Field marshal (Denmark)
Field marshal was the highest rank of the Royal Danish Army until its abolition in 1842.
History
The origins of the rank can be traced back to the creation of the rank of field lord and field colonel. These ranks were based on German origins.Initially, there were two ranks: feltmarskalk was the highest cavalry commander, and feltoberst was the highest commander of the infantry. These were later merged to a single rank called feltmarskalk.
On 25 May 1671, the ranks were codified, by King Christian V, with the publication of the Danish order of precedence. Here General field marshal was the highest rank, with Feldt-Marschalks placed just below, and Quartermaster general below that.
List of field marshals
| Portrait | Name | Appointed | Retired | ||
| Meindert van Ham | 1559 | ||||
| Günther XLI, Count of Schwarzburg-Arnstadt | 1563 | 1563 | 15 December 1564 | ||
| Otte Krumpen | 15 December 1564 | 19 July 1565 | |||
| Daniel Rantzau | 19 July 1565 | 12 November 1569 | 1581 | ||
| Hans Schack | 11 February 1659 | ||||
| Paul Würtz | July 1665 | 31 October 1665 | |||
| Claus von Ahlefeldt | 1671 | ||||
| John Adolphus, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Plön | 20 January 1676 | ||||
| ' | May 1683 | ||||
| ' | 1687 | ||||
| Frederick Ernest of Brandenburg-Kulmbach | 12 July 1745 | 1762 | |||
| ' | 1748 | 7 September 1755 † | |||
| ' | 1749 | 24 December 1758 † | |||
| 30 June 1756 | 7 September 1757 † | ||||
| Claude Louis, Comte de Saint-Germain | 1 December 1760 | 5 December 1767 | |||
| Frederick Charles Ferdinand, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg | 1764 | 1784 | |||
| Christian August of Augustenburg | 25 July 1808 | ||||
| Prince Charles of Hesse-Kassel | 1815 | 17 August 1836 † | |||
| Prince Frederik of Hesse | 17 August 1836 | 31 March 1842 |