Generalfeldmarschall ( listen (help·info)) (usually translated simply as field marshal, or sometimes as General Field Marshal, and sometimes written only as Feldmarschall) was a rank in the armies of several German states and the Holy Roman Empire; in the Austrian Empire, the rank Feldmarschall was used. The rank was the equivalent to a Grand Admiral in the German Navy.
In the Prussian Army and later in the German Army the rank had several privil...
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Generalfeldmarschall ( listen (help·info)) (usually translated simply as field marshal, or sometimes as General Field Marshal, and sometimes written only as Feldmarschall) was a rank in the armies of several German states and the Holy Roman Empire; in the Austrian Empire, the rank Feldmarschall was used. The rank was the equivalent to a Grand Admiral in the German Navy.
In the Prussian Army and later in the German Army the rank had several privileges, such as elevation to nobility, equal rank with ministers of the royal cabinet, right of direct report to the monarch, and a constant escort/protection. In 1854 the rank of Generaloberst (Colonel-General) was created in order to promote Prince Wilhelm to senior rank without breaking the rule that only wartime field commanders could receive the rank of field marshal for a victory in a decisive battle or the capture of a fortification or major town. In 1870 Prince Friedrich Karl and Kronprinz Friedrich Wilhelm, who had commanded armies...
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