History
The title derived from the office of marescallus Franciae created by King Philip II Augustus of France for Albéric Clément (circa 1190).
The title was abolished by the National Convention in 1793. It was restored during the First French Empire by Napoleon I as Marshal of the Empire. Under the Bourbon Restoration, the title reverted to Marshal of France and Napoléon III kept that designation.
After the fall of Napoleon III and the Second French Empire, the Third republic did not use the title until the First World War, when it was recreated as a military distinction and not a rank.
Philippe Pétain, awarded the distinction of Marshal of France for his generalship in World War I, retained his title even after his trial and imprisonment and after he was stripped of other positions and titles.
The last living Marshal of France was Alphonse Juin, promoted in 1952, who died in 1967. The latest Marshal of France was Marie Pierre Kœnig, who was made a Marshal posthumously in 1984.
Today, the title of Marshal of France can only be granted to a general officer who fought victoriously in war-time.
Read more about this topic: Marshal Of France
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