The Generalissimo is the most honorable military rank. He was honored only by prominent people who significantly influenced the course of history, won the battles that were most important for their peoples, and were brilliant tactics. Naturally, such exceptional personalities cannot be many, even in the entire long history of mankind. About those who rose to the rank of generalissimo, as well as the current status of this title, read below.
Interpretation of the term Generalissimo
The title of Generalissimo is the pinnacle of a military career. He was awarded for outstanding services to his native country, for victory in key battles. In this case, the military had to command one or more allied armies and take tactically successful actions. The title acquired special significance in the 20th century, when humanity was shaken one after another by two world wars.
From Latin, “generalissimo” is translated as “chief in the army”. In the entire history of hostilities there was no higher rank. It was first appropriated as far back as the sixteenth century, or rather, in 1569.
All generalissimo of the world - outstanding leaders, ingenious tactics and virtuoso strategists. However, among those who were given this title, there are conflicting figures.
The number of generalissimo in the world
How many generalissimos were there in the world? To date, their number is 77. Among them, nine French military, six Austrian commanders, two German. History also has five Russian generalissimos.
However, this is only official data. How many generalissimos in the world really deserve this title? There are significantly fewer than 77. This is due to the fact that the rank was awarded not only for outstanding military merits. He was honored by many representatives of royal families, as well as their close ones as a reward. In this case, the Generalissimo was nothing more than an honorary title, not reflecting the real state of affairs and any relation to the army.
First generalissimo
It is not so important how many generalissimos were in the world, the main thing is which of them became the first person to earn this title. In the second half of the XVI century, namely in 1569, the French king Charles IX awarded this title to his brother, who later became the next head of state - Henry III. This is precisely the case when the title was awarded by the highest will of the monarch, and not for military merits, which simply did not exist due to the age of the cousin of the king.
Many generalissimo of the world, as mentioned above, also received this title as a sign of favor of the monarch. In some states, the title was awarded for life. In others, only for the duration of hostilities. In peacetime, the former commanders did not have any privileges, for example, the supreme army rank.
Generalissimo of Russia
The list of generalissimo of our country is not at all great. The first person to be awarded this highest rank was governor Alexander Shein, who distinguished himself in the second Azov campaign. For merits to the Fatherland, the Russian emperor Peter I officially awarded him this title.
There were also cases when the title was first assigned and then taken away if a person fell out of favor. This is exactly what happened with Alexander Menshikov, who was considered a generalissimo for only a few months. A similar situation was with the father of John VI, the Russian emperor. The son granted his father the highest military rank as an honorary title. After the overthrow of John VI, his parent was demoted.
Not as important as the number of generalissimos in the world. It is important that the representative of our country is perhaps the greatest of them. We are talking about Alexander Suvorov, famous for his victories over the Turkish armies. But his main achievement is considered the Italian campaign, during which the commander showed the wonders of strategy and tactics.
Joseph Stalin
About two months after the victory of the Soviet Union in World War II , the highest military rank was introduced in the country. It is not difficult to guess who was the first and only during the existence of the USSR to be honored with it. It was the leader of the state Joseph Stalin. The assignment of the honorary title was approved by a group of military leaders who commanded the Allied armies, as well as members of the Politburo.
Thus, Generalissimo Stalin was added to the list of holders of the highest military ranks. It is worth noting that the head of the USSR became the first commander in chief in the modern history of our country since Suvorov who was awarded this title. The leader of the Soviet Union was also awarded the second Order of Victory.
Current rank
It is difficult to overestimate the role of each historical person who has been awarded the highest military rank. To date, the title "generalissimo" in Russia does not exist. It was abolished along with many other titles of the USSR. Thus, Generalissimo Stalin became the last person in our country to whom the highest military rank was awarded.
This title was often associated with personality traits of the person to whom it was assigned. This is one of the reasons why in many countries this military rank was abolished. In modern history, without exception, the generalissimo were also heads of state. Moreover, everyone was prone to dictatorship. That is why many historians have doubts about the military merits of some generalissimo.