The word derives from French or , from mediaeval
Latin or , meaning 'a trust or charge', originally one held . Originally, commanderies were benefices, particularly in the Church, held . Mediaeval
military orders adopted monastic organizational structures and commanderies were divisions of the
Order of Knights of St. John of Jerusalem, and later the
Order of Teutonic Knights and other knightly orders were organized along similar lines. The property of the order was divided into
priorates (or
priories), subdivided into
bailiwicks, which in turn were divided into
commanderies or ; these were placed in charge of a or
commander. The word is also applied to the emoluments granted to a commander of a military order of knights. A commandery of the Teutonic Knights, each headed by a , was known as a or . The equivalents among the
Knights Templar were
preceptor and
preceptory. In 1540, the possessions in
England of the
Knights Hospitaller — the commanderies to which the English term first referred — were
seized as crown property. ==Usage==