Marszałek (English:Marshal,Lithuanian:Maršalka,Belarusian:Маршалак,Latin:Marescallus) was the title of one of the highest officials in thePolish royal court since the 13th century, and in theGrand Duchy of Lithuania since the 15th century. It was the highest-ranking of all court officials and was considered the most important advisor to theKing of Poland.
The termmarszałek, derived from Old Germanmarh-skalk orhorse-servant came to Polish language in the 13th century fromBohemia. Initially it retained its original meaning, but then evolved to denote the primary military leader in various courts of princes, most notably inSilesia. Later the title evolved further to denote one of the functions at the court. In the 14th century the royal court inKraków introduced an office of theMarshal of the Polish Kingdom (marszałek Królestwa Polskiego), which was reserved for kings' advisors.
The first recorded mention of a Marszałek is at theBattle of Legnica in Silesia on April 9, 1241, where the forces ofHenry II the Pious were soundly defeated by the Mongols.[1]
In 1486, Albin Szlachcic Marszałek, Kapitan Rycerstwa (German: Ritter und Edler von Marszałek, Hauptmann der Ritterschaft), was further ennobled by Prince Jan II (Jan II the Mad), one of the lastSilesian Piasts, as the result of successful campaigns against Brandenburg that reached as far as Berlin.[2] Albin Szlachcic Marszałek was a member of theSzlachta (Polish noble estate)[3] Thomas Paul Michael Marshall, Ritter und Edler von Marszalek and his sons Knox William Marshall, Ritter und Edler von Marszalek and Andrew Thomas Marshall, Ritter und Edler von Marszalek are Albin's nearest living relatives.[4]
It is believed Albin Szlachcic Marszałek (Eng: Lord Marshal) assumed the coat of arms of Prince Jan II based on heraldic adoption.Heraldic adoption (Polish: adopcja herbowa), was, in the Kingdom of Poland, a common form of adoption into an existing heraldic clan along with assuming the coat of arms of that clan. The adoption of heraldic arms was a procedure used solely in Polish heraldry and was one of the earlier "old way" forms of ennoblement in Poland. It became particularly popular in the 15th century but was abolished by the first half of the 17th century.
In the 15th century a similar office ofGrand Marshal of the Crown (marszałek wielki koronny) was created for the closest of all kings' men. The Grand Marshal was often referred to asthe first of the servants orfirst of the advisors (pierwszy minister in 16th century Polish) as he was superior to all other officials at the court, including the cup-bearers, sword-bearers, flag-bearers, writers, mathematicians and secretaries. Among his responsibilities were command over the court during kings' travels, obedience of courtetiquette and starting and closing theSenate meetings. In addition, when away from theRoyal Castle, King entitled the marszałek to enforce the so-calledmarshal articles, or a set of rules limiting the freedom of theszlachta in the presence of the monarch and regulating the order of meetings in order to ensure kings' safety. Initially traditional law, the set of rules was finally accepted by theSejm in 1678.
The Grand marshal's deputy was namedmarszałek nadworny (marshal of the court), who was taking care for the court and the safety of thedames. After theUnion of Lublin similar offices were created forLithuania and were entitled to conduct the same set of duties when the king was on the Lithuanian soil. In addition, a separate office ofland marshal of Lithuania (marszałek ziemski litewski) was created. Finally, in the 17th century an office ofmarszałek dworski (court marshal, not to be confused withmarshal of the court) was created. The latter official was the manager of kings' private property.
In addition to the court officials, the termmarszałek was also used to denote a number of lower-ranking or temporary officials. Out of those the most prominent were marshals of theSejm (Polish parliament) (marszałek sejmu) andSejmiks (regional parliaments).
Before the partition of Poland, the highest military rank equivalent to modernmarszałek (Field marshal) washetman.
In 1772, after theFirst Partition of Poland, in the Russian-occupied part of thePolish–Lithuanian Commonwealth an office of themarszałek szlachty (Marshal of Nobility) was created. Not related to the earlier court officials, the szlachta marshal was a deputy of Russian-nominated governor and was entitled with taking care of thesejmiks and other self-government bodies of the gentry, as well as with collecting taxes and controlling the genealogical records. TheCollection of Laws of the Russian Empire of 1842 introduced two sets of such officials: one forgubernyal level of administration and the other forpowiat-level. Initially elected by the gentry, after theJanuary Uprising of 1863 the marshals were usually nominated by the governor. Their influence soon diminished and the office was abolished, together with the traditional Polish system of administrative division onto voivodships, lands and powiats.
In the 20th century, when Poland regained independence, a new rank was created:marszałek polski (Marshal of Poland). It was first given toJózef Piłsudski, and although it is the highest military rank it is more of an honor-rank. This title is granted only to military commanders who achieved victory during a war.Marszałek sejmu was recreated as well.
Following is a list of titles ofmarszałek. In many cases, they are completely unrelated to each other.
In thePolish Kingdom:
In the semi-confederal Polish-Lithnuanian Commonwealth, offices were split:
In theSecond Polish Republic, thePeople's Republic of Poland, and present-day Poland:
Since 1999:
