Polkovnik (
Polish: pułkownik;
Russian: полковник,
lit. '
regimentary') is a
military rank used mostly in
Slavic-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.[1]
The exact name of this rank maintains a variety of spellings in different languages, but all descend from the Old Slavonic word polk (literally: regiment sized unit), and include the following in alphabetical order:
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. Georgia likely inherited it from the
Russian Empire.
In the 17th century, polkovnik became the position of a
regimental 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 continued to be in used in many ex-
USSR countries, including Russia.
Polkovnik of the Russian Empire (1793)
Rank insignia
The
Rank insignia to Polkovnik (OF-5) is as follows:
The rank was first introduced in the
armies of the Commonwealth in the 17th century to denote a captain (rotmistrz) 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.
In the
Zaporozhian Host, the political, social, and military organization of Ukrainian cossacks, the title polkovnyk indicated a high military rank among the
Ukrainian Cossackstarshyna (
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 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
hetmanMykhailo 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
noblemen (szlachta) were allowed to become polkovnyks.
During
Khmelnytsky Uprising (1648-1657) and in the
Cossack Hetmanate (1649-1764; also in the
Slobozhanschtschyna 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.
In modern Ukraine, the military rank of polkovnyk resembles the similar rank of the former
Soviet Army.