Grand marshal

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Grand marshal is a ceremonial, 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:

Court[edit]

As a court title, a grand marshal is normally the supreme court official in a government legislative branch. Some examples include:

  • Grootmaarschalk (in Dutch): The highest civilian official (not in the 'Military House') at the royal courts of Belgium (also grand 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 King Leopold II. This ceremonial function was abolished in 2006, during the reign of Albert II.[1]
  • Marszalek wielki: grand marshal (at the court) of Poland or of Lithuania

Ceremonial[edit]

  • Grand marshal: One of the highest offices within the military Order of Teutonic Knights
  • Grand marshal: Highest elected student leader of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
  • Grand marshal: A parade dignitary (for example, Grand Marshal of the Tournament of Roses Parade).
  • 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 as San Francisco Pride and Los Angeles Pride, appoint grand marshals. These individuals are often described as "local heroes" or openly gay members of the LGBTQ community who have made significant contributions to society.[2][3] In June 2015, for entertainment purposes, James Corden, the former host of The Late Late Show, campaigned to become the Grand Marshal of the LA Pride event to be held in 2016.[4] Ottawa Capital Pride in Canada 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 annual Pride Parade during the lead-up to the Pride Festival.[5]

Military[edit]

Fiction[edit]

Grand marshal often appears as a rank in science 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 the TIE fighter forces in the universe of Star Wars, equivalent to a grand admiral. This assumes that the TIE fighter forces are a separate branch of service from the Imperial Navy.
  • Grand marshal: The 14th and highest PvP honor rank of the Alliance in World of Warcraft.
  • Grand marshal: A rank held by Imperial Guard officers in the Warhammer 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: A parody of the Ford Crown Victoria in the soft body physics driving game Beamng.Drive

Sports[edit]

  • Grand marshal: In motorsport racing of most kinds, with the track 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.

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Hof schaft titel Grootmaarschalk begin oktober af".
  2. ^ SF Pride Grand Marshals Archived 2015-07-19 at the Wayback Machine
  3. ^ LA Pride Grand Marshals Archived 2015-09-01 at the Wayback Machine
  4. ^ James Corden Campaigns to Be Next Year's Grand Marshal at the L.A. Pride Festival, Turns Into a "Bear Hunt"
  5. ^ "Ottawa Capital Pride Announces This Year's Grand Marshal". Ottawa Capital Pride. 25 July 2023. Retrieved 30 July 2023.