How Rank Insignia Evolved

Rank badges are younger than rank. Medieval armies wore livery and badges of allegiance, not grade, and officers were known by sash, gorget, and the quality of their clothes.

Chevrons appeared in the early nineteenth century, borrowed from the French heraldic rafter shape, and spread through Europe and America during the Napoleonic era. Stars and crowns marked general officers from the eighteenth century; the US settled on stars for its generals in 1780, and oak leaves and eagles filled the field grades below.

Naval cuff stripes came in 1856 for the Royal Navy and spread worldwide. Today most allies wear near identical chevrons and stars, a quiet piece of standardization..