Which order was founded to care for sick pilgrims and later became a military order?

Which order was founded to care for sick pilgrims and later became a military order? The Knights Hospitaller were founded to care for sick pilgrims and later became a military order.

The order grew from a hospital in Jerusalem associated with merchants from Amalfi. Benedictine monks cared for sick, poor, and injured Christian pilgrims visiting the Holy Land. In the 12th century, this charitable community developed into the Order of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem.

As the Crusader states faced repeated attacks, the Hospitallers took on protective and military responsibilities. Their original mission of caring for the sick remained central, but they also maintained fortifications, escorted pilgrims, and fielded armed forces. This combination of charitable and military roles distinguished them from purely monastic communities.

After the fall of the Crusader strongholds in the Levant, the order relocated several times. It was based in Rhodes from 1310 to 1522 and then in Malta from 1530 to 1798. The Knights Hospitaller are therefore also known as the Knights of Rhodes and, later, the Knights of Malta. They are distinct from the Knights Templar and the Teutonic Knights.