During the 17th century, the lieutenant, who had previously been the assistant of the , rose above him, and the name then came to denote the lowest officer rank in the infantry. In Sweden it was exchanged in 1835 for .
In the 17th century, a junior officer, who had initially served as an assistant to the superior officer, rose through the ranks, and the term then became associated with the most junior position within the infantry. In Sweden, this title was replaced in 1835 with a corresponding rank.