Crusader orders as medieval „NGOs”. Lessons from legal history

Jogtörténeti tanulságok

Abstract

During the medieval centuries, the Crusader knight orders emerged as special civil organizations set up to achieve charitable goals that had their own funds, just like modern NGOs. Their charitable activities were: military defence and public security, administration (locus credibilis authenticus) and healing (hospitals, leprosariums). The king, senior church dignitaries, and private individuals contributed grants to keep these organizations running. Donations were paid in one lump sum or annually; inter vivos, as a pecuniary advantage or with provision for death by a will. In the course of conducting their charitable activities, the Crusaders also committed abuses in the course of using the benefits bestowed upon their organizations, much like today’s civil organizations. As part of a legal–historical “lesson”, the present study uses Hungarian examples from the Árpád House period to show what caused the disappearance of some knight orders, while others have survived to this day.