Grand marshal is aceremonial,military, or political office of very high rank. The term has its origins with the word "marshal" with the first usage of the term "grand marshal" as a ceremonial title for certain religious orders. The following are some additional usages of the term grand marshal:
As acourt title, a grand marshal is normally the supreme court official in a government legislative branch. Some examples include:
Grootmaarschalk (in Dutch): The highestcivilian official (not in the 'Military House') at the royal courts ofBelgium (alsogrand maréchal in French). The Grand Marshal was often a member of the high nobility, namely Count Charles Jean d'Oultremont, who was Grand Marshal to KingLeopold II. This ceremonial function was abolished in 2006, during the reign ofAlbert II.[1]
Grand marshal: A person selected at an automobile race (e.g.NASCAR,IndyCar) by the track owner or race sponsor to be the public leader of events on race day or throughout the race weekend. They may have ceremonial duties such as giving the command to start engines, driving the pace car, waving the green flag to start the race, or presenting the trophy to the race winner.
Grand marshal: Many Pride celebrations worldwide, such asSan Francisco Pride andLos Angeles Pride, appoint grand marshals. These individuals are often described as "local heroes" or openly gay members of theLGBTQ community who have made significant contributions to society.[2][3] In June 2015, for entertainment purposes,James Corden, the former host ofThe Late Late Show, campaigned to become the Grand Marshal of the LA Pride event to be held in 2016.[4]Ottawa Capital Pride inCanada also follows this tradition, appointing a Grand Marshal who is a leader within the 2SLGBTQ+ community and recognized for their contributions through professional, personal, or volunteer work. The announcement of the Grand Marshal is made ahead of the annualPride Parade during the lead-up to the Pride Festival.[5]
Reichsmarschall: Marshal of theReich (German: "realm" or "empire"). This rank was created especially forHermann Göring in 1940, possibly in imitation of the rank ofReichsgeneralfeldmarschall held by the Catholic and Evangelical commanders-in-chief of the imperial armies in the Holy Roman Empire, held by such figures asPrince Eugene of Savoy andArchduke Charles, Duke of Teschen.
Grand Marshal of Nicaragua was the rank thatCasto Fonseca appointed himself when he became the General Commander of Arms of Nicaragua, thede facto military ruler of the state, in 1839.
Grand Marshal of Peru (Spanish:Gran Mariscal del Peru), commonly referred to as Marshal of Peru, is the highest rank in the Peruvian Army. It is conferred only to an officer who has been victorious at war.
Grand marshal often appears as a rank inscience fiction sources, often in space or star fleets whose size requires a rank above such other titles as surface marshal and fleet admiral. Among grand marshal science fiction equivalents include:
Grand marshal: Highest conjectural rank of theTIE fighter forces in the universe ofStar Wars, equivalent to agrand admiral. This assumes that the TIE fighter forces are a separate branch of service from theImperial Navy.
Grand marshal: The 14th and highest PvP honor rank of the Alliance inWorld of Warcraft.
Grand marshal: A rank held by Imperial Guard officers in theWarhammer 40,000 universe. It seems to be assigned to officers who command the armed forces of an entire planet. It is inferior to "lord commander militant".
Grand marshal: In motorsport racing of most kinds, with thetrack marshals, they wave flags throughout the track to communicate with the drivers and inform them about conditions on the track, like weather and other drivers' situations regarding the event.
