Eventually, this led to the marshal being placed in charge of the baggage trains and responsible for the supervision of the complete logistical system. (RMP, Unk).
The beginnings of law enforcement as a responsibility of the marshal occurred in Germany under the Hohenstaufen rulers (1138-1254) when the marshal was placed in charge of all aspects of army administration including the authority to act as direct agent of the emperor, granting him the highest judicial powers. At the onset of the Third Crusade in 1189, the marshal was given the authority to act for the king in legal and judicial matters. (RMP, Unk).
Modern Provost Marshal functions began to take their current form during the period of the Holy Roman Empire (962-1806). The marshal of the army of the Holy Roman Empire was given the responsibility of enforcing all orders and laws among the military as well as the power and authority to act as judge. He was specifically tasked to deal with two acute problems, straggler control and AWOL apprehension. The marshal further had the authority to inflict severe corporal punishment when dealing with violators. (RMP, Unk).
The tasks of the Provost Marshal were so unpleasant that civilians were mainly used in the post. William of Cassingham, who was appointed as a military Sergeant of the Peace by King Henry III on 28 May 1241, is the first named military policeman. He and his under provosts were ancestors of the Military Police. (RMP, Unk).
A set of royal instructions issued in 1312 defined the authority of the provost marshal as "jurisdiction, which is even more potent and terrible than all of the evil omens and witchcraft."" After 1400 the term "provost- came into prominence and was applied to the highest law officers who were directly responsible to the king. The first Provost Marshal of whom there is any personal record was one Sir Henry Guildford, who was on the Cadiz Expedition against the Moors of Barbary, in 1511.
