Marshal (also spelled Marshall) is a word used in several official titles of various branches of society. The word derives from Old Germanic marah "horse" and scalc "servant", and originally meant "stable keeper". As marshals became betrusted members of the courts of Middle Ages Europe, the title grew in reputation. During the last few centuries, it has been used for the most elevated offices. The spelling of the name ("Marshall") is often confused with the spelling of the title ("Marshal"). Proto-Indo-European Indo-European studies The Germanic languages form one of the branches of the Indo-European (IE) language family, spoken by the Germanic peoples who settled in northern Europe along the borders of the Roman Empire. ... The Middle Ages formed the middle period in a traditional schematic division of European history into three ages: the classical civilization of Antiquity, the Middle Ages, and modern times, beginning with the Renaissance. ... World map showing Europe (geographically) When considered a continent, Europe is the worlds second-smallest continent in terms of area, with an area of 10,600,000 km² (4,140,625 square miles), making it larger than Australia only. ...

Military

In many countries, Field Marshal is the highest Army rank, outranking a General. Field Marshals are very sparsely appointed, and typically only in war-time (although this need not be the case). Their special symbol is a baton, and so their insignia often incorporate batons. Because they are one rank above four-star Generals, they may also have five stars. The United States Army has an equivalent rank, but calls it General of the Army. The naval equivalent of a Field Marshal is often called a Fleet Admiral. Note: This article is about the military usage of the word marshal. For other usages, see the end of this article. ... Army (from French armée) can, in some countries, refer to any armed force (for example, the Peoples Liberation Army of China consists of ground force, navy and air force branches). ... Military rank, or simply rank, is a system of grading seniority and command within military organizations. ... General is a military rank used by nearly every country in the world. ... Baton is the name of one of two leaders of the Illyrian uprising against the Romans in Pannonia in 6 AD. The term baton refers to any of several types of cylindrical or tapered instruments composed of a wide variety of materials, and of differing functions: A baton (billy, billy... US Army Seal HHC, US Army Distinctive Unit Insignia The Army is the branch of the United States armed forces which has primary responsibility for land-based military operations. ... General of the Army, or less formally five-star general, is historically the second most senior rank in the United States Army. ... A Fleet Admiral is a generic term for a senior admiral in command of a large group of ships, comprising a Fleet or, in some cases, a group of Fleets. ...

In some countries, the word Marshal is also used instead of General in the highest Air Force ranks. The four highest Royal Air Force ranks are Marshal of the Royal Air Force, Air Chief Marshal, Air Marshal and Air Vice Marshal (although the first has been abolished as a peace-time rank). Most air forces, however, use the ranks of General, Lieutenant General and Major General instead. An air force is a military organization that primarily operates in air-based war. ... The Royal Air Force (often abbreviated to RAF) is the air force branch of the British Armed Forces. ... Marshal of the RAF sleeve/shoulder insignia Marshal of the Royal Air Force was the highest rank in the Royal Air Force. ... An Air Chief Marshals sleeve/shoulder insignia Air Chief Marshal is the most senior rank active in the Royal Air Force today, after the inactivation of Marshal of the Royal Air Force as a substantive rank in peacetime during defence cuts of the 1990s. ... This article is about the Royal Air Force rank. ... An Air Vice Marshals sleeve/shoulder insignia Air Vice Marshal is the third most senior rank active in the Royal Air Force today, after the inactivation of Marshal of the Royal Air Force as a substantive rank in peacetime during defence cuts of the 1990s. ... General is a military rank used by nearly every country in the world. ... Lieutenant General is a military rank used in many countries. ... Insignia of a United States Air Force Major General German Generalmajor Insignia Major General is a military rank used in many countries. ...

Some historical rulers have used special Marshal titles to award certain subjects. Though not strictly military ranks, these honorary titles have been exclusively bestowed upon successful military leaders. Most famous are the Marshals of France (Marécheaux de France), not least under Napoleon I. Another such title was that of Reich Marshal (Reichsmarschall), that was bestowed upon Hermann Göring by Adolf Hitler. The Marshal of France (maréchal de France) was one of the Great Officers of the Crown of France. ... Napoleon I of France, by Jacques-Louis David. ... The Term Reich Marshal (German Reichsmarshal) was the highest rank of the German Luftwaffe during the course of World War II. The only person to ever hold the rank of Reich Marshal was Reichsmarshal Herman Goering. ... Hermann Göring Hermann Wilhelm Göring (also Goering or Goring in English) (January 12, 1893 – October 15, 1946) was an early member of the Nazi party, founder of the Gestapo, and one of the main leaders of Nazi Germany. ... Jump to: navigation, search Adolf Hitler ( ♫) (April 20, 1889 – April 30, 1945) was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 and Führer und Reichskanzler (Leader and Chancellor) of Germany from 1934 to his death. ...

Until the end of World War II, Japan also bestowed the honorary title of Marshal (元帥 gensui) to successful generals and admirals; they would however retain their ranks of general and admiral. Jump to: navigation, search World War II was a truly global conflict with many facets: immense human suffering, fierce indoctrinations, and the use of new, extremely devastating weapons such as the atom bomb World War II, also known as the Second World War, was a mid-20th-century conflict that... General is a military rank used by nearly every country in the world. ... Admiral is a word from the Arabic term Amir-al-bahr (Lord of the bay). ...

Ceremonial

• In feudal times, at many courts one or more of the major dignitaries were styled marshal or a compound such as court marshall or grand marshall; their functions varied, also in time, but frequently included formally announcing guests at audiences, balls, diners etcetera. Such prestigious office was often made hereditary in the high nobility, e.g. the English Earl Marshal.
• Still in modern pageantry, e.g. Grand marshal of an annual parade

Earl Marschal (or Marischal) is an ancient chivalric title used separately in England, Scotland and Ireland. ...

Law enforcement

Particularly in the United States, marshal is used for various kinds of law enforcement officers with specialist status. They mainly protect the security of the courts and justice system.

• At the federal level, the federal court system is served by the United States Marshal.
  • The US Supreme Court maintains a Marshal of the Supreme Court who also controls the US Supreme Court Police, a security police service.

• At the state, local or municipal court level, marshals are petty court officers similar to constables. Often their job is civil rather than criminal law enforcement.
  • In the American Old West, marshals, also called the "Town Marshal", were appointed or elected police officers of small communities, with similar powers and duties to that of a sheriff, while federal marshals would work in a larger, possibly overlapping area, especially in pioneering country. The word is still used in this sense, especially in the Southwest United States. (See List of Western lawmen). Still the name for some police forces.
  • In California, several counties maintained separate county marshal's Offices which served as court officers similar to US Marshals. Most have been merged into or taken over by the local County Sheriff's Office.
  • In Connecticut, marshals serve as court officers. They are separated into two classes: State Marshals are charged with service of process, and Judicial Marshals perform court security and transport detainees to and from court.
  • In Georgia, the Marshal is a civil law enforcement officer in some counties.
  • In Indiana, Marshals are responsible for law enforcement in a town.
  • In Ohio the term village marshal has been used for the same, often without any colleague, directly under the Mayor.

• Sky Marshals are armed security police officers employed to protect commercial airliners from the threat of Skyjacking. (Though sometimes called Air Marshals, they are completely unrelated to the military rank mentioned above, and are not to be confused with it.)

The United States Marshals Service, part of the United States Department of Justice, is the United States oldest federal law enforcement agency. ... The Supreme Court Building, Washington, D.C. The Supreme Court Building, Washington, D.C., (large image) The Supreme Court of the United States, located in Washington, D.C., is the highest court (see supreme court) in the United States; that is, it has ultimate judicial authority within the United States... Security police (also known as special police) are the special security officers employed by (usually governmental) organizations to protect their facilities, properties, personnel, users, visitors and operations from harm and who enforce laws and administrative regulations. ... A Constable is a person holding a particular office, most commonly that of law-enforcement. ... A typical archetype, the cowboy, in the Wild West. ... Sheriff is both a political and a legal office held under English common law, Scots law or U.S. common law, or the person who holds such office. ... The Southwest region of the United States is drier than the adjoining Midwest in weather; the population is less dense and, with strong Spanish-American and Native American components, more ethnically varied than neighboring areas. ... This is a list of known lawmen and other law enforment officials of the American frontier popularly known as the Wild West. See also sheriff, marshal, Texas Rangers, wild west Lawmen Ira Aten (18??-18??), Castro County Sheriff and Texas Ranger Elfigo Baca (18??-18??), New Mexico lawman P.C... State nickname: The Golden State Other U.S. States Capital Sacramento Largest city Los Angeles Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) Senators Dianne Feinstein (D) Barbara Boxer (D) Official languages English Area 410,000 km² (3rd)  - Land 404,298 km²  - Water 20,047 km² (4. ... State nickname: The Constitution State Other U.S. States Capital Hartford Largest city Bridgeport Governor M. Jodi Rell (R) Senators Chris Dodd (D) Joe Lieberman (D) Official languages English Area 14,371 km² (48th)  - Land 12,559 km²  - Water 1,809 km² (12. ... Jump to: navigation, search State nickname: The Hoosier State Other U.S. States Capital Indianapolis Largest city Indianapolis Governor Mitch Daniels (R) Senators Richard Lugar (R) Evan Bayh (D) Official languages English Area 94,321 km² (38th)  - Land 92,897 km²  - Water 1,424 km² (1. ... State nickname: The Buckeye State Other U.S. States Capital Columbus Largest city Columbus Governor Bob Taft (R) Senators Mike DeWine (R) George Voinovich (R) Official languages None Area 116,096 km² (34th)  - Land 106,154 km²  - Water 10,044 km² (8. ... Sky marshal (or air marshal) is a popular term for an undercover armed guard on board a commercial aircraft, to counter aircraft hijackings (skyjackings). Three carriers are known to have sky marshals on board on selected flights: Swiss (since 1970; formerly Swissair), El Al, and Sri Lankan Airlines. ... Security police (also known as special police) are the special security officers employed by (usually governmental) organizations to protect their facilities, properties, personnel, users, visitors and operations from harm and who enforce laws and administrative regulations. ... See also Airport security D. B. Cooper Categories: Pages needing attention | Law stubs | Terrorism ...

Science Fiction

The rank of Marshal has made frequent appearances in science fiction works, both live action productions and literature. In the universe of Star Wars, the rank of Marshal is conjectured to be connected to the TIE fighter forces, being ranks held by senior TIE fighter commanders, equivalent to Imperial Navy Admirals. Several sources of the Star Wars Expanded Universe have conjectured the following Marshal ranks of the starfighter service. Science fiction is a form of speculative fiction principally dealing with the impact of imagined science and technology, or both, upon society and persons as individuals. ... Star Wars began with a 13-page treatment for a space adventure movie which George Lucas drafted in 1973. ... TIE Fighter, see X-wing computer game series. ... Executor and several escorting star destroyers In the fictional Star Wars galaxy, the Imperial Navy, or more properly, the Imperial Starfleet, was the military arm of the Galactic Empire charged with maintaining security in Imperial space. ... The Expanded Universe (or EU for short) is a collection of fictional background material from the Star Wars universe that is derived from official novels, comic books, and various other media besides the movies themselves. ... This article is about the class of fictional vehicles. ...

• Grand Marshal
• High Marshal
• Force Marshal
• Chief Marshal
• Marshal
• Vice Marshal

In addition to Star Wars, the rank of Marshal may also be found in the novel Starship Troopers where the rank of Sky Marshal is held by the Commander-in-Chief of the miltiary. Marshal is also a military rank frequently found in the universe of Doctor Who where, more often that not, it is held by various villains who seek galactic domination through military force. In the Riddick universe, the leader of the diabolic Necromonger army is called the Lord Marshal. In the Starcraft computer game, Jim Raynor, nominally the main character, holds the rank of Marshal at the story's outset. In the World of Warcraft computer game, Grand Marshal is the highest rank achievable (rank 14) by Alliance characters in the Player vs. Player Honor System (Field Marshal is rank 13, and Marshal is rank 12). A Grand Marshal is a military or political title of the highest magnitude. ... Starship Troopers cover Starship Troopers is a science fiction novel by Robert Heinlein first published in 1959. ... Sky marshal (or air marshal) is a popular term for an undercover armed guard on board a commercial aircraft, to counter aircraft hijackings (skyjackings). Three carriers are known to have sky marshals on board on selected flights: Swiss (since 1970; formerly Swissair), El Al, and Sri Lankan Airlines. ... Main article: History of Doctor Who Doctor Who first appeared on BBC television at 5:15 p. ... A stereotypical villain. ... The Chronicles of Riddick is a 2004 American science fiction film sequel to Pitch Black directed by David Twohy and starring Vin Diesel and Judi Dench, with Thandie Newton, Karl Urban and Colm Feore. ... The Necromongers are an interstellar nomadic religious extremist society in the fictional universe of the film The Chronicles of Riddick. ... StarCraft (SC) is a real-time strategy computer game introduced by Blizzard Entertainment in 1998. ... James Jim Raynor is a fictional character in the StarCraft universe. ... World of Warcraft (WoW) is a race/class-based massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) developed by Blizzard Entertainment. ...

See Also

• Earl Marshal