 |
Please expand this article.
This template may be found on the article's talk page, where there may be further information. Alternatively, more information might be found at Requests for expansion.
Please remove this message once the article has been expanded. |
Grand Master is the typical title of the supreme head of various military orders of knighthood, a type of religious order including the Knights Templar, a class of sectarian order such as the Ancient Order of Hibernians, the Orange Order, but who in the case of a sovereign order such as the Maltese Knights Hospitaller can also be its Head of State, as well as of various merely honorary orders of knighthood (sometimes under the Sovereign who the holds another title as its patron).
Honorary orders
As most orders are essentially an honorary distinction, so are its dignities.
Military orders
In a military order he is the head of a military and feudal pyramid. If the order is granted statehood, he is its Head of State and thus a true, territorial Prince of the church.
The content of this page is retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Master_%28order%29 under GFDL
