Polkovnik
Encyclopedia
Polkovnik is often a military rank
in Slavic
countries which corresponds to a colonel
in English-speaking states. However, in the Ukraine
, polkovnyk was an administrative rank similar to a governor. Usually this word is translated as colonel
, however the transliteration is also in common usage, for the sake of the historical and social context.
al commander of the streltsy
; this position also made it into New Regiments of the streltsy and later into the new army of Peter the Great
. The rank was legalized by Table of Ranks that placed it in the 6th grade as the second-top field officer, right under the brigadier
. A promotion to the rank of polkovnik gave a privilege of hereditary nobility
.
The Red Army
reintroduced the polkovnik rank in 1935, together with a number of other former Russian ranks, and it has been used in many ex-USSR countries, including Russia
, to the present day.
The word polkovnik also means "stud" in Russian slang, strongly connotative of bravery or fearlessness.
of a regiment. By the end of the century, the title of the assignment became a de facto
rank as such and started to denote the commanding officer
of the entire regiment. In mercenary
troops fighting in the ranks of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
's army, the direct equivalent of the rank of pułkownik was oberszter, but in 18th century the rank was abolished and renamed as pułkownik as well.
During the rule of Sanacja
in the period between World War I
and World War II
a large number of officers were promoted to the rank, often for political reasons (the rule of Sanacja was even dubbed the government of the colonels because of that). During the Invasion of Poland
in 1939, the Polish divisions were commanded by officers of many grades, from colonels to three-star generals. In fact 22 divisions out of 42 were commanded by colonels in 1939. The pułkownicy (plural of pułkownik) did also command units of all sizes, from divisions down to mere battalions.
In the Zaporozhian Host
, the political, social, and military organization of Ukrainian cossacks, polkovnyk was a high military rank among the Ukrainian cossack
starshyna (officers
), a commander of one or several military detachments during land and naval military actions in the sixteenth to eighteenth centuries. In the eighteenth century, a polkovnyk was a leader of a palanka, a territorial unit of the Zaporozhian Host
. A palanka polkovnyk was elected by military council for one year. He represented the Kosh Otaman in the palanka and had significant powers, including the right to condemn cossacks to the death penalty. At the time of liquidation of the Zaporozhian Host by the Russian
government in 1775 there were eight palanka polkovnyks. The polkovnyks symbol of office was a pernach
(a mace with a hexagonal head; see also bulawa
), worn in the belt.
In the Registered Cossack Army of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
polkovnyk was a commander of a regiment
, a cossack military unit. After the reform of the cossack army by hetman
Mykhailo Doroshenko
there were six cossack regiments, each comprising one thousand cossacks. Polkovnyks were elected by the Cossack Council and that had to be approved by the Polish government. A polkovnyk obtained salary for his service, and enjoyed considerable privileges. After adopting the "Ordination" by the Sejm of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
in 1638, only noblemen
(szlachta
) were allowed to become polkovnyks.
During Khmelnytsky Uprising
and in Hetmanate Ukraine
polkovnyk was a head of a territorial administrative unit, the regiment .
In modern Ukraine, polkovnyk is a military rank inferred from the similar rank of the Soviet Army
.
, Michael Caine
wears the uniform and insignia of a pulkownik while in secret being an oberst
in the German Luftwaffe
.
Military rank
Military rank is a system of hierarchical relationships in armed forces or civil institutions organized along military lines. Usually, uniforms denote the bearer's rank by particular insignia affixed to the uniforms...
in Slavic
Slavic peoples
The Slavic people are an Indo-European panethnicity living in Eastern Europe, Southeast Europe, North Asia and Central Asia. The term Slavic represents a broad ethno-linguistic group of people, who speak languages belonging to the Slavic language family and share, to varying degrees, certain...
countries which corresponds to a colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
in English-speaking states. However, in the Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
, polkovnyk was an administrative rank similar to a governor. Usually this word is translated as colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
, however the transliteration is also in common usage, for the sake of the historical and social context.
Name spelling
The exact name of this rank maintains a variety of spellings in different languages, but all descendant from the Old Slavonic word polk, and include the following:- Czech RepublicCzech RepublicThe Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
and SlovakiaSlovakiaThe Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...
— plukovník - PolandPolandPoland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
— pułkownik - SloveniaSloveniaSlovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of...
— polkovnik - RussiaRussiaRussia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
— полковник (pɐlˈkovnʲɪk) - UkraineUkraineUkraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
, BulgariaBulgariaBulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
and MacedoniaRepublic of MacedoniaMacedonia , officially the Republic of Macedonia , is a country located in the central Balkan peninsula in Southeast Europe. It is one of the successor states of the former Yugoslavia, from which it declared independence in 1991...
— полковник (polˈkɔwnɪ̞k) - Bosnia and HerzegovinaBosnia and HerzegovinaBosnia and Herzegovina , sometimes called Bosnia-Herzegovina or simply Bosnia, is a country in Southern Europe, on the Balkan Peninsula. Bordered by Croatia to the north, west and south, Serbia to the east, and Montenegro to the southeast, Bosnia and Herzegovina is almost landlocked, except for the...
, CroatiaCroatiaCroatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
and SerbiaSerbiaSerbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
— pukovnik - GeorgiaGeorgia (country)Georgia is a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the southwest by Turkey, to the south by Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. The capital of...
— პოლკოვნიკი (pʼɔlkʼɔvnikʼi)
Etymology
Polkovnik began as a commander of a distinct group of troops, Old Slavonic polk , arranged for a particular battle.Russia
In late 17th century, polkovnik became the position of a regimentRegiment
A regiment is a major tactical military unit, composed of variable numbers of batteries, squadrons or battalions, commanded by a colonel or lieutenant colonel...
al commander of the streltsy
Streltsy
Streltsy were the units of Russian guardsmen in the 16th - early 18th centuries, armed with firearms. They are also collectively known as Marksman Troops .- Origins and organization :...
; this position also made it into New Regiments of the streltsy and later into the new army of Peter the Great
Peter I of Russia
Peter the Great, Peter I or Pyotr Alexeyevich Romanov Dates indicated by the letters "O.S." are Old Style. All other dates in this article are New Style. ruled the Tsardom of Russia and later the Russian Empire from until his death, jointly ruling before 1696 with his half-brother, Ivan V...
. The rank was legalized by Table of Ranks that placed it in the 6th grade as the second-top field officer, right under the brigadier
Brigadier
Brigadier is a senior military rank, the meaning of which is somewhat different in different military services. The brigadier rank is generally superior to the rank of colonel, and subordinate to major general....
. A promotion to the rank of polkovnik gave a privilege of hereditary nobility
Russian nobility
The Russian nobility arose in the 14th century and essentially governed Russia until the October Revolution of 1917.The Russian word for nobility, Dvoryanstvo , derives from the Russian word dvor , meaning the Court of a prince or duke and later, of the tsar. A nobleman is called dvoryanin...
.
The Red Army
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army started out as the Soviet Union's revolutionary communist combat groups during the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922. It grew into the national army of the Soviet Union. By the 1930s the Red Army was among the largest armies in history.The "Red Army" name refers to...
reintroduced the polkovnik rank in 1935, together with a number of other former Russian ranks, and it has been used in many ex-USSR countries, including Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, to the present day.
The word polkovnik also means "stud" in Russian slang, strongly connotative of bravery or fearlessness.
Poland
The rank was first introduced in the Polish Army in 17th century to denote a captain (rotmistrz) of the core bannerChoragiew
Chorągiew was the basic administrative unit of the Polish cavalry from the 14th century. An alternative name until the 17th century was Rota.The name may derive from Slavic word Khorugv ....
of a regiment. By the end of the century, the title of the assignment became a de facto
De facto
De facto is a Latin expression that means "concerning fact." In law, it often means "in practice but not necessarily ordained by law" or "in practice or actuality, but not officially established." It is commonly used in contrast to de jure when referring to matters of law, governance, or...
rank as such and started to denote the commanding officer
Commanding officer
The commanding officer is the officer in command of a military unit. Typically, the commanding officer has ultimate authority over the unit, and is usually given wide latitude to run the unit as he sees fit, within the bounds of military law...
of the entire regiment. In mercenary
Mercenary
A mercenary, is a person who takes part in an armed conflict based on the promise of material compensation rather than having a direct interest in, or a legal obligation to, the conflict itself. A non-conscript professional member of a regular army is not considered to be a mercenary although he...
troops fighting in the ranks of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth was a dualistic state of Poland and Lithuania ruled by a common monarch. It was the largest and one of the most populous countries of 16th- and 17th‑century Europe with some and a multi-ethnic population of 11 million at its peak in the early 17th century...
's army, the direct equivalent of the rank of pułkownik was oberszter, but in 18th century the rank was abolished and renamed as pułkownik as well.
During the rule of Sanacja
Sanacja
Sanation was a Polish political movement that came to power after Józef Piłsudski's May 1926 Coup d'État. Sanation took its name from his watchword—the moral "sanation" of the Polish body politic...
in the period between World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
and World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
a large number of officers were promoted to the rank, often for political reasons (the rule of Sanacja was even dubbed the government of the colonels because of that). During the Invasion of Poland
Invasion of Poland (1939)
The Invasion of Poland, also known as the September Campaign or 1939 Defensive War in Poland and the Poland Campaign in Germany, was an invasion of Poland by Germany, the Soviet Union, and a small Slovak contingent that marked the start of World War II in Europe...
in 1939, the Polish divisions were commanded by officers of many grades, from colonels to three-star generals. In fact 22 divisions out of 42 were commanded by colonels in 1939. The pułkownicy (plural of pułkownik) did also command units of all sizes, from divisions down to mere battalions.
Ukraine
Zaporozhian Host
The Zaporozhian Cossacks or simply Zaporozhians were Ukrainian Cossacks who lived beyond the rapids of the Dnieper river, the land also known as the Great Meadow in Central Ukraine...
, the political, social, and military organization of Ukrainian cossacks, polkovnyk was a high military rank among the Ukrainian cossack
Cossack
Cossacks are a group of predominantly East Slavic people who originally were members of democratic, semi-military communities in what is today Ukraine and Southern Russia inhabiting sparsely populated areas and islands in the lower Dnieper and Don basins and who played an important role in the...
starshyna (officers
Officer (armed forces)
An officer is a member of an armed force or uniformed service who holds a position of authority. Commissioned officers derive authority directly from a sovereign power and, as such, hold a commission charging them with the duties and responsibilities of a specific office or position...
), a commander of one or several military detachments during land and naval military actions in the sixteenth to eighteenth centuries. In the eighteenth century, a polkovnyk was a leader of a palanka, a territorial unit of the Zaporozhian Host
Zaporozhian Host
The Zaporozhian Cossacks or simply Zaporozhians were Ukrainian Cossacks who lived beyond the rapids of the Dnieper river, the land also known as the Great Meadow in Central Ukraine...
. A palanka polkovnyk was elected by military council for one year. He represented the Kosh Otaman in the palanka and had significant powers, including the right to condemn cossacks to the death penalty. At the time of liquidation of the Zaporozhian Host by the Russian
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
government in 1775 there were eight palanka polkovnyks. The polkovnyks symbol of office was a pernach
Pernach
Pernach was a type of flanged mace developed since the 12th century in the region of Kievan Rus' and later widely used throughout Europe. The name comes from the Russian word перо meaning feather, reflecting the form of pernach that resembled an arrow with feathering.The most popular variety of...
(a mace with a hexagonal head; see also bulawa
Bulawa
The bulawa is a ceremonial mace or baton. The word is of Turkish origin....
), worn in the belt.
In the Registered Cossack Army of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth was a dualistic state of Poland and Lithuania ruled by a common monarch. It was the largest and one of the most populous countries of 16th- and 17th‑century Europe with some and a multi-ethnic population of 11 million at its peak in the early 17th century...
polkovnyk was a commander of a regiment
Regiment
A regiment is a major tactical military unit, composed of variable numbers of batteries, squadrons or battalions, commanded by a colonel or lieutenant colonel...
, a cossack military unit. After the reform of the cossack army by hetman
Hetman
Hetman was the title of the second-highest military commander in 15th- to 18th-century Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, which together, from 1569 to 1795, comprised the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, or Rzeczpospolita....
Mykhailo Doroshenko
Mykhailo Doroshenko
Mykhailo Doroshenko was the Hetman of the registered Ukrainian Cossacks from 1623–1628.He was elevated to the rank of Cossack colonel in 1616, and he was active in Petro Konashevych's wars against Muscovy. He personally participated in the Battle of Khotyn in 1621...
there were six cossack regiments, each comprising one thousand cossacks. Polkovnyks were elected by the Cossack Council and that had to be approved by the Polish government. A polkovnyk obtained salary for his service, and enjoyed considerable privileges. After adopting the "Ordination" by the Sejm of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth was a dualistic state of Poland and Lithuania ruled by a common monarch. It was the largest and one of the most populous countries of 16th- and 17th‑century Europe with some and a multi-ethnic population of 11 million at its peak in the early 17th century...
in 1638, only noblemen
Nobility
Nobility is a social class which possesses more acknowledged privileges or eminence than members of most other classes in a society, membership therein typically being hereditary. The privileges associated with nobility may constitute substantial advantages over or relative to non-nobles, or may be...
(szlachta
Szlachta
The szlachta was a legally privileged noble class with origins in the Kingdom of Poland. It gained considerable institutional privileges during the 1333-1370 reign of Casimir the Great. In 1413, following a series of tentative personal unions between the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Kingdom of...
) were allowed to become polkovnyks.
During Khmelnytsky Uprising
Khmelnytsky Uprising
The Khmelnytsky Uprising, was a Cossack rebellion in the Ukraine between the years 1648–1657 which turned into a Ukrainian war of liberation from Poland...
and in Hetmanate Ukraine
Cossack Hetmanate
The Hetmanate or Zaporizhian Host was the Ruthenian Cossack state in the Central Ukraine between 1649 and 1782.The Hetmanate was founded by first Ukrainian hetman Bohdan Khmelnytsky during the Khmelnytsky Uprising . In 1654 it pledged its allegiance to Muscovy during the Council of Pereyaslav,...
polkovnyk was a head of a territorial administrative unit, the regiment .
In modern Ukraine, polkovnyk is a military rank inferred from the similar rank of the Soviet Army
Soviet Army
The Soviet Army is the name given to the main part of the Armed Forces of the Soviet Union between 1946 and 1992. Previously, it had been known as the Red Army. Informally, Армия referred to all the MOD armed forces, except, in some cases, the Soviet Navy.This article covers the Soviet Ground...
.
Movie Trivia
In the film The Eagle Has LandedThe Eagle Has Landed
The Eagle Has Landed is a book by Jack Higgins set during World War II. It first published in 1975. It was made into a film of the same name in 1976 starring Michael Caine...
, Michael Caine
Michael Caine
Sir Michael Caine, CBE is an English actor. He won Academy Awards for best supporting actor in both Hannah and Her Sisters and The Cider House Rules ....
wears the uniform and insignia of a pulkownik while in secret being an oberst
Oberst
Oberst is a military rank in several German-speaking and Scandinavian countries, equivalent to Colonel. It is currently used by both the ground and air forces of Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Denmark and Norway. The Swedish rank överste is a direct translation, as are the Finnish rank eversti...
in the German Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe is a generic German term for an air force. It is also the official name for two of the four historic German air forces, the Wehrmacht air arm founded in 1935 and disbanded in 1946; and the current Bundeswehr air arm founded in 1956....
.
See also
- ColonelColonelColonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
- PodpolkovnikPodpolkovnikPodpolkovnik is a military rank in Slavic countries which corresponds to a lieutenant colonel in English-speaking states. Usually this word is translated as lieutenant colonel, however the transliteration is also in common usage, for the sake of the historical context.The exact name of this rank...
- Military ranks of the Soviet UnionMilitary ranks of the Soviet UnionThe military ranks of the Soviet Union were those introduced after the October Revolution of 1917. At that time the Imperial Russian Table of Ranks was abolished, as were the privileges of the pre-Soviet Russian nobility....
- Military ranks of UkraineMilitary ranks of UkraineThe military ranks of Ukraine were created in 1991 following the dissolution of the Soviet Union.Ukrainian armed forces have two styles of ranks - Army, which is used by Ground forces and the Air Force, and Navy. Ukraine like the Russian Federation eliminated the descriptor "of Aviation" following...
- History of Russian military ranksHistory of Russian military ranksModern Russian military ranks trace their roots to Table of Ranks established by Peter the Great. Most of the rank names were borrowed from existing German/Prussian, French, English, Dutch, and Polish ranks upon the formation of Russian regular army in late 17th century.- Muscovy :The rulers of the...
- Army ranks and insignia of the Russian FederationArmy ranks and insignia of the Russian FederationThe independent Russia inherited the ranks of the Soviet Union, although the insignia and uniform were altered slightly. The following is a table ranks of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation...
- Polish Armed Forces rank insigniaPolish Armed Forces rank insignia- Origins :Present Polish system of rank insignia is a direct descendant of various systems used in the past in the Polish Army. Some of the grades trace their name back to Middle Ages, for instance the rank of chorąży literally means a flag bearer...
External links
- Гайдай Л. Історія України в особах, термінах, назвах і поняттях.-Луцьк: Вежа, 2000.
- Довідник з історії України.За ред. І.Підкови та Р.Шуста.- К.: Генеза, 1993.
- ЗАКОН УКРАЇНИ Про військовий обов'язок і військову службу
- Про положення про проходження військової служби відповідними категоріями військовослужбовців
- История Советского флота
- Воинские звания военнослужащих России и СССР
- Воинские звания
- Звания воинские
- The International Encyclopedia of Uniform and Rank Insignia around the World