ABSTRACT
In 1190, during the siege of Acre, a hospital was founded by citizens of Bremen and Lübeck who were taking part in the Third Crusade. This hospital was dedicated to sick and wounded German crusaders, and according to the Order's own tradition the citizens stretched out a ship's sail in order to give shade to the care of sick and wounded. In 1198, the hospital was transformed into a military order. Symptomatic of the decline may be the fact that the Teutonic Order did not care for the refugees of Acre in Cyprus as did the Hospitallers and even the Templars. In 1242 the cardinal legate William of Modena decided that all hospitals in Prussia should be under the direction of the Teutonic Order. The Hospitallers in Rhodes were more progressive than the Teutonic Order in the bailiwicks or in Prussia. The Teutonic Order followed in the Sword brothers' footsteps and did not found or support hospitals in Livonia.
