Today history remembers Baldwin the fourth almost only for his illness, but reducing
his reign to his impairment would be a great injustice. Despite his age and disabilities,
young Baldwin was an apt medieval king, a precocious politician, and largely a successful
battle commander who went toe to toe with men much more experienced and battle-hardened than him.
Welcome to Nutty History and today let’s learn some strange facts about the life of the Leper
King of Jerusalem, Baldwin the IV. Nobody in their right mind would have put their money on Baldwin
the fourth ascending to the throne. He was a sick boy with a short future, had an evil stepmother,
his biological mother was an outcast and was unable to sire an heir. But despite all odds,
he did become the sixth king of Jerusalem at the mere age of thirteen, the details of
which we will get into later. After two years of being the nominal king with Raymond the third,
Count of Tripoli, ruling in his name, Baldwin the fourth finally gained control when he became
fifteen. Baldwin was elected King by the High Court of Jerusalem despite the fact that it was
customary for barons and knights afflicted with leprosy to be required to join the Knights of St.
Lazarus. So, in a manner, he had to prove himself despite his leprosy becoming more and more obvious
with every passing day. To gain everybody’s approval as their ruler, he had his father’s
incomplete project, Damascus but Saladin was also becoming a growing threat in Egypt.
Coincidentally, Nur al-Din died the same year as Amalric and that allowed Baldwin the fourth to
begin planning his offensive against Damascus and Egypt with his advisers from day one as the king.
As soon as he was handed the power to rule his kingdom on the second anniversary of
his coronation Baldwin the fourth began looking for an opportune moment to launch his offensive.
The volatile political environment of the middle east after the first crusade didn’t ask Baldwin
the fourth to wait too long. Nur al-Din’s death had created a power vacuum in Syria and Saladin
wanted to fill his shoes and return to his beloved city. But at the same time, he didn’t want to spit
on Nur al-Din’s legacy by annexing Damascus so he was seeking a subtle and tactical path. The
Emir of Aleppo had no such emotional connection to the city so he simply attacked Damascus. But
that didn’t work so well as Damascus opened their gates for Saladin to waltz in and take control
and defend it from Aleppo and its allies. As Saladin was busy raiding Aleppo in an attempt to
unite Shiia Egypt and Sunni Syria, Baldwin IV led a raid around Damascus. When it comes to warfare,
fifteen-year-old Baldwin was as green as the fresh pea in a pod. Moreover, leprosy had claimed one of
his hands and the teenage king had to control his horse with his knees. Yet, he refused to
delegate his military duties and took part in the fighting. Military prowess in Frankish society was
a highly regarded attribute and prerequisite for kingly respect and authority. Baldwin, by
training and temperament, was a knight, implying physical courage and a sense of honor. He always
focused on his paramount duty to defend the Holy Land. Not only did he adapt to the progression
of his disabling neurological disability but continued to execute his political duties astutely
and perform successfully as a battlefield warrior king. This was of utmost importance
in the prevailing conditions of Baldwin’s royal domain as Jerusalem was in fact threatened by
the rise of Saladin and his coalition of Muslim forces in an arc from Syria to Egypt.
On August 1st, 1176, Baldwin and Raymond led the armies of Jerusalem and Tripoli, respectively, in
a raid of the Beqaa Valley or modern-day Lebanon. Here, they defeated the garrison of Damascus,
forcing Saladin to abandon his campaign against the order of the assassins and defend his home.
Baldwin the fourth tried to create an alliance with the Byzantine empire and the count of
Flanders to secure naval prowess to attack Egypt. But Saladin got the wind of it and marched into
Palestine with twenty-seven thousand men. Saladin had assembled his forces to meet the expected
invasion and recognized that the Kingdom of Jerusalem was practically defenseless before him.
He invaded, sacking and plundering as he advanced north, leaving well-defended positions like the
Templar castle at Gaza untouched until he came to Ascalon. Ascalon had been in Egyptian hands until
1153 and was considered a key strategic position for the defense of Egypt as well as the attack on
Jerusalem. Saladin besieged the city expecting Baldwin the fourth to roll over. Saladin’s
assumption wasn’t placed wrong. Baldwin the fourth was too young and too sick in comparison
to battle-hardened Saladin who had been on the battlefield twice the years as Baldwin’s age.
Baldwin the fourth rode to the rescue of Ascalon with just 375 knights, 80 Templars under Odo de St
Amand, and several thousand infantry, reaching the city shortly before the Sultan's army invaded it.
But now Baldwin was trapped inside, blockaded by a detachment of Saladin’s army,
and Jerusalem was exposed. Saladin obviously decided to strike for the greatest prize of
all. Saladin was confident that Baldwin would not attempt to interfere with his smaller force.
With an overwhelming superiority of the army and very little respect for a leper youth of sixteen,
he allowed his troops to continue plundering along the way rather than concentrating on his
goal. Saladin’s forces moved slowly, looting the villages of Ramla, Lydda, and Arsuf.
In doing so, he allowed his army to become dispersed over a large area.
He had miscalculated. Baldwin sallied out of Ascalon, called up the feudal levies, and
fell on Saladin from the rear, winning a stunning and complete victory at Montgisard on November 25,
1177. Caught by surprise, Saladin's options were limited as his cavalry was spent by the march from
Egypt and subsequent looting. He anchored his line on a nearby hill as Baldwin summoned the
Bishop of Bethlehem to ride forward and raise aloft a piece of the True Cross. Prostrating
himself before the sacred relic, Baldwin asked God for success. Forming for battle,
Baldwin and Raynald's men charged the center of the Saladin's line. Breaking through, they put the
Ayyubids to rout, driving them from the field. The victory was so complete that the Crusaders
succeeded in capturing Saladin's entire baggage train. Saladin managed to flee on a racing camel
but returned to Egypt with only tenth of his army surviving. For the Crusaders, approximately 1,100
were killed and 750 wounded. While Montgisard proved a dramatic victory for the Crusaders,
it was one of the last of their successes. The consequences for Baldwin personally were also
devastating. Based on the historical descriptions of Baldwin’s initial illness that state he had
lost the feeling in his arm but that there were no other symptoms such as discoloration or ulcers.
Modern experts in the disease believe that Baldwin IV originally had primary polyneuritis
tuberculoid leprosy, which deteriorated into lepromatous leprosy during puberty.
Baldwin the Fourth was born to Prince Amalric, Count of Jaffa, brother of Baldwin the third
who was the fourth king of the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem. During Baldwin the fourth’s
christening, Amalric chose his king brother to be the godfather of his firstborn. Baldwin the third
joked that he gifts the kingdom of Jerusalem to the newborn and everybody laughed. In reality,
the entirety of the kingdom was aware that Baldwin the fourth becoming the king was a long shot.
Baldwin the third was a young, single, and arguably most desirable bachelor in the middle
east. On top of that, when Baldwin the fourth contracted leprosy, any chance of him ascending to
the throne was down the drain. But fate works in mysterious ways sometimes, Baldwin the fourth was
only two years old when his young and dashing uncle kicked the bucket unexpectedly and lack of
options made Baldwin the fourth’s father, Amalric, the fifth king of Jerusalem. Eleven years later,
Baldwin, the fourth, was still a young lad when his father too passed away of dysentery
on his way back from a campaign against Nur al-Din, the Sultan of Damascus. Because Baldwin
was still preteen and not mature enough to rule at the time of his father's death, the Kingdom
was placed in the care of a regent, Raymond of Tripoli. Raymond the third was a descendent of
Baldwin the second and a cousin of Baldwin the third. Also, he was one of the most powerful
barons in the crusader states. Notably, at this time Baldwin could still move and above all, ride
without apparent impediment. Interestingly, his leprosy was confirmed after he became the king.
When Baldwin the third died in 1163, Amalric was chosen as his successor and the new king
for being the closest male relative. However, it wasn’t that easy, the high court of Jerusalem
refused to acknowledge Amalric as the king because they were not happy with the choice of his wife,
Agnes De Courtenay. Agnes’s marriage with Amalric was her second marriage as she was also the widow
of Reynald of Marash. For the High Court, she was an easy target as she held no political value.
The Courtenay family ruled the County of Edessa, the furthest north of the Crusader states
which was in enemy hands at the time of Amalric’s coronation. Since Agnes’s brother had comital rank
but no lands, it may have been feared that making her queen would feed his ambitions.
So, the High Court asked Amalric to choose between kingdom and wife and Amalric did choose crown over
consort. Agnes was duly disposed of, but Amalric's children of his marriage, two-year-old Baldwin and
his year-old sister Sibylla were explicitly recognized as legitimate. They remained
at court with their father. In 1167, Amalric remarried, this time to the Byzantine Princess
Maria Comnena. At about this same time, Baldwin was diagnosed with leprosy by his tutor William,
Archdeacon and later Archbishop of Tyre. According to William of Tyre, leprosy first manifested
itself as a lack of feeling in Baldwin’s right hand but it’s impossible to say exactly how or
when he contracted it. Initially, Baldwin retained the use of his other limbs and did not suffer from
noticeable disfigurement. His illness was kept quiet though he may have been treated medically
and socially. Tyre recorded: “It happened that, as he was playing with some boys of noble birth
who were with him and they were pinching each other on the arms and hands with their nails,
as children often do when playing together, the others cried out when they were hurt,
whereas he bore it all with great patience, like one who is used to pain, although his friends did
not spare him in any way…finally I came to realize that half of his right arm and hand was dead,
so that he could not feel the pinching at all, or even feel if he was bitten…His
father was told, and after the doctors had been consulted, careful attempts were made to help him
with poultices, ointments, and even charms, but all in vain…It grieves me greatly to say this,
but when he became an adolescent he was seen to be suffering from leprosy to a dangerous degree.”
(William of Tyre, quoted in Hamilton, pp. 27-28)
It seems they must have hoped it was some other skin disease when Baldwin was a child,
but by the time he was a teenager, his symptoms couldn’t have been anything else. Some people
advised him to step down as king and go into seclusion as other lepers would, but he refused.
Over the years he lost the use of his hands and feet, he was covered with sores, and he went
blind. But everyone noted that his mind worked perfectly, and he was fully involved in political
and military decisions, even defeating Saladin in battle on a few occasions. By the 12th century AD,
Christianity had come to view leprosy not as a curse, not as an outward expression of sin, not
as a form of divine punishment nor even something unclean, but rather as a symbol of divine grace.
The disease humbled even the proudest and wealthiest, bringing them closer to God, and
no disease did that more thoroughly than leprosy. Far from being a punishment for sin, therefore,
leprosy was the ultimate test of righteousness. While the victims were, it was argued, already
marked by God for salvation, those willing to show them Christian love and charity would also
win the favor of God. Legends started to evolve in which Christ appeared on earth as a leper,
and the disease started to be referred to as “the Holy Disease.” Arab attitudes toward leprosy,
obviously, were not impacted by the associations with Christ. They did not see leprosy as a sign of
grace or a test of righteousness. Furthermore, Arab medical texts at this time suggested
that one could become infected with the disease merely by breathing the same air as lepers. It is
inconceivable that an Arab, Kurdish, or Turkish prince suffering from leprosy would have been
elevated to Sultan. There were always male princes to choose from, unlike in the West. So, a leper
would have lost out in the competition with his brothers and cousins. Nevertheless, no evidence
could be found in the favor of the argument that lepers were ostracized and treated as pariahs in
the Muslim world. But they were indeed considered weak, unworthy, and disabled by contemporary
Islamic society. This is why Saladin underrated Baldwin the fourth as a threat again and again
and paid the price for it. The Muslim pilgrim Ibn Jubayr, who visited Jerusalem in the 1180s,
referred to Baldwin the fourth as a pig and noted that Baldwin didn’t go out in public anymore.
At the same time, the kingdom was threatened by Saladin, and ambassadors were sent to seek help
in Europe. Western leaders were reluctant to send money and soldiers to help a leper,
who they believed must have been a physical symbol of a decadent, oriental kingdom. Baldwin survived
until 1185 when he was twenty-three, and Saladin captured Jerusalem a couple of years later in
1187. Baldwin the fourth always knew that his time was short and he was unable to produce a
successor to the throne. Therefore, Jerusalem’s future rested upon the shoulders of Baldwin,
the fourth’s sister Sibylla to produce an heir. The reason for Jerusalem’s fall also lies there.
While Baldwin the fourth was still a minor, in his capacity as regent, Raymond of Tripoli had
begun negotiations for the marriage of princess Sibylla to William of Montferrat. William was
the first cousin of Louis the seventh of France and Frederick the first, Holy Roman Emperor. The
wedding happened and Baldwin offered to resign the throne to William according to Sicard of Cremona.
However, William declined because he knew he lacked the support of the nobility
and became the Count of Jaffa and Ascalon upon his marriage instead. Unfortunately,
William fell sick with malaria in April 1177 and succumbed to the disease leaving Sibylla pregnant
with Baldwin the fifth after him. What followed next was a barrage of suitors all plotting and
pushing against each other to marry Baldwin’s sister Sibylla and half-sister, Isabella. Everyone
was aware that Baldwin the fourth would not live for long and marrying Sibylla and Isabella meant
positioning oneself next in line to the regency of Jerusalem. In August the king's first cousin,
Philip of Flanders, came to Jerusalem on a crusade hoping that Baldwin would marry his sisters to his
vassals. Philip was Baldwin’s closest male kin on the paternal side and hoped to use
it for gaining preference but the High Court of Jerusalem refused his proposition. Moreover, the
Ibelin family insulted Philip. Baldwin the fourth had arranged the remarriage of his stepmother,
Maria, to the Ibelin family but they wanted his sisters as their brides as well with Raymond of
Tripoli supporting them to bolster his power base. However, the scheming of the Ibelin family didn’t
go through and, in the summer of 1180, Baldwin the fourth married Sibylla to Guy of Lusignan,
brother of the constable Amalric of Lusignan. Earlier historians claimed that Sibylla's second
marriage was entirely due to the influence of the King's mother. Though, Hamilton argues that
this is to reflect uncritically the personal grievances of William of Tyre and the Ibelins.
A foreign match was essential to the kingdom, bringing the possibility of external aid.
Guy's connection to the French and English dynasties as well as the Pope was useful in this
respect. Baldwin, now blind and unable to walk, appointed Guy as the regent in 1182. Meanwhile,
by June 1183, Saladin had captured Aleppo and had Jerusalem surrounded from all sides. During
Isabella’s wedding in Karak, Saladin surprised the wedding guest by laying siege around the city
with them trapped inside. Baldwin retaliated with whatever strength left in him but was disappointed
when Guy refused to participate in the battle. Saladin managed to escape and an angry Baldwin
deposed Guy as regent and announced his nephew Baldwin the fifth as his heir and successor.
In the early months of 1184, Baldwin attempted to have the marriage between Sibylla and Guy annulled
after learning about Guy's annihilation of the Beduin of the royal fief of Darum, who were under
royal protection. The military expedition to relieve Karak and the dynastic struggle
had weakened Baldwin considerably. He died in Jerusalem in the spring of 1185 hoping that he did
the right thing by putting the future of Jerusalem in the hands of his minor nephew. But once again,
fate has planned something else. Baldwin the fifth died a year later, and Sibylla aided Guy to regain
control of Jerusalem. A year later, at the Battle of Hattin Saladin thoroughly vanquished the armies
of Jerusalem in 1187 ending the legacy of Baldwin the fourth. Baldwin and Saladin were paramount on
their respective sides during the Crusades however while one is remembered as a paladin and a hero,
Baldwin’s history is marred by the actions of others, reducing it to his ailment only.
Tell us in the comments, do you think history has been unfair to
Baldwin the fourth? And as always thanks for watching Nutty History.