Captain general of the Army

Summary

Captain General (Spanish: Capitán General) has been the highest rank in the Spanish Army (Ejército de Tierra) since the 18th century. A five-star rank with NATO code OF-10, it is equivalent to a field marshal of the armies of numerous countries, a general of the Army of the United States, a captain general of the Spanish Navy (Armada Española) or a Captain general of the Air Force in the Spanish Air and Space Force (Ejército del Aire y del Espacio). A Captain General's insignia consists of two command sticks under five four-pointed stars below the Royal Crown.

Captain general of the Army
Capitán General
Rank flag
Army Service Uniform shoulder strap with the rank of Captain general of the Spanish Army.
Country Spain
Service branch Spanish Army
AbbreviationCG
RankFive-star rank
NATO rank codeOF-10
Non-NATO rankO-11
Formationc. 1763
Next lower rankGeneral of the Army
Equivalent ranksCaptain general of the Navy (N)
Captain general of the Air Force (AF)

A personal rank of captain general was created in the Spanish Army (and Navy) as the highest rank in the hierarchy, not unlike the Marechal de France. Since King Charles IV's reign (1788–1808), the monarchs used captain general insignia when wearing uniform. Briefly abolished by the Second Spanish Republic (except one honorary promotion), it was restored by Nationalist Spain in 1938; Francisco Franco himself was the only officer of this rank. The effective rank was reserved to the reigning monarch. A few posthumous honorary promotions and honorary promotions of retired officers to this rank were also made, such as José Moscardó Ituarte (1956), Agustín Muñoz Grandes (1957), Camilo Alonso Vega (1969) or Manuel Gutiérrez Mellado (1994). Some members of the Spanish Royal Family were promoted to the rank after periods of service and Queen Isabella II appointed her consort, Francis, Duke of Cádiz (1846). Two foreign monarchs, Edward VII of the United Kingdom and Wilhelm II, German Emperor, and four distinguished foreign military officers also held the honour.

Insignia history edit

List of Captains general edit

Date of promotion
Image
Name and style
Dead/Annulled
Notes
1763   Pedro Pablo Abarca de Bolea, 10th Count of Aranda † 1798
1777   Pedro Antonio de Cevallos Cortés y Calderón † 1778
1783   Louis des Balbes de Berton de Crillon 4th Duke of Crillon and 1st Duke of Mahon † 1796
14 December 1788   King Charles IV 19 March 1808
(Abdication)
Ex officio
1793   Antonio Ricardos y Carrillo de Albornoz 13 March 1794
25 May 1793   Manuel Godoy y Álvarez de Faria, Prince of the Peace 19 March 1808 Generalissimo (1801–1808)
1794   Honorato Ignacio de Glimes de Brabante, Count Glimes de Brabante † 1804
1794   José Carlos Álvarez de Bohórquez y Molina, Marquis of Ruchena † ?
1794   Martín Antonio Álvarez de Sotomayor y Flores, Count of Colomera † 1819
1795   Manuel de Negrete y de la Torre,Count of Campo de Alange † 1818
1795
 
José Ramón de Urrutia y de las Casas † 1803
1799
 
Miguel de la Grúa Talamanca, 1st Marquis of Branciforte † 1812
1806   Ventura Caro y Fontes † 1809
19 March 1808   King Ferdinand VII 29 September 1833[note 1] Ex officio
1808   Vicente María de Vera de Aragón y Enríquez de Navarra, Duke of La Roca and Marquis of Sofraga † 1813
1808   Francisco Javier Castaños, 1st Duke of Bailén 24 September 1852
1808   Vicente María de Acevedo y Pola-Navia † November 1808
1808   Joaquín de Navia-Osorio y Miranda, Marquis of Santa Cruz de Marcenado and Viscount of Puerto † 1816
1809   Rafael Vasco y del Campo, Count of la Conquista de las Islas Batanes † 1810
1809   Gregorio García de Cuesta y Fernández de Celis 26 November 1811
1809   José Rebolledo de Palafox y Melci, 1st Duke of Zaragoza 15 February 1847
1809   Ventura Escalante y Bruen † 1811
1810   Pedro Caro, 3rd Marquis of La Romana 23 January 1811
1811   Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington 14 September 1852 Ad honorem
1811   William Beresford, 1st Viscount Beresford 8 January 1854 Ad honorem
1811   Joaquín Blake y Joyes 27 April 1827
1811   Claude-Anne de Rouvroy de Saint Simon, Marquis of Saint Simon and Montblerú 27 February 1819

Émigré and Spanish Grandee.

1816   José Manuel de Ezpeleta, 1st Count of Ezpeleta de Beire † 1823
1816   Pedro Mendinueta y Múzquiz † 1825
1816   Ramón de Osorio y Patiño, 4th Marquis of Castelar † 1817
1816   José Fernando de Abascal y Sousa, 1st Marquis of La Concordia 31 July 1821
1823   Francisco Javier de Elio y Olondriz † 1822
1823   Francisco de Eguía, 1st Count of the Real Aprecio 6 January 1827 President of the Provisional Board of Spain and the Indies
1824   Pedro de Alcántara Álvarez de Toledo, 13th Duke of the Infantado 27 November 1841
1824   Joaquín Ibáñez, Baron de Eroles 22 August 1825
1825   Juan de Henestrosa y Orcasitas † 1831
1827   José Miguel de Carvajal-Vargas, 2nd Duke of San Carlos † 1828

Secretary of state (1814)

1831   Francisco Fernández de Córdoba, 1st Duke of Alagón † 1841
1 May 1838   Baldomero Espartero, Prince of Vergara 8 January 1879
  • Regent of Spain (1840–1843)
  • Minister of War
    (29 July-30 August 1837 and 16 December 1837–1838)
  • Prime Minister
    (18 August-18 October 1837, 1840–1841 and 1854–1856)
9 October 1841   José Ramón Rodil, 1st Marquis of Rodil 20 February 1853
  • Viceroy of Navarre
    (1 July-2 October 1834)
  • Minister of War
    (27 April-15 May and 20 August-26 November 1836, and 1842–1843)
  • Prime Minister (1842–1843)
19 August 1843   Juan José Nieto y Aguilar, 2nd Marquis of Monsalud 28 February 1851
5 January 1844   Prudencio de Guadalfajara y Aguilera, duque de Castroterreño 16 June 1855
  • Minister of War (August–September 1835)
5 January 1844   Ramón María Narváez, 1st Duke of Valencia 23 April 1868
  • Minister of State (1844, 1846 and 1847)
  • Minister of War (1844–1846, 1846, 1847 and 1866–1868)
  • Prime Minister
    (1844–1846, 1846, 1847–1849, 1849–1851, 1856–1857, 1864–1865 and 1866–1868)
10 October 1846   Francis, King Consort 19 September 1868
(Abolition of monarchy)
17 April 1902
21 May 1849   Manuel Gutiérrez de la Concha e Irigoyen, 1st Marquis of Duero 27 June 1874
19 November 1852   Pedro Villacampa y Maza de Lizana 27 December 1854
30 July 1854   Evaristo Fernández de San Miguel y Valledor, 1st Duke of San Miguel 29 May 1862
30 July 1854   Leopoldo O'Donnell, 1st Duke of Tetuan 5 November 1867
  • Prime Minister
    (14 July-12 October 1856, 1858–1863 and 1865–1866)
  • Minister of War (30 July-29 November 1854, 1858–1863 and 1865–1868)
  • Minister of State (30 June-2 de July 1858)
  • Minister of the Navy (25–27 November 1858)
  • Minister of Overseas (17 January-2 March 1863)
18 July 1856   Francisco Serrano, 1st Duke of la Torre 25 November 1885
5 January 1858   Antoine, Duke of Montpensier December 1870[note 2]
10 October 1867   Juan de la Pezuela y Cevallos, 1st Count of Cheste 1 November 1906
24 April 1868   Manuel Pavía y Lacy, 1st Marquis de Novaliches 22 October 1896
24 April 1868   José Gutiérrez de la Concha, 1st Marquis of Havana 5 November 1895
  • Minister of Overseas (20 May-6 August 1863 and 29 November 1863–1864)
  • Minister of the Navy (19 June-16 July 1863 and 19–21 September 1868)
  • Minister of War (1863–1864 and 19 September-8 October 1868)
  • Prime Minister (19 September-8 October 1868)
30 September 1868   Juan Prim, 1st Marquis of los Castillejos 30 December 1870
  • Minister of War (1868–1870)
  • Prime Minister (1869–1870)
16 November 1870
 
King Amadeo 11 February 1873
(Abdication)
Ex officio
  • Captain General of the Navy (1870–1873)
1 May 1874   Juan de Zavala, 1st Marquis of Sierra Bullones 29 December 1879
  • Minister of state (1855–1856)
  • Minister of the Navy (1860–1863)
  • Minister of War (8 April-26 May 1872 and 3 January-29 June 1874)
  • Prime Minister (26 February-3 September 1874)
29 December 1874
 
King Alfonso XII 25 November 1885
  • Ex officio
  • Captain General of the Navy (1874–1885)
21 August 1875[2]   Ramón Cabrera y Griñó, 1st duke of the Maestrazgo 24 May 1877
27 March 1876   Jenaro Quesada, 1st Marquis of Miravalles 19 January 1889
  • Ad honorem
  • Prime Minister (7 March-9 December 1879)
27 March 1876   Arsenio Martínez-Campos y Antón 23 September 1892 Ad honorem
7 July 1878   Joaquín Jovellar y Soler 16 April 1892 Ad honorem
29 July 1892   Manuel Pavía y Rodríguez de Alburquerque 4 January 1895 Ad honorem
22 January 1895   José López Domínguez 17 October 1911
  • Ad honorem
  • Prime Minister (6 July-30 November 1906)
16 May 1895   Ramón Blanco y Erenas, 1st Marquis de Peña Plata 4 April 1906 Ad honorem
14 November 1895   Fernando Primo de Rivera y Sobremonte, 1st Marquis of Estella 23 May 1921
  • Ad honorem
  • Minister of War (1907–1909 and June–October 1917)
17 May 1902
 
King Alfonso XIII 14 April 1931
(Second Spanish Republic established)[note 3]
  • Ex officio
  • Captain General of the Navy (1902–1931)
7 April 1907   Edward VII, King of the United Kingdom[3] 6 May 1910
23 January 1910   Camilo García de Polavieja y del Castillo-Negrete, 1st Marquis Polavieja 15 January 1914 Ad honorem
23 January 1910   Valeriano Weyler Nicolau, 1st Duke of Rubí and Marquis of Tenerife 20 October 1930
  • Ad honorem
  • Minister of War (1901–1902, 23 June-1 December 1905 and 1906–1907)
  • Minister of the Navy (1 October-1 December 1905)
23 January 1910   Wilhelm II, German Emperor 4 June 1941
12 March 1911   Marcelo de Azcárraga y Palmero 30 May 1915
  • Ad honorem
  • Minister of War (1890–1892, 1895–1897 and 1899–1900)
  • Prime Minister (8 August-4 October 1897, 1900–1901 and 1904–1905)
  • Minister of the Navy (23–31 October 1900)
17 May 1921   Carlos of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, Infante of Spain 14 April 1931
11 November 1949
2 May 1931   Francisco Aguilera y Egea 19 May 1931
  • Ad honorem
  • Minister of War (19 April-11 June 1917)
July 20, 1936   José Sanjurjo y Sacanell, 1st Marquis of the Rif
Posthumous promotion
18 July 1938   Francisco Franco Bahamonde 20 November 1975
March 22, 1947   Miguel Primo de Rivera y Orbaneja, 2nd Marquis of Estella
March 24, 1951   José Enrique Varela Iglesias, 1st Marquis of San Fernando de Varela
October 21, 1952   Juan Yagüe Blanco, 1st Marquis of San Leonardo de Yagüe
April 12, 1956   José Moscardó Ituarte, 1st Count of the Alcázar de Toledo
Posthumous promotion
27 February 1957   Agustín Muñoz Grandes 11 July 1970
23 March 1962   Fidel Dávila Arrondo 22 March 1962
29 October 1969   Camilo Alonso Vega 1 July 1971
20 November 1975[4][note 7]   King Juan Carlos I Active until 19 June 2014.
(Abdication)
  • Ex officio
  • Retired since 19 June 2014
  • Captain General of the Navy and the Air Force
24 July 1994   Manuel Gutiérrez Mellado, 1st Marquis Gutiérrez-Mellado 15 December 1995
19 June 2014   King Felipe VI Present

See also edit

Notes edit

  1. ^ He abdicated on 6 May 1808 and kept under guard in France. Restored in 1814.
  2. ^ Accession of King Amadeo.
  3. ^ On 14 April 1931 Alfonso XIII renounced as head of state but did not formally abdicate.
  4. ^ Named himself.
  5. ^ a b c At Civil War until 1 April 1939.
  6. ^ At Civil War.
  7. ^ Monarch since 22 November 1975.

References edit

Citations edit

  1. ^ Francisco de Asís de Borbón. Biografías y vidas. Retrieved 13 February 2017.
  2. ^ Ramón Cabrera y Griñó (1806–1877). Base documental d'Història Contemporània de Catalunya.. Acceded 12 January 2017
  3. ^ Royal Decree of the Ministry of War 7 April 1907. Gaceta de Madrid
  4. ^ Decree 16/1975, 20 November, por el que se promueve al empleo de Capitán General de los Ejércitos de Tierra, Mar y Aire a S. A. R. el Príncipe de España. Spanish Official Gazette

Sources edit

  • List of captain generals of the Spanish Army ASAVE (in Spanish)
  • Guaita Martorell, Aurelio. Capitanes y capitanías generales." Revista de Historia Militar, ISSN 0482-5748, Nº 65, 1988, pp. 125–172.