Military ranks

thumb|Suleiman the Magnificent, the longest-reigning [[sultan of the Ottoman Empire|281x281px]]

Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations.

ruler in Mongol and Turkic cultures, variously describing kings, princes, and governors

thumb|The court of the Durrani Empire|Durrani Emirate of [[Afghanistan (James Rattray, 1839)]] Emir (; ' (), also transliterated as amir, is a word of Arabic origin that can refer to a male monarch, aristocrat, holder of high-ranking military or political office, or other person possessing actual or ceremonial authority. The title has a history of use in West Asia, East Africa, West Africa, Central Asia, and South Asia. In the modern era, when used as a formal monarchical title, it is roughly synonymous with "prince", applicable both to a son of a hereditary monarch, and to a reigning monarch

member of an armed force or uniformed service who holds a position of authority

thumb|Uyghurs|Uyghur General [[Khojis (d. 1781), bey of Turfan, who later settled in Beijing; painting by a European Jesuit artist at the Chinese court in 1775]] Bey, also spelled as Baig, Bayg, Beigh, Beig, Bek, Baeg, Begh, or Beg, is a Turkic title for a chieftain, and a royal, aristocratic title traditionally applied to people with special lineages to the leaders or rulers of variously sized areas in the numerous Turkic kingdoms, emirates, sultanates and empires in Central Asia, South Asia, Southeast Europe, and the Middle East, such as the Ottomans, Timurids or the various khanates and emi

military rank (OF-3)

military rank (OF-2)

military rank used in many countries

A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, security services and police forces.

military rank used in many countries

Marshal is a term used in several official titles in various branches of society. As marshals became trusted members of the courts of Medieval Europe, the title grew in reputation. During the last few centuries, it has been used for elevated offices, such as in military rank and civilian law enforcement.

A commander-in-chief (sometimes called a supreme commander or supreme commander-in-chief) is the person who exercises supreme command and control over an armed force or a military branch. As a technical term, it refers to military competencies that reside in a country's executive leadership, a head of state, head of government, or other designated government official.

element of hierarchy in armed forces

usually the highest rank in an army

military rank (OF-4)

alt=Francisco Franco, Generalissimo of Spain|thumb|Francisco Franco, Generalissimo of Spain from 1936 to 1975

military rank in many countries

Corporal is a military rank in use by the armed forces of many countries. It is also a police rank in some police services. The rank is usually the lowest ranking non-commissioned officer. In some militaries, the rank of corporal nominally corresponds to commanding a section or squad of soldiers (typically ranging from two to sixteen soldiers and called "corporal's guard").

thumb|The voivode Hrvoje Vukčić Hrvatinić on horseback Voivode is a title denoting a military leader or warlord in Central, Southeastern and Eastern Europe, in use since the Early Middle Ages. It primarily referred to the medieval rulers of the Romanian-inhabited states and of governors and military commanders of Polish, Hungarian, Lithuanian, Balkan, Russian and other Slavic-speaking populations.

enlisted rank

Imperial Roman military office

military rank in some armies, usually equivalent to that of a full general in other armies

officer in command of a military unit

Prefect (from the Latin praefectus, substantive adjectival form of praeficere: "put in front", meaning in charge) is a magisterial title of varying definition, but essentially refers to the leader of an administrative area.

Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cdr.) is a common naval officer rank as well as a job title in many armies. Commander is also used as a level 8 rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countries, this naval rank is termed as a frigate captain.

A cadet is a student or trainee within various organisations, primarily in military contexts where individuals undergo training to become commissioned officers. However, several civilian organisations, including civil aviation groups, maritime organisations, and police services, also designate their auxiliary members and trainees as cadets.

Tarkhan (, or ; ; ; ; ; alternative spellings Tarkan, Tarkhaan, Tarqan, Tarchan, Turxan, Tarcan, Turgan, Tárkány, Tarján, Tarxan) is an ancient Central Asian title used by various Turkic, Hungarian, Mongolic, and Iranian peoples. Its use was common among the successors of the Mongol Empire and Turkic Khaganate.

Brigadier ( ) is a military rank, the seniority of which depends on the country. In some countries, it is a senior rank above colonel, equivalent to a brigadier general or commodore, typically commanding a brigade of several thousand soldiers. In other countries, it is a non-commissioned rank.

thumb|Prime Minister of Iran|Sardar-I-Azam, Prince [[Abdol Majid Mirza of Qajar Persia .]] right|thumb|Pakistani President Ayub Khan (general)|Ayub Khan and First Lady [[Jacqueline Kennedy with the prized gelding "Sardar".]] right|thumb|List of Ottoman Grand Viziers|Grand Vizier [[Ahmet Tevfik Pasha, the last Ottoman Serdar-ı Azam.]] right|thumb|Serdar (Ottoman rank)|Serdar [[Janko Vukotić of the Principality and Kingdom of Montenegro.]]

thumb|Page from a Rosh Hashanah prayerbook with Hebrew (melekh) in large red text. Malik (; ; ; variously Romanized Mallik, Melik, Malka, Malek, Maleek, Malick, Mallick, Melekh) is the Semitic term translating to "king", recorded in East Semitic and Arabic, and as M-L-K in Northwest Semitic during the Late Bronze Age (e.g. Aramaic, Canaanite, Hebrew).

thumb|upright|Rittmeister in the Karabinier-Regiment Graf Hatzfeld, 1748 Rittmaster () is usually a commissioned officer military rank used in a few armies, usually equivalent to Captain. Historically it has been used in Germany, Austria-Hungary, Scandinavia, and some other countries.

thumb|Countries which use the Eastern European variant

military rank of many nations

'''' () is an officer rank in the armies of Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. It is usually translated as captain''.

Marzbān, or Marzpān (Middle Persian: 𐭬𐭫𐭱𐭰𐭠𐭭𐭯 transliteration: mrzwpn, derived from Middle Persian: 𐭬𐭫𐭱 marz "border, boundary" and the Middle Persian suffix: 𐭡𐭭𐭯 -pān "guardian"; Modern Persian: Marzbān) were a class of margraves, warden of the marches, and by extension military commanders, in charge of border provinces of the Parthian Empire (247 BC–224 AD) and mostly Sasanian Empire (224–651 AD) of Iran.

naval military rank

military officer of certain seniority

thumb|right|320px|, quartering (Quartermaster), circa 1893 thumb|320px|Quartermaster Dick Libby, USN. Portrait circa 1834

military grade

military rank

rank held by military cadets during their training to become commissioned officers

lowest ranking commissioned officer, etymologically the carrier of the ensign flag

rank of several Eastern European armed forces

senior officers, between the junior officer and general ladder

A midshipman is an officer of the lowest rank in the Royal Navy, United States Navy, and many Commonwealth navies. Commonwealth countries which use the rank include Canada (Naval Cadet), Australia, Bangladesh, Namibia, New Zealand, South Africa, India, Pakistan, Singapore, Sri Lanka, and Kenya.

military rank group

title

thumb|Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat was referred to as the "rais"

four-star general military rank

rank in certain armed forces, equivalent to the NATO OF-6 ranks

' () or (; ), in Arabic rendered as () or ' (), was a title used in much of the Islamic world during the 10th–15th centuries, to denote the senior-most military commanders, but also as a generic general officer rank.

non-commissioned officer military rank

General-in-chief has been a military rank or title in various armed forces around the world.

Islamic title reserved for a few Muslim women rulers

Soviet military rank

thumb | right | Captain of a ship during a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service mission Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, etc. In militaries, the captain is typically at the level of an officer commanding a company or battalion of infantry, a ship, or a battery of artillery, or another distinct unit. It can also be a rank of command in an air force. The term also may

"Turtanu" or "Turtan" (Akkadian: 𒌉𒋫𒉡 tur-ta-nu; tartān; ; ; tartan) is an Akkadian word/title meaning 'commander in chief' or 'prime minister'. In Assyria, the Turtanu ranked next to the king.

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