A polkovnik (; Macedonian, Russian language and ) is a military rank used mostly in Slavic peoples-speaking countries which corresponds to a colonel in English-speaking states, coronel in Spanish and Portuguese-speaking states and oberst in several German-speaking and Scandinavian countries. It was originally a rank in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth and the Russian Empire. However, in Cossack Hetmanate and Sloboda 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. Polkovnik began as a commander of a distinct group of troops ( polk), arranged for battle.
The exact name of this rank maintains a variety of spellings in different languages, but all descend from the Old Slavonic word polk (from ), and include the following in alphabetical order:
-
Belarus — палкоўнік
-
Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro and Serbia — pukovnik ()
-
Bulgaria, North Macedonia, Russia and Ukraine — полковник (, )
-
Czech Republic and Slovakia — plukovník
-
Poland — pułkownik
-
Slovenia — polkovnik
It is also used in some non-Slavic languages:
-
Azerbaijan — polkovnik
-
Georgia — პოლკოვნიკი
-
Latvia — pulkvedis
-
Lithuania — pulkininkas
Lithuania (and likely Latvia) inherited the term from the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. The rank of polkovnik was also used in the Estonian army until 1924. Azerbaijan and Georgia inherited it from the Russian Empire.
Countries
Russia
In the 17th century, polkovnik became the position of a
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
Russian nobility.
The Red Army reintroduced the polkovnik rank in 1935, together with a number of other former Russian ranks, and it continued to be in used in many ex-USSR countries, including Russia.
Rank insignia
The
Rank insignia to Polkovnik (OF-5) is as follows:
File:1904ic-p07.png|
File:1911-ir001-p15.png|
File:1904ossr01-15.png|
File:1904-ip100-p15.png|
File:1904ir036-p15.png|
File:Red Army Polkovnik-1940 & Podpolkovnik-1943v.png|
File:RA AF F5-Polkovnik-1940 F4-Podpolkovnik-1943v.png|
File:RA A F5-Polkovnik 1943v.png|
File:RA AF F5-Polkovnik 1943v.png|
File:RA-SA A-inf F5Col 1955.png|
File:RAF A F5Col since 2010par.svg|
File:RAF AF F5Col since 2010par.svg|
File:Russia-Army-OF-5-1994-field.svg|
File:Russia-AirBorne-OF-5-1994-field.svg|
File:Russia-AirForce-OF-5-1994-field.svg|
File:Russia-Army-OF-5-camo.svg|
File:RAF A F5-Polkovnik 2010shirt.png|
File:Russia-Navy-OF-5-1994-parade.svg|
File:VMY Полковник ВВ.gif|
File:Russia-Army-OF-5-2010.svg|
File:Russia-Army-OF-5.svg|
File:RAF NA F5-Polkovniken after2010.png|
File:Russia-Police-OF-5-2013.svg|
See also
-
Ranks and insignia of the Russian armed forces until 1917
-
Ranks and insignia of the Red Army 1935–1940, and ... 1940–1943
-
Ranks and insignia of the Soviet Army 1943–1955, and ... 1955–1991
-
Ranks and insignia of the Russian Federation's armed forces 1994–2010
Poland
As part of the Commonwealth
The rank was first introduced in the armies of the Commonwealth in the 17th century to denote a captain (
Rittmeister) of the core banner of a regiment. By the end of the 17th 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 the 18th century the rank was abolished and renamed as
pułkownik as well.
Interwar
During the
Sanation 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 the Sanation was even dubbed the
government of the colonels because of that).
World War II
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) also commanded units of all sizes, from divisions down to mere battalions.
Ukraine
In the
Zaporozhian Host, the political, social, and military organization of Ukrainian cossacks, the title
polkovnyk indicated a high military rank among the Ukrainian Cossack
starshyna (officers); a polkovnyk commanded one or more military detachments during land and naval military actions in the 16th to 18th centuries. In the 18th century, a
polkovnyk was a leader of a
palanka, a territorial unit of the
Zaporozhian Host. The military council elected a
palanka polkovnyk to serve for a term of 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 Empire government in 1775, there were eight
palanka polkovnyks. As symbol of office a
polkovnyk wore a
pernach (a mace with a hexagonal head; see also
Bulawa) in his belt.
In the Registered Cossack Army of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth in the 16th and 17th centuries, a polkovnyk commanded a regiment (полк, polk), a Cossack military unit. After the reform of the Cossack army by hetman Mykhailo Doroshenko in the 1620s there were six Cossack regiments, each comprising one thousand Cossacks. Polkovnyks were elected by the Cossack Council (рада, rada) subject to the approval of the Polish government. A polkovnyk obtained a salary for his service, and enjoyed considerable privileges. After the Sejm of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth adopted the "Ordination" of 1638, only nobility ( szlachta) were allowed to become polkovnyks.
During Khmelnytsky Uprising (1648–1657) and in the Cossack Hetmanate (1649–1764; also in the Sloboda Ukraine in 1652–1765), a polkovnyk headed a territorial administrative unit, the regiment (полк). In terms of Nobility, Khmelnytsky's Polkovnyks were recognized as equal to Lithuania's Barons.
Colonel (Eastern Europe)'s insignia
File:15.AzAF-COL.png|Polkovnik
(Azerbaijani Land Forces)
File:Post-Soviet-Army-OF-5.svg|Палкоўнік
Palkoŭnik
(Belarusian Ground Forces)
File:Bosnia&Herzegovina-Army-OF-4.svg|Pukovnik
(Bosnian Ground Forces)
File:Rank insignia of Полковник of the Bulgarian Army.png|Полковник
Polkovnik
(Bulgarian Land Forces)
File:Army-HRV-OF-04.svg|Pukovnik
(Croatian Army)
File:CzArmy 2011 OF5-Plukovnik shoulder.svg|Plukovník
(Czech Land Forces)
File:Georgia-Army-OF-5.svg|პოლკოვნიკი
P’olk’ovnik’i
(Georgian Land Forces)
File:16-RKGF-COL.svg|Полковник
Polkovnïk
(Kazakh Ground Forces)
File:13.Kyrgyzstan Army-COL.svg|Полковник
Polkovnik
(Kyrgyz Army)
File:Latvia-Army-OF-5.svg|Pulkvedis
(Latvian Land Forces)
File:18-Lithuania Army-COL.svg|Pulkininkas'
(Lithuanian Land Forces)
File:North-Macedonia-Army-OF-4.svg|Полковник
Polkovnik
(North Macedonian Ground Forces)
File:15-Montenegro Army-COL.svg|Pukovnik
(Montenegrin Ground Army)
(Polish Land Forces)
File:Russia-Army-OF-5-2010.svg|Полко́вник
Polkóvnik
(Russian Ground Forces)
File:14-Serbian Army-COL.svg|Пуковник
Pukovnik
(Serbian Army)
File:Army-SVK-OF-05.svg|Plukovník
(Slovak Ground Forces)
File:17-Slovenian Army-COL.svg|Polkovnik
(Slovenian Ground Force)
File:Post-Soviet-Army-OF-5.svg|Полковник
Polkovnik
(Tajik National Army)
File:Post-Soviet-Army-OF-5.svg|Polkownik
(Turkmen Ground Forces)
File:UA shoulder mark 17.svg|Полковник
Polkovnyk
(Ukrainian Ground Forces)
File:Uzbekistan-army-OF-5.svg|Polkovnik
(Uzbek Ground Forces)
See also
-
Lieutenant (Eastern Europe)
-
Lieutenant colonel (Eastern Europe)
-
Lieutenant colonel general
-
Comparative army officer ranks of Europe
Notes and references
