法国旧制度时期的王家骑士团与王权

French Royal Orders of Knights and the Royal Power in the Ancien Regime

与中世纪的教会骑士团不同,法国旧制度时期的王家骑士团以平信徒为基本成员,但它们也不是现代的荣誉军团骑士团那样纯粹的荣誉组织。类似于兄弟会的特性不仅给王家骑士团成员带来一种精神上的归属感,也拉近了他们与国王之间的情感距离。王家骑士团能为其成员带来莫大的荣誉和有吸引力的物质奖励,并通过纳新过程中的宣誓和其他庆典仪式促进成员对国王的效忠,从而在国王与贵族精英之间、国王与杰出军官之间构建了一种恩庇关系,在事实上发挥了加强王权的作用。

medieval orders of knights,the French royal orders of knights in the Ancien Regime had a majority of lay members,but they were not purely honorary organizations with only a symbolic role like the Legion d'Honneur.The fraternity-like nature of these orders brought a sense of belonging for their members,drawing them emotionally closer to the king.These orders could bring great honor and attractive financial rewards for their members and promote their allegiance to the king through oaths during the admission process and other ceremonies.This helped develop personal relationships between the king and the elite nobility,as well as between the king and distinguished officers,ultimately strengthening royal power.