Editing Captain general (section)

==== Commander-in-Chief of the Forces====
In the mid-17th century, with the first establishment in England of something akin to a [[standing army]], the title Captain General was used (either alongside or in place of that of [[Commander-in-Chief of the Forces]]) to signify its commanding officer. In 1645 [[Thomas Fairfax]] was appointed "Captain General and Commander-in-Chief all the armies and forces raised and to be raised within the Commonwealth of England."<ref name=lingard>{{cite book|first=John|last=Lingard|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VZxXAAAAcAAJ&q=Commander-in-Chief+within+the+Commonwealth+of+England+fairfax&pg=PA447|title=A History of England from the First Invasion by the Romans|page=447|volume=XI|publisher=Baldwin and Cradock|year=1829}}</ref> After the [[Restoration (England)|Restoration]], King Charles II likewise designated [[General Monck]] "Captaine Generall of all our Armies and land forces and men … in and out of our Realmes of England, Scotland and Ireland and Dominion of Wales"; (he was also referred to on occasion as "Lord Generall" and "Commander in Chief of all His Majesty's Forces").<ref name=Roper1998>{{cite book |last1=Roper |first1=Michael |title=The Records of the War Office and Related Departments, 1660-1964 |date=1998 |publisher=Public Record Office |location=Kew, Surrey }}</ref> The office then remained [[in abeyance]] until 1678 when it was granted to the [[Duke of Monmouth]], but he was deprived of this and other titles the following year.<ref name=Roper1998/> There were no subsequent appointments until the reign of [[Queen Anne of Great Britain|Queen Anne]].

In the 18th century, the office of Captain General was held by the [[John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough|Duke of Marlborough]] (1702 to 1711), the [[James Butler, 2nd Duke of Ormonde|Duke of Ormonde]] (1711 to 1714) and the Duke of Marlborough again (1714 to 1722). Thereafter there was no permanent Commander-in-Chief or equivalent appointed until 1744; the following year the office of Captain General was vested in [[Prince William, Duke of Cumberland]]. Cumberland resigned in 1757; his successors in command were for the most part appointed Commander-in-Chief but not Captain General, with one exception: the last appointment of a Captain General of the Forces was that of [[Prince Frederick, Duke of York and Albany|Prince Frederick, the Duke of York]] in 1799.<ref name=Roper1998/>

Any distinction that there may have been at this time between the office of "Captain General" and "Commander-in-Chief" is unclear. One difference is that the Commander-in-Chief was appointed by [[Commission (document)|commission]] and the Captain General by [[Letters patent|patent]], leading some to surmise that the appointment of Captain General was 'one of dignity, not of power';<ref name="Roper1998" /> however the matter is somewhat academic as most Captains General held the appointment of Commander-in-Chief simultaneously (and from 1757 the appointment of Commanders-in-Chief was itself done by patent).