In building its own state in Prussia, the Teutonic Order used a model of management based on the legal system of a patrimonial monarchy. During the conquest of Prussian land this structure gave the Teutonic Order the upper hand and helped them build cohesion and a strong state. The feudal order, which had a decisive influence on social, economic, political, and religious relations during the middle ages, in large measure accounted for how the structure of the government in the patrimonial monarchy was shaped. The structure of the state’s patrimonial monarchy and the Teutonic Order in Prussia displayed striking similarities, in both the building of organisation and the holding of office by particular individuals. While not identical, the two structures were similar. The same reasons which brought about changes in the structure of the patrimonial government state – the emancipation of some groups of people (orders), were at the same time a cause of the disintegration of the social-political-economic structure of the State of the Teutonic Order, and in effect the fall of the Order and secularisation of the country.
One of the fascinating intersections of the Canon law and the modern society can be found in the catholic-founded dynastic orders of knighthood. The author conducted a comprehensive review of legal debates, both in the Canon law and in the international law, to provide readers with an up-to-date understanding on this developing topic. Six major views on the appointment of knights are extracted from the review. Then, a new interpretation is proposed, wherein the legitimacy to confer honours and the legitimacy of the orders of knighthood themselves have to be considered separately. Under this method of interpretation, the criterion to judge the legitimacy of an appointment of knight is both the jus honorum of the head of the family and the order of knighthood itself being legitimate. This article provides a unique perspective on how the Canon law affects an unexpected area of the modern society.
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