Mareşal

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Mareşal (Marshal) is the highest rank in the Army of Turkey, the Turkish Armed Forces. It is the equivalent of a Field Marshal in other countries.

The rank of Mareşal can trace its origins to the Ottoman Empire and to the military of Persia, where the rank was bestowed upon senior commanders upon order of the ruling Sultan.

The rank of Mareşal can only be bestowed by the National Assembly, and only given to a General who leads an army successfully into and out of a war, criteria tougher than those for equivalent ranks.

The corresponding rank in the Turkish Navy is known as Büyükamiral.

Only two persons were bestowed the rank Mareşal up to date: Kemal Atatürk, the founder of modern Turkey and his chief of staff Fevzi Çakmak, both for their successes in the Turkish War of Independence.