Whereas Max Weber is considered as familiar to legal historians, Kelsen is generally interpreted as reluctant to any historical perspective in legal theory. The parallel study of Weber and Kelsen's texts about legal history can lead to a more nuanced analysis. The texts of Weber about the genesis of legal orders can be read through the theoretical distinctions made by Kelsen. between decentralized and centralized legal orders. The texts of Kelsen about legal writings and representations of legal orders can be combined with the ones of Weber about professional lawyers and the various configurations of the legal field.