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'''Field Marshal''' is the highest [[military]] [[officer]] rank in the [[British Army]] and several [[Commonwealth]] armies. It is equivalent to [[General of the Army]] (five-star general) in the [[United States Army]].
==Origins==
The word "marshal" comes from the [[Frankish]] ''marescalci'', or Master of the Horse. In medieval kingdoms, the marshal was generally an officer of the royal household responsible for commanding the king's [[cavalry]] troops; he was usually subordinate to the [[Constable]], the commander of the king's army.
In the British Army, the rank of Field Marshal was created in 1736 by King [[George III]], when it was conferred on the 1st Earl of Orkney.<ref name="baxter">[http://www.jstor.org/sici?sici=0899-3718(200101)65%3A1%3C218%3ATBFM1A%3E2.0.CO%3B2-J&cookieSet=1 The British Field Marshals, 1736-1997: A Biographical Dictionary], Colin F. Baxter, The Journal of Military History, Vol. 65, No. 1 (Jan., 2001), pp. 218-219</ref>
==British Army==
The British Army no longer promotes new Field Marshals in peacetime; the last officer to be appointed to the rank was [[Lord Inge]], former Chief of Defence Staff, in 1994.<ref name="baxter"/> However, the rank still formally exists, fulfilling a similar role to [[General of the Army]] in the [[United States Army]].
Notable historical British Army Field Marshals include the [[Duke of Wellington]], [[Bernard Montgomery]] and [[William Slim]].
The rank insignia of a Field Marshal consist of crossed batons over a laurel wreath, and a crown.
==Other armies==
Several other armies use the rank, particularly those in the [[Commonwealth]].
[[Category:United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Military]]
==Origins==
The word "marshal" comes from the [[Frankish]] ''marescalci'', or Master of the Horse. In medieval kingdoms, the marshal was generally an officer of the royal household responsible for commanding the king's [[cavalry]] troops; he was usually subordinate to the [[Constable]], the commander of the king's army.
In the British Army, the rank of Field Marshal was created in 1736 by King [[George III]], when it was conferred on the 1st Earl of Orkney.<ref name="baxter">[http://www.jstor.org/sici?sici=0899-3718(200101)65%3A1%3C218%3ATBFM1A%3E2.0.CO%3B2-J&cookieSet=1 The British Field Marshals, 1736-1997: A Biographical Dictionary], Colin F. Baxter, The Journal of Military History, Vol. 65, No. 1 (Jan., 2001), pp. 218-219</ref>
==British Army==
The British Army no longer promotes new Field Marshals in peacetime; the last officer to be appointed to the rank was [[Lord Inge]], former Chief of Defence Staff, in 1994.<ref name="baxter"/> However, the rank still formally exists, fulfilling a similar role to [[General of the Army]] in the [[United States Army]].
Notable historical British Army Field Marshals include the [[Duke of Wellington]], [[Bernard Montgomery]] and [[William Slim]].
The rank insignia of a Field Marshal consist of crossed batons over a laurel wreath, and a crown.
==Other armies==
Several other armies use the rank, particularly those in the [[Commonwealth]].
[[Category:United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Military]]