Portuguese Army Ranks and Their British Equivalents By João Centeno   Rank� in Portuguese Army Now Rank� in Portuguese Army 1800 Rank� in British army 1800 & Now Typical Position Pra�a Soldado Private � Segundo-Cabo Anspe�ada Lance Corporal Private 1st class Lance Bombardier(RA)   1� Cabo Cabo Corporal Lance Sergeant Bombardier (RA) Commander of a section Segundo -sargento Furriel Furriel Sergeant Third Sergeant Corporal of Horse (Cavalry) Commander of a section Primeiro-sargento Segundo Sargento or Tambor-Mor Quartel Mestre Sargento Second Sergeant Staff Sergeant Colour Sergeant (introduced in� 1813) Quartermaster Sergeant Staff Corporal (Cavalry) Company Sergeant (RA) Company Quartermaster Sargento-ajudante Primeiro-Sargento Sargento de Brigada or Ajudante Sargento First Sergeant Quartermaster Sergeant      Warrant Officer Class 2 Company Sergeant Sargento-chefe   Master-Sergeant Company Sgt. Major Company Sergeant Sargento-Mor Quartel-Mestre Sergeant-Major Warrant Officer Class Regimental Sgt. Maj. Regiment Sergeant Cadete Cadete       Officer Cadet Created in 1757, as form of recruiting noble officials for the Army. While they were not promoted to a full rank officer position were subordinated to Sergeants   Cadete Porta-Bandeira   Rank created in 1797, due to the abolition of Porta-Bandeira (Standard-bearer's) position. Alferes Alferes (old� Porta-Bandeira officer) 2nd Lieutenant Cornet Ensign Platoon Commander   Tenente         2nd commander of a Company. Second-lieutenant in the Artillery and Engineering   Ajudante         Official associate to a Major. Official engineer with 1st Lieutenant's position up to 1792 Tenente 1� Tenente       Lieutenant 2.nd commander of the companies that had the Colonels, Lieutenant colonels and Majors as commanders. It was extinct in 1796, in the Infantry and Cavalry. In the Artillery and Engineering was equal to Lieutenant's position. Subsidiary command, Company level Capit�o Capit�o       Captain Command at company level Major Sargento-mor Major       Major Officer responsible of the daily administration of a Regiment, eventual commander of a Battalion or 2nd commander of an independent battalion. An official of orders was considered and not of command position. Administration at battalion and command at 1/2 battalion level Tenente-coronel Tenente-coronel       Lieutenant Colonel 2nd commander of a Regiment, or commandant of an independent Battalion, as Ca�adores Battalion. Coronel Coronel       Colonel       (Colonel of the Regiment) In Portugal, Commander of a Regiment - before call� Mestre-de-Campo. Brigadeiro� Brigadeiro       Brigadier Brigade commander. Rank created in 1707 by D. Jo�o V for the Infantry and Cavalry, and abolished in 1790. Reintroduced in 1796, due to the organization of the army in Brigades Major general Marechal de Campo       Major General Division commander Commandant. Name given in 1762 to the position Sargento-Mor De Batalha. Tenente general Tenente General       Lieutenant General Army Corp commander. Name given in 1762 to Mestre de Campo General.           General de Artilharia (Appointment)   This rank position was created in 1640 and it is the simplification of the Capit�o-General de Artilharia (Captain-general of Artillery), then in use in the Spanish army. Inside of the own hierarchy of the army branch, he was the commander of the Artillery of the counties, including the one of the marine fortresses and of the war ships. It was extinct in the reform of 1707/1708, but it reappear in the Pombal reform of 1762 again (Count of Lippe) to pass to designate the Director-General of the Artillery that was entrusted of the organization of that military branch.   General de Cavalaria (Appointment)   This rank is referred, for the first time, in the organization of the army that King D.Sebasti�o took for Alc�cer-Quibir, and he was the commandant of the whole Cavalry as the General of Artillery, it is the simplification of the Captain-General of existent Cavalry in Spain. The rank stays after 1640, competing to its detainee the government of the Cavalry of Kingdom. It was extinct in the reform of 1707/1708, but renter in the Pombal reform of 1762 (Count of Lippe) to designate the Director-General of the Cavalry that was entrusted of the organization of the military branch.   General de Infantaria (Appointment)   In the reform of 1640 as in the one of 1707 this position doesn't appear in the structure of the Army, because the Mestre de Campo General ( Master of General Field)� was by excellence, the commander of the Infantry, the most numerous and important military branch in manoeuvres, in spite of, in operations, to have also under its command the units of Cavalry and of Artillery. Just appears in the reform of 1762 (Conde of Lippe) to designate the Director-General of the Infantry. General General       General   Marechal ---       Field Marshal     General de Infantaria, Cavalaria, or Artilharia (Appointment)   Name given in 1762 to the Directores-Gerais� (Director-Generals), created in 1735. They were entrust of the organization of the military branch that they directed, being helped by the Inspectores-gerais (Inspector-generals) , that were subordinated them. Chefia do estado-maior do ramo Marechal do ex�rcito (Appointment)       Captain General Commander-in-Chief of the Army, or Quartel Mestre General (Quarter Master General) subordinate to the Secretary of State of the Business of the War. The baron of Alvito was Marshal of the army with Count of Lippe, just as Beresford with Wellington. Was used for the first time by the Prince of Waldeck, in 1797 (Major-General William Carr Beresford) Chefe do Estado-Maior General das For�as Armadas Marechal General (Appointment) General in Chief Command Created by Count of Lippe (1762), it was the Commander-in-Chief of the armies, with direct access to the King. Equivalent to the Capit�o-General (Captain-general). It was created in 1640 with Capit�o General (General Captain) name in its primitive meaning.� (Tenente-General Arthur Wellesley, and after the Peninsular, War William Carr Beresford)   Military Index | Organization Index ]