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Mareal (Turkey)
Found in: Turkish words and phrases Military ranks of Turkey
Mareal (Marshal) is the highest rank in the Army of Turkey, the Turkish Armed Forces. It is the equivalent of a Field Marshal in other countries.
The rank of Mareal can trace its origins to the Ottoman Empire and to the military of Persia, where the rank was bestowed upon senior commanders upon order of the ruling Sultan.
The rank of Mareal can only be bestowed by the National Assembly, and only given to a General who leads an army successfully into and out of a war, criteria tougher than those for equivalent ranks.
The corresponding rank in the Turkish Navy is known as Buyukamiral.
Only two persons were bestowed the rank Mareal up to date: Kemal Ataturk, the founder of modern Turkey and his chief of staff Fevzi Cakmak, both for their successes in the Turkish War of Independence.
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