Commander (order)

Commander (French: Commandeur) (Italian: Commendatore) (German: Komtur) (Spanish: Comendador), or Knight Commander, is a title of honor used in several Military orders, orders of chivalry, as well as in fraternal orders and societies.

The title of Commander occurred in the medieval military orders, such as the Knights Hospitaller, for a member senior to a Knight. Variations include Knight Commander, notably in English, sometimes used to denote an even higher rank than Commander. In some orders of chivalry, Commander ranks above Officier (i.e. Officer), but below one or more ranks with a prefix meaning "Great", e.g. Grand - in French, Grosskomtur in German, Commendador-mayor (using an equivalent suffix) in Spanish, and Groot- in Dutch (Grootcommandeur; "Grand Commander").

France

History

The rank of commandeur in the french orders comes from the Middle Ages military orders, in which low-level administrative houses were called commanderies and were governed by commandeur. In the Modern Age, the french Kings created chivalric orders which mimicked the military order's ranks.