Editing Commander-in-chief (section)

==Definition==
The formal role and title of a ruler commanding the armed forces derives from ''[[Imperator]]'' of the [[Roman Kingdom]], [[Roman Republic]] and [[Roman Empire]], who possessed ''imperium'' (command and other regal) powers.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/secondary/SMIGRA*/Auctor.html|title=LacusCurtius • Roman Law — Auctor (Smith's Dictionary, 1875)|website=Penelope.uchicago.edu|access-date=23 February 2022}}</ref>

In English use, the term was first used during the [[English Civil War]].<ref>For example: "Ordered, That this House joins and agrees with the House of Commons in this Vote; and that the Lord Admiral is hereby desired, from both Houses of Parliament, that the Commander in Chief of this Summer's Fleet under his Lordship, may be the Earl of Warwicke.", [http://www.british-history.ac.uk/lords-jrnl/vol4/pp645-646#h3-0007 House of Lords Journal 15 March 1642]</ref> A nation's [[head of state]] (monarchical or republican) usually holds the position of commander-in-chief, even if effective executive power is held by a separate [[head of government]]. In a [[parliamentary system]], the [[executive branch]] is ultimately dependent upon the will of the [[legislature]]; although the legislature does not issue orders directly to the armed forces and therefore does not control the military in any operational sense. [[Governor-general|Governors-general]] and colonial governors are also often appointed commander-in-chief of the military forces within their territory.

A commander in chief is sometimes referred to as ''supreme commander'', which is sometimes used as a specific term. The term is also used for military officers who hold such power and authority, not always through dictatorship, and as a subordinate (usually) to a head of state (see [[Generalissimo]]). The term is also used for officers who hold authority over an individual [[military branch]], [[special branch]] or within a [[theatre of operations]].<ref>Dupuy, Trevor N., Curt Johnson, and Grace P. Hayes. "Supreme Commander." Dictionary of Military Terms. New York: The H.W. Wilson Company, 1986.</ref>