View source for Field marshal

{{Short description|Most senior military rank}}
{{See also|Marshal#Military}}
{{Other uses}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2017}}
{{more citations needed|date=October 2021}}
{{Military ranks | state=expanded}}
[[File:Duke of Wellingtons batons.jpg|thumb|right|The ceremonial marshal's batons of the Duke of Wellington]]
'''Field marshal''' (or '''field-marshal''', abbreviated as '''FM''') is the most senior [[military rank]], senior to the [[general officer]] ranks. 

Promotion to the rank of field marshal in many countries historically required extraordinary military achievement by a general (a wartime victory). However, the rank has also been used as a [[Division (military)|divisional command]] rank and as a [[brigade]] command rank.

==Origins==
The origin of the term dates to the early [[Middle Ages]], originally meaning the keeper of the king's horses (from [[Old German]] ''Marh-scalc'', {{lit|horse-servant}}), from the time of the early [[Franks|Frankish]] kings; words originally meaning "servant" were sometimes used to mean "subordinate official" or similar. The German [[Holy Roman Empire]] and the kingdom of France had officers named ''[[Generalfeldmarschall|Feldmarschall]]'' and ''Maréchal de camp'' respectively as far back as the 1600s. The exact wording of the titles used by field marshals varies: examples include "[[marshal]]" and "[[field marshal general]]".

The air force equivalent in [[Commonwealth of Nations|Commonwealth]] and many Middle Eastern air forces is [[marshal of the air force]] (not to be confused with [[air marshal]]). Navies, which usually do not use the nomenclature employed by armies or air forces, use titles such as "[[fleet admiral]]," "[[grand admiral]]" or "[[admiral of the fleet]]" for the equivalent rank. The traditional attribute distinguishing a field marshal is a [[baton (symbol)|baton]]. The baton nowadays is purely ornamental, and as such may be richly decorated. That said, it is not necessary for the insignia to be a baton (Such is the case in Russia post-1991 and the former Soviet Union, which use a jewelled star referred to as a [[Marshal's star]]).

==Field marshal ranks by country==

<!-- Alphabetic by country name please -->

===Australia===
{{Main|Field marshal (Australia)}}

The first appointment to the rank was [[William Birdwood, 1st Baron Birdwood|Sir William Birdwood]], who received the honour in March 1925. [[Thomas Blamey|Sir Thomas Blamey]] was the second appointment to the rank, and was the first and so far only Australian-born and [[Australian Army]] substantive (not honorary) field marshal. He was promoted to the rank on the insistence of [[Sir Robert Menzies]], the [[Prime Minister of Australia]], in June 1950. His field marshal's [[Baton (symbol)|baton]] is on display in the [[Second World War]] galleries at the [[Australian War Memorial]] in [[Canberra]]. The third appointment was [[Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh]], who was promoted to the rank on 1 April 1954. The fourth and latest appointment was to [[Charles III|King Charles III]] in October 2024.

===Austrian Empire and Austria-Hungary===
{{See also|List of Austrian field marshals}}
[[File:Kuk FieldMarsh 1918.svg|thumb|''Feldmarschall'' of the [[Austro-Hungarian Army|k.u.k.&nbsp;Army]]]]

The rank existed in the [[Austrian Empire]] as {{lang|de|Kaiserlicher Feldmarschall}} ("Imperial field marshal") and in [[Austria-Hungary]] as {{lang|de|[[Imperial and Royal|Kaiserlicher und königlicher]] Feldmarschall}} ({{langx|hu|Császári és királyi tábornagy}}; {{translation|Imperial and royal field marshal}}. Both were based on prior usage during the [[Holy Roman Empire]]. The [[Emperor of Austria|Emperor]]-[[King of Hungary|King]] held the rank ''[[ex officio]]'', other officers were promoted as required. Between 1914 and 1918, ten men attained this rank, of whom four were members of the reigning [[Habsburg-Lorraine]] dynasty.

===Denmark===
{{Main|Field marshal (Denmark)}}
{{see also|Ranks and insignia of Royal Danish Army}}
Field Marshal was the second highest rank in the [[Royal Danish Army]] below [[General field marshal]], both ranks were abolished in 1842.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Hedegaard |first1=Ole A. |editor1-last=Nielsen |editor1-first=K. V. |title=Nyt militært gradstegn - en ny/gammel tradition! |journal=Militært tidsskrift |date=January 1986 |volume=115 |issue=1 |pages=36-43 |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170223002156/http://krigsvidenskab.dk/sites/default/files/militaert_tidskrift_115_aargang_jan_2.pdf |access-date=23 October 2025 |publisher=Det Krigsvidenskablige Selskab |language=da}}</ref>

===Ethiopia===
On 8 January 2022, [[General]] [[Birhanu Jula]], the [[Chief of General Staff (Ethiopia)|Chief of General Staff]] of the [[Ethiopian National Defence Force]], was promoted to the rank of Field Marshal (or Field Marshal General, depending on source). The rank was introduced to the Ethiopian National Defence Force with this promotion. The rank of Field Marshal was last used in Ethiopia during the [[Ethiopian Empire]] in the 20th century, when [[Emperor Haile Selassie]] was head of the [[Army of the Ethiopian Empire|Imperial Ethiopian Army]]. The formal ceremonial uniform matched that of its British counterpart, with the exception of headgear, which was a [[Bicorne]] adorned with a golden lion's mane.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Observer |first=Ethiopia |date=2022-09-09 |title=Prince Asfa-Wossen Asserate recalls Queen Elizabeth II's Ethiopia visit |url=https://www.ethiopiaobserver.com/2022/09/09/prince-asfa-wossen-asserate-recalls-queen-elizabeth-iis-ethiopia-visit/ |access-date=2023-05-21 |website=Ethiopia Observer |language=en-US |archive-date=9 September 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220909101249/https://www.ethiopiaobserver.com/2022/09/09/prince-asfa-wossen-asserate-recalls-queen-elizabeth-iis-ethiopia-visit/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Finland===
{{Main|Field marshal (Finland)}}

[[File:Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim.png|thumb|[[C. G. E. Mannerheim]]]]
[[Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim]] was promoted to Field Marshal in 1933. In 1942 he was promoted to [[Marshal of Finland]], which is not a distinctive military rank but an honour.

===German-speaking lands===
{{Main|Generalfeldmarschall}}
{{lang|de|Generalfeldmarschall}} ('general field marshal or field marshal general) was the most senior general officer rank in the armies of several German states, including Saxony, Brandenburg-Prussia, Prussia, the German Empire, and lastly, Germany (from 1918). The rank was also given to imperial generals in southern German States including Austria (''Reichsgeneralfeldmarschall'') by the [[Roman-German Emperor]] during the existence of the [[List of field marshals of the Holy Roman Empire|Holy Roman Empire]] up to 1806.

===India===
{{Main|Field marshal (India)}}
[[File:Field_marshal_SHFJ_Manekshaw.jpg|right|thumb|Field Marshal [[Sam Manekshaw]]]]
Field marshal is the highest attainable rank in the [[Indian Army]]. It is a ceremonial/war time rank. There have been two Indian field marshals to date. [[Sam Manekshaw]] was promoted to the rank in 1973 for his role in leading the Indian Army to aid in the final days of the Indian Army's support for the [[Bangladesh Liberation War]] against Pakistan. [[K. M. Cariappa]] was promoted in 1986, long after he retired, in recognition of his services for beating back the Pakistani invasion of Kashmir in 1947-48 in his role as Army Commander of India's Western Command, and for later as the first Indian Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Army.<ref>{{cite web|title=Did You Know That Only 3 People Have Been Given The Highest Ranks In The Indian Armed Forces?|date=24 February 2016|url=https://www.scoopwhoop.com/Highest-ranks-in-Indian-Armed-Forces/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170104090735/https://www.scoopwhoop.com/Highest-ranks-in-Indian-Armed-Forces|archive-date=4 January 2017|df=dmy-all}}</ref>

=== Malaysia ===
Field Marshal is the highest rank in the [[Malaysian Army]] and are reserved for His Majesty the King of Malaysia though there are several non-royals who hold this rank.

===New Zealand===
Charles, [[Prince of Wales]], as he was at the time, was officially appointed a Field Marshal in the [[New Zealand Army]] in November 2015. As [[Charles III|King Charles III]], he remains the only living person to hold the ranks of Field Marshal in the New Zealand Army, [[Admiral of the Fleet]] in the [[Royal New Zealand Navy]] (RNZN) and Marshal of the [[Royal New Zealand Air Force|RNZAF]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2015-08-04 |title=New NZ military honours for Prince Charles |url=https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/280461/new-nz-military-honours-for-prince-charles |access-date=2024-02-22 |website=[[RNZ]] |language=en-nz}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last= |first= |date=2016-09-15 |title=Prince of Wales dons New Zealand field marshal uniform for Somme commemoration |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/09/15/prince-of-wales-dons-new-zealand-field-marshal-uniform-for-somme/ |access-date=2024-02-22 |work=The Telegraph |language=en-GB |issn=0307-1235}}</ref> The King's late father, [[Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh|the Duke of Edinburgh]] (1921–2021), also held these three [[List of titles and honours of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh#Honorary military positions|ranks]] during his lifetime.

===Pakistan===
{{main|Field marshal (Pakistan)}}
[[Ayub Khan]] (1907–1974) was the first and, for many decades, only field marshal in the history of Pakistan. He served as the second [[President of Pakistan]] and was the first native [[Commander-in-Chief of the Pakistan Army]]. On 20 May 2025, [[General Asim Munir]] became the second officer to be promoted to the rank of Field Marshal following his command in the brief [[2025 India–Pakistan conflict|conflict with India]].

===Philippines===
{{main|Field marshal (Philippines)}}
US Army General [[Douglas MacArthur]] was the first and only field marshal in the history of the [[Philippine Army]], a position he held while also acting as the [[Office of the Military Advisor to the Commonwealth Government of the Philippines|Military Advisor to the Commonwealth Government of the Philippines]] with a rank of major general. [[Manuel L. Quezon|President Quezon]] conferred the rank of field marshal on 24 August 1936 and MacArthur's duty included the supervision of the creation of the Philippines nation-state.

===Russia and the Soviet Union===
{{Main|List of Field Marshals of the Russian Empire|Marshal of the Soviet Union|Marshal of the Russian Federation}}
Imperial Russia had for a long time maintained the rank of Field Marshal. It was active all the way until the Russian Revolutions of 1917. When the Bolsheviks took over, they briefly abandoned military ranks until 1935. When it was restored, an equivalent rank Marshal of the Soviet Union was introduced in place of the Imperial Russian Army Field Marshal. Following the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the rank was replaced by the Marshal of the Russian Federation. However, {{as of|2025|lc=yes}}, there has only been one Marshal of the Russian Federation.

=== South Africa ===
[[File:Jan Smuts 1947.jpg|thumb|[[Jan Smuts]]]]
South African statesman and prime minister [[Jan Smuts]] was appointed a field marshal of the British Army on 24 May 1941.<ref>{{London Gazette
| issue = 35172
| date = 23 May 1941
| page = 3004
| supp = y
}}</ref>

===Sri Lanka===
{{Main|Field marshal (Sri Lanka)}}
Field Marshal is the highest rank in the [[Sri Lanka Army]]. It is a ceremonial rank. [[Sarath Fonseka]] is the first and only Sri Lankan officer to hold the rank. He was promoted to the position on 22 March 2015.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.news.lk/news/sri-lanka/item/6744-sarath-fonseka-promoted-sri-lanka-s-first-ever-field-marshal|title=Sarath Fonseka promoted Sri Lanka's first ever Field Marshal|last=SureshikaThilakarathna|website=news.lk|access-date=8 May 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170711031904/https://www.news.lk/news/sri-lanka/item/6744-sarath-fonseka-promoted-sri-lanka-s-first-ever-field-marshal|archive-date=11 July 2017|df=dmy-all}}</ref>

=== Sweden ===
{{main|List of Swedish field marshals}} 
In Sweden, a total of 75 field marshals have been appointed, from 1609 to 1824. Since 1972, the rank has not been used in Sweden, and it had long been decided to only be used in wartime.

The title denoted the commander of the mounted part of the army. During the [[Thirty Years' War]], the field marshal was subordinate to the country's lieutenant general. In the Swedish army, the field marshal had unlimited military and considerable political authority. However, the field marshal was subordinate to the [[Lord High Constable of Sweden]] (Riksmarsken) and his closest man was the {{Interlanguage link|rikstygmästare|sv}}.<ref>''[[Svensk uppslagsbok]]'', Malmö 1932</ref>

Initially, the field marshal was the commander of the cavalry and first became the foremost military rank in Sweden during the early 17th century, especially after count [[Jakob Pontusson de la Gardie]] received the rank.

===Uganda===
{{main|Field marshal (Uganda)}}
Field Marshal [[Idi Amin]] was the military dictator and third president of Uganda from 1971 to 1979. Amin joined the British colonial regiment, the King's African Rifles in 1946, serving in Somalia and Kenya. Eventually, Amin held the rank of major general in the post-colonial Ugandan Army and became its commander before seizing power in the military coup of January 1971, deposing [[Milton Obote]]. He later promoted himself to field marshal while he was the head of state.

===United Kingdom===
[[File:Harold_Alexander_E010750678-v8.jpg|right|thumb|General [[Harold Alexander, 1st Earl Alexander of Tunis|Sir Harold Alexander]] was promoted to [[Field Marshal (United Kingdom)|field marshal in the British Army]] when he was made Supreme Allied Commander Mediterranean during World War II]]

{{Main|Field marshal (United Kingdom)}}
[[Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington]], was promoted to the rank of a field marshal (of multiple armies) in 1813. Nine of his field marshal batons are on display in [[Apsley House]] (see [[Batons of Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington]]).

=== United States ===
No branch of the [[United States Armed Forces]] has ever used the rank of field marshal. On 14 December 1944, Congress created the rank of [[General of the Army (United States)|"general of the army]]", a five-star rank equivalent to that of field marshal in other countries. Two days later, [[George C. Marshall|George Marshall]] was promoted to this rank, becoming the first five-star general in American history. It has been suggested that the denomination of "Marshal" for a five-star officer was not adopted because, otherwise, George Marshall would be addressed as "Marshal Marshall", which was considered undignified.<ref name="Mosley">Leonard Mosley, ''Marshall, hero for our times'' (1982), 270, available at [[iarchive:marshallheroforo00mosl|Internet Archive]]</ref><ref name="mayer">Sydney Louis Mayer, ''The biography of General of the Army, Douglas MacArthur'' (1984), 70, available at [[iarchive:marshallheroforo00mosl|<!-- quote="Marshal Marshall". --> Internet Archive]]</ref><ref name="Larrabee">{{citation |first=Eric |last=Larrabee |title= Commander in chief: Franklin Delano Roosevelt, his lieutenants, and their war |date= 2004 |page= 200 |publisher=Naval Institute Press |isbn=9781591144557 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fBaZ5zoIQwgC&dq=%22field+marshal+marshall&pg=PA200 |via= Google Books}}</ref><ref name="loory">Stuart H. Loory, ''Defeated; inside America's military machine'' (1973), 78, available at [[iarchive:defeatedinsideam0000loor|<!-- quote="field marshal marshall". --> Internet Archive]]</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Eisenhower Memorial Commission – The Story Behind Ike's Fifth Star|url=http://www.eisenhowermemorial.org/stories/Ike-fifth-star.htm|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120717030648/http://www.eisenhowermemorial.org/stories/Ike-fifth-star.htm|archive-date=17 July 2012|access-date=2012-05-14|publisher=Eisenhowermemorial.org|df=dmy-all}}</ref> Thus, [[Douglas MacArthur]] is the only US officer ever to have received the rank of Marshal, which was given to him by the government of the Philippines.

==Insignia==
<gallery class="center">
File:Australian Field Marshal rank insignia 2025.svg|([[Australian Army]])<ref name="Australia">{{cite web |title=Badges of rank |url=https://www.defence.gov.au/images/Badges_of_rank.pdf |website=defence.gov.au |publisher=Department of Defence (Australia) |access-date=31 May 2021 |archive-date=1 September 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060901144804/http://www.defence.gov.au/images/Badges_of_rank.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>
File:20.RBrLF-FM.svg|{{lang|ms|Fil marsyal}}<br />([[Royal Brunei Land Force]])<ref name="Brunei_Army">{{cite web |title=Akta angkatan bersenjata diraja Brunei (Penggal 149) |url=http://www.agc.gov.bn/AGC%20Images/LAWS/Gazette_PDF/2013/BM/b088.pdf |website=agc.gov.bn |access-date=14 July 2021 |pages=1999–2000 |language=ms |date=16 December 2013 |archive-date=23 November 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181123104838/http://www.agc.gov.bn/AGC%20Images/LAWS/Gazette_PDF/2013/BM/b088.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>
File:Ethiopia-Army-OF-10 (2022).svg|{{langx|am|የፊልድ ማርሻል ጄኔራል|Yefīlidi marishali jēnērali}}<br />([[Ethiopian Army]])<ref name="Ethiopia_Army">{{cite news |title=Ethiopia introduces its first Field Marshal rank amid changes to insignia |url=https://www.ethiopiancitizen.com/2022/01/ethiopia-introduces-first-field-marshal-amid-changes-to-insignia.html |access-date=10 January 2022 |work=ethiopiancitizen.com |date=8 January 2022 |archive-date=10 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220110113850/https://www.ethiopiancitizen.com/2022/01/ethiopia-introduces-first-field-marshal-amid-changes-to-insignia.html |url-status=usurped }}</ref>
File:17-Ghana Army-CIC.svg|([[Ghana Army]])<ref>{{cite book |last1=Ofcansky |first1=Thomas P. |editor1-last=Berry |editor1-first=LaVerle Bennette |title=Ghana: a country study |series=Area Handbook |date=1995 |publisher=Library of Congress |location=Washington, D.C. |lccn=95018891 |page=284 |edition=3rd |url=https://www.loc.gov/resource/frdcstdy.ghanacountrystud00berr_0/?sp=334 |access-date=19 October 2021 |chapter=National Security |archive-date=25 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211025160624/https://www.loc.gov/resource/frdcstdy.ghanacountrystud00berr_0/?sp=334 |url-status=live }}</ref>
File:Field Marshal of the Indian Army.svg|{{langx|hi|फ़ील्ड मार्शल|pheeld maarshal}}<br />([[Indian Army]])<ref name="India_Army">{{cite web |title=Indian Army Rank Badges |url=https://www.indianarmy.nic.in/Site/FormTemplete/frmTempSimple.aspx?MnId=eONNmmCN+tNKI1W4lLePYA==&ParentID=07brfiSEictrT4pH/Ap2MDmEuFrOV7w+937sVMAJv7E= |website=indianarmy.nic.in |publisher=Indian Army |access-date=27 May 2021 |archive-date=27 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210527084034/https://www.indianarmy.nic.in/Site/FormTemplete/frmTempSimple.aspx?MnId=eONNmmCN+tNKI1W4lLePYA==&ParentID=07brfiSEictrT4pH/Ap2MDmEuFrOV7w+937sVMAJv7E= |url-status=live }}</ref>
File:Malaysia-army-OF-10.svg|{{lang|ms|Fil marsyal}}<br />([[Malaysian Army]])<ref name="Malaysia_Officer">{{cite web |title=Pangkat |url=http://www.mafhq.mil.my/index.php/my/mengenai-kami/kerjaya/pangkat |website=mafhq.mil.my |publisher=Malaysian Armed Forces |access-date=4 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200429231449/http://www.mafhq.mil.my/index.php/my/mengenai-kami/kerjaya/pangkat |archive-date=29 April 2020 |language=ms}}</ref>
File:New Zealand-Army-OF-10.svg|([[New Zealand Army]])<ref name="NewZealand">{{cite web |title=Badges of Rank |url=https://www.nzdf.mil.nz/corporate-documents/badges-of-rank/ |website=nzdf.mil.nz |publisher=New Zealand Defence Force |access-date=11 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200703193648/https://www.nzdf.mil.nz/corporate-documents/badges-of-rank/ |archive-date=3 July 2020}}</ref>
File:Nigeria-Army-OF-10.svg|([[Nigerian Army]])<ref name="Nigeria">{{cite book |last1=Smaldone |first1=Joseph P. |editor1-last=Metz |editor1-first=Helen Chapin |editor-link=Helen Chapin Metz |title=Nigeria: a country study |series=Area Handbook |date=1992 |publisher=Library of Congress |location=Washington, D.C. |lccn=92009026 |pages=296–297 |edition=5th |url=https://www.loc.gov/resource/frdcstdy.nigeriacountryst00metz_0/?sp=340 |access-date=21 October 2021 |chapter=National Security |archive-date=21 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211021094641/https://www.loc.gov/resource/frdcstdy.nigeriacountryst00metz_0/?sp=340 |url-status=live }}</ref>
File:OF-10 Pakistan Army.svg|{{langx|ur|فیلڈ مارشل|field marchell}}<br />([[Pakistan Army]])<ref name="Pakistan_Army">{{cite web |title=Pakistan Army Ranks with Salary and Insignia |url=https://pakistanforces.com/pakistan-army-ranks/ |website=pakistanforces.com |date=26 January 2021 |access-date=27 May 2021 |archive-date=26 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210126212724/https://pakistanforces.com/pakistan-army-ranks/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
File:Sri Lanka-army-OF-10.svg|([[Sri Lanka Army]])<ref name="SriLanka_Army">{{cite web |title=Dress Regulation PDF – Part I |url=https://www.army.lk/sites/all/themes/bootstrap/common/images/images2/downloads/Dress-regulation-2019-PART-I.pdf |website=army.lk |publisher=Sri Lanka Army |pages=10–4–10–11 |date=January 2019 |access-date=20 May 2021 |archive-date=23 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210423112420/https://www.army.lk/sites/all/themes/bootstrap/common/images/images2/downloads/Dress-regulation-2019-PART-I.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>
File:British Army OF-10.svg|([[British Army]])<ref name="UK_Army">{{cite web |title=Rank structure |url=https://www.army.mod.uk/who-we-are/our-people/ranks/ |website=army.mod.uk |publisher=British Army |access-date=27 May 2021 |archive-date=6 April 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180406102013/https://www.army.mod.uk/who-we-are/our-people/ranks/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
</gallery>

==See also==
* ''[[Admiralissimo]]''
* ''[[Generalissimo]]''
* [[Generalfeldmarschall]]
* [[Marshal]]
* [[Grand Marshal]]
* [[Grand Admiral]]
* [[Admiral of the Fleet]] 
* [[List of Field Marshals]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
* {{Commons category-inline|Field Marshals}}

{{Clear}}
{{Star officer ranks}}

[[Category:Field marshals| ]]
[[Category:Military ranks]]