The Untold Story of the Leper King: Baldwin IV

Today, history remembers Baldwin IV almost solely for his illness, but reducing his reign to his impairment would be a great injustice. Despite his age and disabilities, young Baldwin was an active 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 IV.

Viewer discretion is advised for this video, as some content may be offensive or disturbing. We, the makers of this video, in no way support or condone the actions of the subjects featured.

Nobody in their right mind would have put their money on Baldwin IV ascending to the throne. He was a sick boy with a short future, had an evil stepmother, and his biological mother was an outcast unable to sire an heir. But despite all odds, he became 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 III, Count of Tripoli, ruling in his name, Baldwin IV finally gained control when he became 15.

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 join the Knights of Saint Lazarus. In a manner, he had to prove himself despite his leprosy becoming more and more obvious with every passing day to gain everyone’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 IV to begin planning his offensive against Damascus and Egypt with his advisors from day one as king.

As soon as he was handed the power to rule, Baldwin IV 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 IV to wait too long. Nur al-Din’s death created a power vacuum in Syria, and Saladin wanted to fill his shoes and return to his beloved city. However, he didn’t want to undermine Nur al-Din’s legacy by annexing Damascus, so he sought 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 well as Damascus opened their gates for Saladin to take control and defend it from Aleppo and its allies.

As Saladin was busy raiding Aleppo in an attempt to unite Shia Egypt and Sunni Syria, Baldwin IV led a raid around Damascus. When it comes to warfare, fifteen-year-old Baldwin was inexperienced. 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 he continued to execute his political duties astutely and performed successfully as a battlefield warrior king. This was of utmost importance in the prevailing conditions of Baldwin’s royal domain, as Jerusalem was threatened by the rise of Saladin and his coalition of Muslim forces in an arc from Syria to Egypt.

On August 1, 1176, Baldwin and Raymond led the armies of Jerusalem and Tripoli, respectively, in a raid of Beqaa Valley, or modern-day Lebanon. Here, they defeated the garrison of Damascus, forcing Saladin to abandon his campaign against the Order of Assassins and defend his home. Baldwin IV tried to create an alliance with the Byzantine Empire and the Count of Flanders to secure naval prowess to attack Egypt, but Saladin got wind of it and marched into Palestine with 27,000 men.

Saladin 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 IV to roll over. Saladin’s assumption was not misplaced; Baldwin IV was too young and too sick compared to the battle-hardened Saladin, who had been on the battlefield twice the years of Baldwin’s age.

Baldwin IV rode to the rescue of Ascalon with just 375 knights, 80 Templars under Odo Saint 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 decided to strike for the greatest prize of all. Confident that Baldwin would not attempt to interfere with his smaller force, and with an overwhelming superiority of the army and very little respect for a leper youth of 16, 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, which allowed Baldwin to sally out of Ascalon, calling up the feudal levees and falling 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. 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 between the sacred relic, Baldwin asked God for success.

Forming for the battle, Baldwin and Raymond’s men charged the center of Saladin’s line, breaking through and routing 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 a 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 historical descriptions of Baldwin’s initial illness, which state he had lost feeling in his arm but showed no other symptoms such as discoloration or ulcers, modern experts believe that Baldwin IV originally had primary polyneuritic tuberculoid leprosy, which deteriorated into lepromatous leprosy during puberty. Baldwin IV was born to Prince Amalric, Count of Jaffa, brother of Baldwin III, who was the fourth king of the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem. During Baldwin IV’s christening, Amalric chose his king brother to be the godfather of his firstborn. Baldwin III joked that he gifted the Kingdom of Jerusalem to the newborn, and everybody laughed. In reality, the entirety of the kingdom was aware that Baldwin IV becoming king was a long shot.

Baldwin III was young, single, and arguably the most desirable bachelor in the Middle East. On top of that, when Baldwin IV contracted leprosy, any chance of him ascending to the throne seemed lost. But fate works in mysterious ways. Baldwin IV was only two years old when his young and dashing uncle passed away unexpectedly, and a lack of options made Baldwin the next in line. Amalric became the fifth king of Jerusalem. Eleven years later, Baldwin IV was still a young lad when his father passed away from dysentery on his way back from a campaign against Nur al-Din, the Sultan of Damascus.

Because Baldwin was still a pre-teen 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 III was a descendant of Baldwin II and a cousin of Baldwin III. He was one of the most powerful barons in the Crusader states. Notably, at this time, Baldwin could still move and ride without apparent impediment. Interestingly, his legacy was confirmed after he became king when Baldwin III 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 king because they were not happy with the choice of his wife, Agnes de Courtenay. Agnes’s marriage to Amalric was her second marriage, as she was also the widow of Renault of Châtillon. 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 committal 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 chose the crown over his consort. Agnes was duly disposed of, but Amalric’s children from this 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. Around this 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 that it happened that as he was playing with some boys of noble birth, 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 all with great patience, like one who was used to pain. Although his friends did not spare him in any way, it was finally realized that half of his right arm and hand was dead, so he could not feel the pinching at all or even feel if he was bitten. His father was informed, 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 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 pages 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 A.D., 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 argued to be already marked by God for salvation, those willing to show them Christian love and charity would also win the favor of God. Legend 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 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 are 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 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 IV as a threat again and again and paid the price for it.

The Muslim pilgrim Ibn Zubair, who visited Jerusalem in the 1180s, referred to Baldwin IV 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 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 23, and Saladin captured Jerusalem a couple of years later in 1187. Baldwin IV 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 IV’s sister Sibylla to produce an heir.

The reason for Jerusalem’s fall also lies there. While Baldwin IV was still a minor, in his capacity as regent, Raymond of Tripoli had begun negotiations for the marriage of Princess Sibylla to William of Montfort. William was the first cousin of Louis VII of France and Frederick I, Holy Roman Emperor. The wedding happened, and Baldwin offered to resign the throne to William. 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 after leaving Sibylla pregnant with Baldwin V after him.

What followed next was a barrage of suitors, all plodding and pushing against each other to marry Baldwin’s sister Sibylla and half-sister Isabella. Everyone was aware that Baldwin IV 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 IV 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 IV married Sibylla to Guy of Lusignan, brother of the Constable of Amalric. Earlier historians claimed that Isabella’s second marriage was entirely due to the influence of the king’s mother, though Hamilton argues that this reflects critically on 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 Kerak, Saladin surprised the wedding guests by laying siege around the city with Baldwin trapped inside. Baldwin retaliated with whatever strength was 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 V 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 God’s annihilation of the veteran of the royal thief of Dahran, who were under royal protection. The military expedition to relieve Kerak and the dynasty 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 had planned something else. When Baldwin V died a year later, 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 IV.

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 IV? And as always, thanks for watching Nutty History.