Dr. Michiel Decaluwé (01.06.2006-31.05.2008)
Friendship and Patronage in Monarchial Orders of Knighthood of the Late Middle Ages and the Early Modern Times. Loyalty as Political Tool
Born: 29.05.1978
Nationality: Belgian
Contact: michiel.decaluwe@geschichte.uni-freiburg.de
Current Position
Research fellow at the chair of medieval history II (Prof. Birgit Studt)
Curriculum vitae and publications
Former Research Project
Friendship and Patronage in Monarchial Orders of Knighthood of the Late Middle Ages and the Early Modern Times. Loyalty as Political Tool
Loyalty can be seen as the substance of
both friendship and patronage. Loyalty is what in political terms makes
friendship and patronage tangible.
This project wants to examine how
loyalty has been used politically in the late middle ages and in early
modern times. What is the political role of loyalty? How can loyalty in
political life be promoted? How can loyalty in political life be
deployed and what political benefits does loyalty bring? Those are the
main questions of this project, which sees loyalty as a utile and
tangible political tool, as a political utility article.
Answers to
these questions are sought in a specific case study. In late medieval
and early modern times existed several so called monarchical orders of
knighthood. These institutions were founded by diverse European princes
and where bodies that consisted of members of the highest European
nobility and were headed by the founding prince or his heir. The main
difference between monarchical orders of knighthood and the numerous
other orders of knighthood is indeed this leading role of the prince,
who, in most monarchical orders, received the title of “Chef”. The best
known monarchical orders of knighthood are the Order of the Golden
Fleece (Burgundy – the Low Countries – Habsburg) and the Order of the
Garter (England). But also in other, similar orders were founded: the
Order of St-Michael and the Company of the Star in France, the Order of
the Ship and the Order of the Ermine in Naples, The Order of the Collar
(also called the Order of the Annunciation of Our Lady) in Savoy, the
Fraternal Society of Knighthood of St George in Hungary, etc.
For a
study on friendship and patronage and the tension between both
phenomena, monarchical orders are a very interesting research topic. In
these orders patronage relations between the members of the order and
the chef and friendly relation between the members, but in certain
circumstances also between a member and the chef, are structured and
institutionalised. This makes it possible to study loyal political
relationships, friendly as well as patronage relationships, from three
perspectives: firstly the perspective of the prince or the chef of the
order, secondly the perspective of the member of the order and thirdly
the perspective of the outsider, the political enemy of the chef or the
member of the order.
Contact for the Final Conference