'''Commandeur''' is a title in French and Dutch (also, now a purism, Kommandeur), usually rendered in English as Commander, with different uses. The literal meaning is he who commands, parallel to Commandant. In most senses the German equivalent is '''Kommandeur'''. ==Military & Navy== Various functions of commanding officers were styled Commandeur, and the Dutch use of the title as a rank lives on in the Royal_Netherlands_Navy, as the equivalent of Commodore. In the Royal_Netherlands_Air_Force, however, this rank is known by the English spelling of Commodore. Similar rank also exist in the the Royal_Danish_Navy and the Royal_Norwegian_Navy (as ''Kommandør''), as well as the Royal_Swedish_Navy (as ''Kommendör''). Note that these are equivalent to Captain in the British Royal_Navy and the United_States_Navy, and ''not'' Commodore. ==Orders== In many orders of knighthood, Commandeur is a high rank, usually above Officier (i.e. Officer), but under one or more ranks with a prefix meaning "Great", e.g. ''Groot-'' in Dutch, ''Grand -'' in French, which may include Grootcommandeur (equivalent to [Knight] Grand Commander), the equivalent of ''Commendador-mayor'' (using an equivalent suffix) in Spanish. *In military orders with extensive territorial possessions, individual estates could be called ''commenda'' and enthrusted to an individual Knight, as a de facto fief. Apart from cases where such a fief was ex officio linked to a higher office within the order, his style would then be Commandeur; this etymology is best preserved in the Spanish form '''Commendador''', important in the military orders involved in the Reconquista such as the Order_of_Santiago. In this sense only, the equivalent German title is ''Komthur'', of importance mainly in the ''Ordensstaat'' of the Teutonic Knights and other orders' possessions (throughout Europe). ==Colonial office== As in various small colonial settlements (such as various Caribbean islands) commanding the garrison was the crux of the top job, the military title Commandeur could also be used instead of a civilian gubernatorial style, not unlike the Portuguese Captain-major. For example, this was the case on the island of Tobago in the Dutch colony of Nieuw_Walcheren ('New Walcheren') ==Sources and references== *WorldStatesmen- see each present country Category:Gubernatorial_titles Category:Military_ranks_of_the_Netherlands Category:Military_ranks_of_France Fr:Commandeur Nl:Commandeur_(Koninklijke_Marine)