Supreme commander-in-chief

The supreme commander-in-chief (supreme commander) is the title of a person holding supreme commanding authority over the armed forces of a state (or coalition of states), usually in wartime and sometimes in peacetime.

The supreme commander-in-chief is also vested with extraordinary power in relation to all civilian institutions and persons on the territory of a given state and the theater of military operations (theater of war). As a rule, the head of state is the supreme commander-in-chief. For the first time, the corresponding English term was used by the king of England, Scotland and Ireland, Charles I (1625–1649). In some states of the British Commonwealth, this position is replaced by the governor-general.

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