| Commander-in-Chief of the Forces | |
|---|---|
| English Army British Army War Office | |
| Type | Senior-most officer |
| Abbreviation | C-in-C |
| Reports to | Secretary of State for War |
| Appointer | The Monarch |
| Term length | No fixed term |
| Formation | 1645 January 1793 |
| First holder | Captain General Sir Thomas Fairfax as General-in-Chief FM Jeffery Amherst, 1st Lord Amherst as Commander-in-Chief of the Forces |
| Final holder | FM Frederick Roberts, 1st Earl Roberts |
| Abolished | 12 February 1904 |
| Succession | Chief of the General Staff |
The Commander-in-Chief of the Forces, later Commander-in-Chief, British Army, or just the Commander-in-Chief (C-in-C), was (intermittently) the professional head of the English Army from 1660 to 1707 (the English Army, founded in 1645, was succeeded in 1707 by the new British Army, incorporating existing Scottish regiments) and of the British Army from 1707 until 1904. In 1904 the office was replaced with the creation of the Army Council and the appointment of Chief of the General Staff.