The origin of the term dates to the early Middle Ages, originally meaning the keeper of the king's horses (from Old German Marh-scalc = "horse-servant"), from the time of the early Frankish kings.
Asal muasal istilah tersebut bermula dari awal Abad Pertengahan, aslinya mengartikan penjaga kuda-kuda raja (dari bahasa Jerman Lama Marh-scalc = "pelayan kuda"), dari masa raja-raja Frank awal.