Captain general Captain general ( and its literal equivalent in several languages ) is a high military rank and a gubernatorial title . History . This term " captain general " ( actually " general captain " ) started to appear in the 14th century , with the meaning of commander in chief of an army ( or fleet ) in the field , probably the first usage of the term general in military settings . A popular term in the 16th and 17th centuries , but with various meanings depending on the country , it became less and less used in the 18th century , usually substituted by full general s or field marshals ; and after the end of the Napoleonic Wars it had but disappeared in most European countries , except Spain and former colonies . See also " Feldhauptmann " ( " field captain " ) . Republic of Venice . In the Republic of Venice , it meant the commander in chief of the fleet in war times . It is at least documented since 1370 and was used up to the end of the republic in 1797 . Great Britain . From 30 June to 22 October 1513 , Catherine of Aragon held the titles Governor of the Realm and Captain General of the King ' s Forces as Queen Regent of England . First attested in the 1520s as the title for the permanent Commander in Chief of the Armies . Though commonly used in the 17th century , in the 18th century , the office was held by Duke of Marlborough ( 1702 to 1711 , and again 1714 to 1717 ) , and the Duke of Ormonde , 1711 to 1714 and the Duke of Cumberland 1745 . The rank remains in Scottish use of the Royal Company of Archers . The title appeared , as in some other countries , linked to the head of state in his military capacity . The last were the King of England up to the mid - 19th century , and his prior replacement the Lord Protector , Oliver Cromwell . Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II remains Captain General of the Royal Regiment of Artillery , an appointment similar to Colonel in Chief in other regiments . New South Wales . From 1787 , the Governor of New South Wales has been also granted the title of Captain - General . Prussia . In Prussia a " Generalkapitän " was the commander of the castle guard and life guards . Rhode Island . In Rhode Island , the Governor holds two different military titles . According to Article IX , section 3 of the Rhode Island Constitution , the Governor holds the titles of " captain - general " and " Commander - in - Chief " Connecticut . In Connecticut , the state Constitution of 1965 states that the Governor is also the Captain General of the state militia . Netherlands . Maurice of Nassau received the title of " Captain General of the Union " and " Admiral General " in 1587 , which became hereditary - like the Stadtholder title , to the Orange - Nassau family , until taken away by the States General in 1786 . Spain . Army . By the late 15th century , the title , besides the usual meaning of commander - in - chief in the field , was also linked to the highest commander of specialized military branches ( artillery , royal guards , etc . ) , usually signaling the independence of that particular corps . No later than the fall of Granada ( 1492 ) the title was conferred also to officers with full jurisdiction of every person subject to " fuero militar " in a certain territorial circumscription . Those officers usually also acted as commanders for the troops and military establishments in their area , and as time passed , those duties ( and the title ) were mostly united in the highest civilian authority of the area . The military post of " captain general " as highest territorial commander lasted in Spain until the early 1980s . In the late 17th or very early 18th century , 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 . When wearing uniform , the kings used captain general insignia . Perhaps the best - known holder of the rank for Americans was Valeriano Weyler , Governor General of Cuba in 1896 - 97 during the period preceding the Spanish - American War . Briefly abolished by the Second Spanish Republic , it was restored by / for Francisco Franco in 1938 . In 1999 , the rank was reserved to the reigning monarch . Since its restoration in 1938 , only Franco , Juan Carlos I ( 1975 ) , Agustín Muñoz Grandes ( 1956 ) and Camilo Alonso Vega ( 1972 ) were promoted while on active duty , being the rest of the ( scarce ) promotions either posthumous or to retired officers . Navy . The evolution of the title in the Spanish Navy is parallel to that of the army . During the 16th and 17th century the two main naval captain general posts were " Capitán - General de la Armada de la Mar Oceana " and " Capitán - General de Galeras " , roughly CIC for the Atlantic and the Mediterranean respectively . A peculiar usage of the term captain general arose in the Spanish Navy of the 16th century . A " capitán - general " was appointed by the king as the leader of a fleet ( although the term ' squadron ' is more appropriate , as most galleon fleets rarely consisted of more than a dozen vessels , not counting escorted merchantmen ) , with full jurisdictional powers . The fleet second - in - command was the ' almirante ' ( admiral ) , an officer appointed by the capitan - general and responsible for the seaworthiness of the squadron . One captain - general that sailed under the Spanish flag that is now well known was Ferdinand Magellan , leader of the first fleet to sail around the world . Under the Nationalist regime of 1939 - 1975 , the only holder of the rank of " capitán general de la armada " was the Caudillo , Generalísimo Francisco Franco . Air force . The rank of captain general of the Air Force is held only by HM King Juan Carlos . Portugal . Army . The title was given , in 1508 , to the commander - in - chief of the " Ordenanças " ( the territorial army of the crown ) . During the Portuguese Restoration War , after 1640 , the " Captain - General of the Arms of the Kingdom " , became the commander - in - chief of the Portuguese Army , under the direct authority of the War Council and the King . In 1762 the captain - general was substituted by the " marechal - general " - fieldmarshall - general . Navy . Like in the Army , the " Capitão - General da Armada Real " ( Captain - General of the Royal Navy ) was the commander - in - chief of the Portuguese Navy in the 17th and 18th centuries . France . The title has been only sporadically used in France . During the 17th century , and for a short while , a rank between Lieutenant General and Marshal of France of this denomination was created . The king of France was the Captain General of the Army , but was represented in the field by lieutenant generals who commanded in his absence . Kingdom of Bavaria . In the former Kingdom of Bavaria , the " generalkapitän " was the leader of the royal Hartschier guard . The position was associated with the highest class ranking in the " Hofrangordnung " ( court order of precedence ) . Papal States . During the time of the Papal States the title of Captain General of the Church was given to the de facto commander - in - chief of the Papal Army . It existed parallel to the office of Gonfalonier of the Church , which was a more ceremonial position than a tactical military command position . Both offices were abolished by Pope Innocent XII and replaced with the office of Flag - bearer of the Holy Roman Church Current usage as a military rank and dignity . British Army . In the modern British Army , and the armies of various Commonwealth nations , the term Captain General is used generally when describing the ceremonial head of the artillery corps . As such , HM The Queen is the Captain General of the Honourable Artillery Company , Royal Regiment of Artillery , Royal Canadian Artillery , Royal Australian Artillery and Royal New Zealand Artillery . The Queen is also Captain General of the Royal New Zealand Armoured Corps . One other appointment of Captain General is of The Queen ’ s Body Guard for Scotland , Royal Company of Archers , the position currently held by David Ogilvy , 13th Earl of Airlie . Royal Navy . Currently in the United Kingdom the ceremonial head of the Royal Marines is the Captain - General , currently HRH Prince Philip . Bolivia . In Bolivia , the head of state for the duration of his tenure has the rank and dignity of Captain General as head of the Armed forces , even if he is a civilian Chile . If the Commander in Chief of the Army and the Head of State are reunited in the same person , he is promoted to the permanent military rank of " Capitan General " . It has only happened three times in Chile ' s history ( Bernardo O ' Higgins , Ramon Freire and Augusto Pinochet Ugarte ) . Current electoral provisions ( as of 2008 ) forbid the Commander in Chief becoming President . Spanish Armed Forces . In Spain , the title Captain General ( " capitán general " ) is the highest military rank , since 1999 reserved for the king . Assimilated to a NATO OF - 11 rank ( OF - 10 until that year ) . Administrative positions . The term " captain general " can also be used to translate Spanish " capitán general " or Portuguese " capitão - mor " , administrative titles used in the Spanish Empire and the Portuguese Empire , especially in the Americas . Each was in charge of a captaincy . In the Spanish Empire and Latin America . " Capitán General " was the military title given to the Spanish military governor of a province of the Spanish Empire , in the colonies usually also the president of the civilian audiencia ( court of law ) . In the Portuguese Empire . " Capitão - mor " ( plural " capitães - mores " ) , sometimes also " capitão - donatário " , was the hereditary title and office given by the Portuguese Crown to noblemen granted the rule of captaincies in the territories of the Portuguese Empire , most importantly in Terra de Santa Cruz ( modern Brazil ) . They held absolute powers in their lands , subject only to the Crown , and were given the task of settling and colonizing their respective domains . In Brazil , most of these settlements failed , and their nominal dominions were actually haphazardly settled by colonists and Jesuit Reductions , and ultimately the land was incorporated first into the only succeeding " capitanias " , São Vicente and Pernambuco , which then became the Viceroyalty of Brazil and the Viceroyalty of Grão - Pará . The absolute power of the Capitães - Mor was continued , in Brazil , by the tradition of Coronelism that endures to this day in the northeast of that nation . In fiction . In J . R . R . Tolkien ' s " The Lord of the Rings " , Boromir is considered to be a captain general of Gondor . In the Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan , " captain - general " is the highest rank of the Ever Victorious Army of Seanchan , excepting only the rank of " marshal - general " , which may be temporarily assigned to a captain - general given the command of a theatre of war . In addition , captain - general is also the title of both the leader of the Queen ' s Guard of Andor and the head of the Green Ajah of the Aes Sedai . In the " BattleTech " universe , captain - general is the title of the military and political leader of the Free Worlds League . Since the 25th century , captain - generals have been members of the Marik family . In " " , Cesare Borgia is depicted in the office of Captain General of the Papal Army , a position he did in fact hold along with Gonfalonier of the Church . In the " Ring of Fire " universe ( created by Eric Flint ) , Gustav II Adolf , King of Sweden , is granted the newly created hereditary title of " Captain General of the State of Thuringia " ( later known as the State of Thuringia - Franconia ) at the end of the first book , entitled ' 1632 ' . This was a recognition of his authority over Thuringian territory as an integral part of the " Confederated Principalities of Europe " , a Protestant substitute for the Holy Roman Empire which he created , while allowing the Thuringian government to continue to claim that it was a republic and not a monarchy .