Marszałek (, , , ) was one of the highest officials in the Polish royal court since the 13th century and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania since the 15th century. He was the oldest-ranking of all court officials and was considered the most important advisor to the King of Poland. History The term marszałek, derived from Old German marh-skalk or horse-servant came to Polish language in the 13th century from Bohemia. Initially it retained its original meaning but then evolved to denote the primary military leader in various courts of princes, most notably in Silesia. However, soon the term evolved and started denoting one of the functions at the court. In the 14th century the royal court in Kraków introduced an office of the Marshal of the Polish Kingdom (marszałek Królestwa Polskiego), which was one of the offices reserved for kings' advisors. The first recorded mention of a Marszałek is at the Battle of Legnica in Silesia on April 9, 1241, where the forces of Henry II the Pious were soundly defeated by the Mongols. 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 last Silesian Piasts, as the result of successful campaigns against Brandenburg that reached as far as Berlin. Albin Szlachcic Marszałek was a member of the Szlachta (Polish noble estate) 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. 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 of Grand Marshal of the Crown (marszałek wielki koronny) was created for the closest of all kings' men. The Grand Marshal was often referred to as the