Brief Biography
Geoffrey le Rat succeeded Afonso of Portugal in 1206.
Sources: Order of Malta: The Grand Masters; Wikipedia: Grand Masters of the Knights Hospitaller.
Life and service to the Order
He is associated with an early organisation of the Hospitallers by national groupings, the development that would lead to the Order's langues.
In this period the Hospitallers maintained a hospital and defended their communities in the Holy Land. Their base shifted to Acre after the loss of Jerusalem, and to Cyprus after the fall of Acre in 1291.
Historical context: Order of Malta, The Grand Masters; History of the Order.
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