By 1258 the Teutonic Knights had performed a strong recovery both in the Baltic and in the Holy Land, yet the Order which emerged from these crises had changed significantly in character. Where previously the brethren had been split by their relative loyalties to the papacy and the empire, they were now divided between the ongoing needs of the eastern Mediterranean, Prussia and Livonia. As threats arose on all these frontiers they were constantly forced to address their priorities and to determine how their resources should be divided. This question would only have been complicated by the disparate fortunes of these regions. In both areas the brethren's position was endangered by a number of foes. Nevertheless, during the second half of the thirteenth century, while the Latin East fell into a decline which ended in the final collapse of the kingdom of Jerusalem, the Order's commanders in the Baltic overcame the Prussian rebellions and expanded their control.

Reviewing these trends, historians have frequently attempted to identify the moment at which the brethren moved the focus of their attention away from the Latin East and towards the Baltic. Some historians have claimed that the needs of Prussia and Livonia became the priority as early as the 1230s. Others have suggested later dates or identified different turning points.