ABSTRACT

Among historians studying the history of the Teutonic Order, a conviction was established that the participation and the attitude of the Teutonic Knights during the siege of Damietta in Egypt during the Fifth Crusade, especially in 1218 and 1219, marked the beginning of rapid growth in the popularity of the Order, and equally in the growth of its possessions in some regions of Western Europe, mainly in the Rhineland, the Netherlands and France. Consequently, this resulted in a formation of the Order’s bailiwicks of Biesen and Utrecht, and an attempt to establish one in France as well. The events in Egypt are also connected to the origins of a few of the Order’s commanderies in the Rhineland. During the siege of Damietta, the Teutonic Knights were known for their bravery in combat and charitable activity, and therefore the Order was the recipient of several donations.1