of Pailah mentioned in the

Laguna Copperplate Inscription The Laguna copperplate inscription ( tl, Inskripsyon sa binatbat na tanso ng Laguna, literal translation: ''Inscription on flattened copper of Laguna'') is an official acquittance inscribed onto a copper plate in the Shaka year 822 (Gregorian ...

circa 900 AD. In

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...

, the term ''senapati'' has been absorbed into

Old Javanese Old Javanese or Kawi is the oldest attested phase of the Javanese language. It was spoken in the eastern part of what is now Central Java and the whole of East Java, Indonesia. As a literary language, Kawi was used across Java and on the islan ...

and eventually Javanese language to refer to "general" or "army commander". In Javanese it can be rendered as ''Senapati'' or ''Senopati''. For example, the title of

Sutawijaya Panembahan Senapati, formally styled Panembahan Senapati ing Ngalaga Sayyidin Panatagama (died in Jenar (now Purwodadi, Purworejo), 1601), was the founder of the Mataram Sultanate. Origin Born Danang Sutawijaya, known as Dananjaya, he was the s ...

, the founder of 16th century Javanese

Mataram Sultanate The Sultanate of Mataram () was the last major independent Javanese kingdom on the island of Java before it was colonised by the Dutch. It was the dominant political force radiating from the interior of Central Java from the late 16th cent ...

, was ''Senapati ing Alaga'', which means "general of battle".

Examples

* Sarsenapati Yesaji Kank * Mankoji Dahatonde *

Prataprao Gujar Prataprao Gurjar (–24 February 1674) was the Senapati of Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj's army. He was an aristocratic general who enjoyed the trust of the king and the loyalty of his troops. He defeated a large Mughal Army at the Battle of Sa ...

* Vira Pasi Senapati of Rae Bareli *

Hambirrao Mohite Hambirrao Mohite was the chief military commander of Chattrapati Shivaji's army. An able military general, he executed several campaigns for Chattrapati Shivaji Maharaj and later served under Chattrapati Sambhaji Maharaj. Early life Hambirra ...

* Santaji Ghorpade, ''Senapati'' of

Kolhapur Kolhapur () is a city on the banks of the Panchganga River in the southern part of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the administrative headquarter of the Kolhapur district. In, around 2 C.E. Kolapur's name was 'Kuntal'. Kolhapur is k ...

* Dhanaji Jadhavrao * Chandrasen Jadhav * Khanderao Dabhade, ''Senapati'' of Satara

Other people

* Senapati Bapat, (1880–1967) *

Fakir Mohan Senapati Fakir Mohan Senapati ( Odia: ଫକୀର ମୋହନ ସେନାପତି; 13 January 1843 – 14 June 1918), often referred to as Utkala Byasa Kabi (''Odisha's Vyasa''), was an Indian writer, poet, philosopher and social reformer. He played ...

, (1843–1918)

References

{{reflist Hindi words and phrases Military history of India Honorifics Men's social titles Feudalism in Asia

Outside of India

Examples

Other people

See also

References