The Marshal of Nobility (Polish: Marszałek szlachty) was an institution of self-government of the nobility (szlachta) in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth which existed in Polish lands acquired by the Russian Empire during the First Partition of Poland in 1772. [1] The term is the Polish translation of the Russian term "Предводитель дворянства (predvoditel dvoryanstva)", literally, "leader of nobility", where the word "Marszałek" is a historical title used in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth for various functions.
Initially it was a position elected by szlachta, however after the Polish January Uprising of 1863 it was appointed by the governor (who himself was appointed by Russian tsar).