Which military order was founded in 1190 during the siege of Acre in the Third Crusade?

The Teutonic Order was founded in 1190 during the siege of Acre in the Third Crusade. German merchants and crusaders established a field hospital to care for sick and wounded German pilgrims and soldiers.

The order began as a charitable brotherhood and later became a religious military order. Pope Innocent III formally recognized it as a military order in 1198. Its members combined monastic vows with military service, a structure also associated with other crusading orders.

After losing its strong position in the Holy Land, the Teutonic Order shifted its main activity toward northeastern Europe. In the thirteenth century, it conquered and converted much of Prussia and established a powerful territorial state. Its headquarters moved to Marienburg, now Malbork in Poland, in 1309.

The Teutonic Order is sometimes confused with the Templars or Hospitallers. The Templars were founded earlier to protect pilgrims, while the Hospitallers developed from a Jerusalem hospital. The Teutonic Order originally had a specifically German charitable identity.