The first admirals The title
admiral was not used in Europe until the mid-13th century and did not reach England before the end of that century. Similarly, although some royal vessels are attested under
King John, the English long depended upon levies of their subjects' vessels for any major naval expeditions. Nonetheless, historians have sometimes extended the concept of an English navy and its supposed admirals and
lord high admirals back as far as
Alfred the Great, counting several kings as themselves admirals, along with various dukes and earls who commanded fleets at prominent engagements such as
Hubert de Burgh off Sandwich in 1217. Other lists begin their count at
King HenryIII's appointment of
Sir Richard de Lucy on 28 August 1223 or 29 August 1224. A similar commission was given to
Sir Thomas Moulton in 1264, who held the formal title of Keeper of the Sea and the Sea Ports. On 8 March 1287,
Sir William de Leybourne was specifically commissioned as the Admiral of the Seas of England () and, in 1294, captain of all sailors and mariners of the king's dominions.
Sir John de Botetourt served under him as warden at sea from the
Thames to Scotland. This was part of an effort by
EdwardI to establish a permanent official staff, even if a permanent naval force was not yet considered necessary. Leybourne's immediate purview was subsequently divided into the roles of
Admiral of the West and
Admiral of the South while Botetourt's became the
Admiral of the North; the first and last merged as the
Admiral of the North and West in 1364; and from 14081414 they were all reunited as the
High Admiral of England, Ireland, and Aquitaine, the forerunner to the present
Lord High Admiral. (During this process, the short-lived post of
Admiral of the Narrow Seas was used in 1412 and 1413. It was subsequently revived from 1523 to 1688). The first royal commission as Admiral to a
naval officer was granted in 1303 to
Gervase Alard. By 1344, it was only used as a rank at sea for a captain in charge of one or more fleets.
Introduction of vice and rear admirals The Royal Navy has had vice and rear admirals regularly appointed to the post since at least the 16th century. When in command of the fleet, the admiral would be in either the lead or the middle portion of the fleet. When the admiral commanded from the middle portion of the fleet his deputy, the
vice admiral, would be in the leading portion or
van. Below him was another admiral at the rear of the fleet, called
rear admiral. This was the navy's first attempt at
superannuating older officers.
Interregnum to the present During the
Interregnum, the rank of admiral was replaced by that of
general at sea. In the 18th century, the original nine ranks began to be filled by more than one man per rank, although the rank of admiral of the red was always filled by only one man and was known as
Admiral of the Fleet. After the
Battle of Trafalgar in 1805 the rank of admiral of the red was introduced. The number of officers holding each rank steadily increased throughout the 18th and early 19th centuries. In 1769 there were 29 admirals of various grades; by the close of the
Napoleonic Wars in 1816 there were 190 admirals in service. Thereafter the number of admirals was reduced and in 1853 there were 79 admirals. Although admirals were promoted according to strict seniority, appointments to command were made at the discretion of the
Board of Admiralty. As there were invariably more admirals in service than there were postings, many admirals remained unemployed, especially in peacetime. The organisation of the fleet into coloured squadrons was finally abandoned in 1864. The Red Ensign was allocated to the
Merchant Navy, the White Ensign became the flag of the Royal Navy, and the Blue Ensign was allocated to the naval reserve and naval auxiliary vessels. The 18th- and 19th-century Royal Navy also maintained a positional rank known as
port admiral. A port admiral was typically a veteran captain who served as the shore commander of a British naval port and was in charge of supplying, refitting, and maintaining the ships docked at harbour. The problem of promoting strictly by seniority was well illustrated by the case of
Provo Wallis who served (including time being carried on the books while still a child) for 96 years. When he died in 1892 four admirals under him could immediately be promoted. By request of
Queen Victoria,
John Edmund Commerell became Admiral of the Fleet rather than
Algernon Frederick Rous de Horsey, who as senior active admiral nearing the age limit would customarily have received the promotion. In 1996, the rank of admiral of the fleet was put in abeyance in peacetime, except for members of the
Royal family but was resurrected on an honorary basis in 2014 for the appointment of
Lord Boyce. Admirals of the fleet continue to hold their rank on the
active list for life. ==Rank insignia and personal flag==