Captain 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.
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 during the dictatorship of Francisco Franco; Franco himself was the only holder of this rank. Since the restoration of the monarchy in 1975, 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
List of Captains general 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 King Charles IV (Abdication) Ex officio 1793 Antonio Ricardos y Carrillo de Albornoz † Manuel Godoy y Álvarez de Faria, Prince of the Peace 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 King Ferdinand VII † He abdicated on 6 May 1808 and kept under guard in France. Restored in 1814. 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 † 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 † 1809 José Rebolledo de Palafox y Melci, 1st Duke of Zaragoza † 1809 Ventura Escalante y Bruen † 1811 1810 Pedro Caro, 3rd Marquis of La Romana † 1811 Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington † Ad honorem 1811 William Beresford, 1st Viscount Beresford † Ad honorem 1811 Joaquín Blake y Joyes † 1811 Claude-Anne de Rouvroy de Saint Simon, Marquis of Saint Simon and Montblerú † 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 † 1823 Francisco Javier de Elio y Olondriz † 1822 1823 Francisco de Eguía, 1st Count of the Real Aprecio † President of the Provisional Board of Spain and the Indies 1824 Pedro de Alcántara Álvarez de Toledo, 13th Duke of the Infantado † President of Council of Castile (1808–1809 and 1814–1823) President of the Regency Board (1823) Secretary of state (1825–1826) 1824 Joaquín Ibáñez, Baron de Eroles † 1825 Juan de Henestrosa y Orcasitas † 1831 1827 José Miguel de Carvajal-Vargas, 2nd Duke of San Carlos † 1828Secretary of state (1814) 1831 Francisco Fernández de Córdoba, 1st Duke of Alagón † 1841 Baldomero Espartero, Prince of Vergara † 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) José Ramón Rodil, 1st Marquis of Rodil † 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) Juan José Nieto y Aguilar, 2nd Marquis of Monsalud † Prudencio de Guadalfajara y Aguilera, duque de Castroterreño † Minister of War (August–September 1835) Ramón María Narváez, 1st Duke of Valencia † 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) Francis, King Consort (Abolition of monarchy) † Ex officio (As consort of Queen Isabella II)Francisco de Asís de Borbón. Biografías y vidas. Retrieved 13 February 2017. Reinstated ad honorem after 1874. Manuel Gutiérrez de la Concha e Irigoyen, 1st Marquis of Duero † Pedro Villacampa y Maza de Lizana † Evaristo Fernández de San Miguel y Valledor, 1st Duke of San Miguel † Leopoldo O'Donnell, 1st Duke of Tetuan † 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) Francisco Serrano, 1st Duke of la Torre † Prime Minister(1868–1869, 4 January-24 July 1871, 26 May-13 June 1872, 3 January-26 February 1874) Regent (1869–1871) President of the Executive Power of the Republic (3 January-30 December 1874) Antoine, Duke of Montpensier December 1870Accession of King Amadeo.Brother-in-law of Queen Isabella II Juan de la Pezuela y Cevallos, 1st Count of Cheste † Manuel Pavía y Lacy, 1st Marquis de Novaliches † José Gutiérrez de la Concha, 1st Marquis of Havana † 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) Juan Prim, 1st Marquis of los Castillejos † Minister of War (1868–1870) Prime Minister (1869–1870) King Amadeo (Abdication) Ex officio Captain General of the Navy (1870–1873) Juan de Zavala, 1st Marquis of Sierra Bullones † 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) King Alfonso XII † Ex officio Captain General of the Navy (1874–1885) Ramón Cabrera y Griñó (1806–1877). Base documental d'Història Contemporània de Catalunya.. Acceded 12 January 2017 Ramón Cabrera y Griñó, 1st duke of the Maestrazgo † Ad honorem Jenaro Quesada, 1st Marquis of Miravalles † Ad honorem Prime Minister (7 March-9 December 1879) Arsenio Martínez-Campos y Antón † Ad honorem Joaquín Jovellar y Soler † Ad honorem Manuel Pavía y Rodríguez de Alburquerque † Ad honorem José López Domínguez † Ad honorem Prime Minister (6 July-30 November 1906) Ramón Blanco y Erenas, 1st Marquis de Peña Plata † Ad honorem Fernando Primo de Rivera y Sobremonte, 1st Marquis of Estella † Ad honorem Minister of War (1907–1909 and June–October 1917) King Alfonso XIII (Second Spanish Republic established)On 14 April 1931 Alfonso XIII renounced as head of state but did not formally abdicate.Ex officio Captain General of the Navy (1902–1931) Edward VII, King of the United KingdomRoyal Decree of the Ministry of War 7 April 1907. Gaceta de Madrid † Ad honorem Monarch of the British Dominions and Emperor of India Camilo García de Polavieja y del Castillo-Negrete, 1st Marquis Polavieja † Ad honorem Valeriano Weyler Nicolau, 1st Duke of Rubí and Marquis of Tenerife † Ad honorem Minister of War (1901–1902, 23 June-1 December 1905 and 1906–1907) Minister of the Navy (1 October-1 December 1905) Wilhelm II, German Emperor † Ad honorem Monarch until 9 November 1918. Marcelo de Azcárraga y Palmero † 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) Carlos of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, Infante of Spain † Ad honorem Reinstated ad honorem in 1939. Francisco Aguilera y Egea † Ad honorem Minister of War (19 April-11 June 1917) José Sanjurjo y Sacanell, 1st Marquis of the Rif Posthumous promotion Francisco Franco Bahamonde † Ex officio (As Head of State)Named himself. Captain General of the Navy (1938At Civil War until 1 April 1939.-1975) and the Air Force (1939–1975) Generalissimo (1936-1975) Miguel Primo de Rivera y Orbaneja, 2nd Marquis of Estella Posthumous promotion Prime Minister (1923–1930) José Enrique Varela Iglesias, 1st Marquis of San Fernando de Varela Posthumous promotion Minister of the Army (1939–1942) Juan Yagüe Blanco, 1st Marquis of San Leonardo de Yagüe Posthumous promotion Air Minister (1939–1940) José Moscardó Ituarte, 1st Count of the Alcázar de Toledo Posthumous promotion Agustín Muñoz Grandes † Ad honorem Minister of the Army (1951–1957) Deputy Prime Minister (1962–1967) Fidel Dávila Arrondo † Ad honorem President of the State Technical Board (1936–1937)At Civil War. Minister of the National Defence (1937–1939) Minister of the Army (1945–1951) Camilo Alonso Vega † Ad honorem Minister of Interior (1957–1969)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 GazetteMonarch since 22 November 1975. 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 Manuel Gutiérrez Mellado, 1st Marquis Gutiérrez-Mellado † Ad honorem Minister of Defence (1977–1979) Deputy Prime Minister for Defence (1976–1981) King Felipe VI Present Ex officio Captain General of the Navy and the Air and Space Force
See also Army of Spain Captain general Captain general of the Air Force Captain general of the Navy
Notes
References Citations
Sources
List of captain generals of the Spanish Army ASAVE Guaita Martorell, Aurelio. Capitanes y capitanías generales. Revista de Historia Militar, , Nº 65, 1988, pp. 125–172.