Grand Master is the typical
title of the supreme head of various orders of knighthood, including various
military orders,
religious orders and
sectarian orders such as the
Ancient Order of Hibernians and the
Orange Order. The title of Grand Master is used by the heads of
Grand Lodges of
Freemasons since 1717.
In military orders such as the
Knights Templar or the
Livonian Brothers of the Sword, the Grand Master was the formal and executive head of a military and feudal pyramid, which can be considered a 'state within the state', especially in the 'crusader' context
lato sensu (notably Middle Eastern
crusades aimed at Jerusalem, Iberian
reconquista, pagan territories east of Germany).
If an order is granted statehood (and thus widely considered
sovereign), the Grand Master is also its
Head of State (if within the Holy Roman Empire, a
Reichsfürst) and
Head of Government, and thus a true territorial
Prince of the church, as was the case with the
Teutonic Knights and the Maltese
Knights Hospitaller.
In some orders, the head may be styled "Sovereign". In this case a Grand Master may come after the Sovereign.
As most present-day orders are essentially an honorary distinction, as some ancient orders always were (e.g. the
Golden Fleece Order), so are its dignities, which may be held by right of birth or another rank, e.g. a Sovereign Monarch often holds the title of Grand Master of (usually the highest) honorary order(s), or by custom awards it to a prince of the blood, especially the Heir to the throne, which in other orders may hold another high rank/title.
See also
Category:Orders of knighthoodCategory:Titlesan:Gran Mayestreast:Gran Maestreca:Gran Mestreda:Stormester (orden)de:Großmeister (Orden)et:Ordumeisteres:Gran Maestreit:Gran maestromk:Голем мајсторno:Stormesterpl:Wielki mistrzfi:Suurmestari (ritarikunta)sv:Stormästare
