Baldwin IV of Jerusalem

King Baldwin IV (1161–1185), known as the Leper King, was the king of Jerusalem from 1174 until his death in 1185. His allies and historians liked him for his power and loyalty to the Kingdom of Jerusalem. He stopped Saladin from attacking his kingdom even though he had leprosy, a disease which made him disfigured.

As soon as he became king, Baldwin planned an attack in Egypt. It did not work because his vassals refused to work together. Leprosy stopped Baldwin from getting married. He wanted to abdicate when his older sister, Sibylla, married William of Montferrat in 1176. William did not want to become king and died the next year. Saladin attacked Baldwin's kingdom in 1177. Baldwin won against him at Montgisard, making him famous. In 1180, he had to stop a coup by Count Raymond III of Tripoli and Prince Bohemond III of Antioch. Baldwin had Sibylla marry Guy of Lusignan. The nobles did not like Guy, and he did not respect the king.

Baldwin again won against Saladin in 1182 at the Battle of Le Forbelet. Leprosy made him blind and unable to walk or use his hands the next year. After Guy's failure as a leader, Baldwin took away his inheritance. He had Sibylla's son, Baldwin V, crowned co-king. He went to stop Saladin's Siege of Kerak in 1183. In 1184, he stopped Saladin from taking Kerak again. In early 1185, Baldwin selected Raymond to rule as regent for Sibylla's son. He died from a fever before 16 May 1185.

Baldwin was born in the middle of 1161. His parents were Amalric and Agnes of Courtenay. Baldwin's godfather was his uncle, King Baldwin III. The Kingdom of Jerusalem was ruled by Franks, French-speaking Catholics who came to the Levant from Western Europe. They kept their Western culture.^[1]

Baldwin III died without any children in 1163.^[2] Amalric was next in line to become king. The other nobles in the kingdom did not like Agnes, the wife of Amalric.^[3] The High Court of Jerusalem - a group of nobles who made important decisions - made Amalric separate from Agnes to become king.^[2]

Since Agnes married again after leaving Amalric, Baldwin grew up without a mother.^[4] Baldwin also grew up without his sister, Sibylla.^[3] When he was six, Baldwin got a stepmother, Maria Komnene. They were not close with each other.^[5]

When Baldwin was nine years old, he was educated by William of Tyre. William was very famous for his intelligence and knowledge. William saw that, unlike the other children, Baldwin did not cry when hurt. This was because Baldwin could not feel pain in his right arm.^[5] People thought that Baldwin had leprosy, a skin disease with no cure at the time. The doctors did not want to diagnose him because of the bad treatment he would face.^[6]

As a child, Baldwin was intelligent, brave, and hopeful. He had his father's good looks, structure, and manners. Baldwin was a quick learner, but he talked slowly. William talked about Baldwin's good memory. Baldwin did not forget people's good or bad behavior towards him.^[7]

In 1169, Amalric started looking for a husband for Sibylla. He wanted the kingdom to be ruled by a good leader if he died while Baldwin was still a child. Count Stephen I of Sancerre took the offer, but the marriage did not happen.^[8]

In June 1174, Amalric got sick with dysentery and died on 11 July 1174. He left Baldwin to become king.^[9]

After Amalric died, the High Court met to choose the kingdom's next king or queen.^[9] The historian Bernard Hamilton thinks the High Court knew that Baldwin was sick.^[10] But Baldwin was the only person who could become the next king.^[11] After three days,^[9] Baldwin was selected. A husband who could become the next king would be selected for Sibylla.^[12] Baldwin's coronation was in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre on 15 July 1174.^[13]

Until he was 15 years old, Baldwin needed an adult noble (or regent) to rule for him.^[8] The seneschal Miles of Plancy was selected to rule the kingdom.^[14][15] Not long after Miles started ruling, Count Raymond III of Tripoli came to Jerusalem. He wanted to rule instead of Miles.^[16][17] Miles was murdered two months later in October.^[18][19][20] Raymond replaced him after two days of discussion.^[21] Baldwin's mother, Agnes, came back to court when Raymond became regent. Modern historians often shame her for using her son's sickness to benefit herself. Hamilton notes that Baldwin's historians, including William of Tyre, were against her.^[22]

During the regency, it was clear that Baldwin had leprosy.^[23] It is not known how he got it. Medical historian Piers Mitchell thinks that it must have been someone Baldwin spent a lot of time with as a kid.^[24] Baldwin's hands and face were badly disfigured.^[25] But against what was normal,^[26] Baldwin was never separated from the other nobles.^[27] Because of his sickness, Baldwin could not marry or have children.^[28] It was important to arrange a marriage for his sister, Sibylla. Raymond's choice of a husband was William "Longsword" of Montferrat. He was a cousin of both the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick Barbarossa and King Louis VII of France.^[25]

On 15 July 1176, Baldwin reached the age of majority.^[29] The king selected his uncle, Joscelin of Courtenay, to become the new seneschal.^[30] Raymond's regency ended, and he went back to Tripoli.^[31]

Baldwin did not approve Raymond's peace treaty with the Egyptian ruler Saladin.^[29] He agreed with Joscelin that the sultan was too powerful.^[32] This change in government marked a new strategy against Saladin. But Saladin surrounded the kingdom during Raymond's rule.^[33] Baldwin started planning to attack Egypt with his allies.^[34] Knowing that Saladin was fighting somewhere else, the king led a raid around Damascus.^[29] On 1 August 1176, Baldwin and Raymond attacked the Beqaa Valley (modern-day Lebanon). They won against the army of Damascus. Saladin had to leave his fight behind.^[35]

To attack Egypt, Baldwin needed help. He sent Raynald of Châtillon to talk with Byzantine Emperor Manuel I Komnenos in the winter of 1176–77. Manuel was Raynald's stepson-in-law.^[36] Manuel agreed to help them for the creation of Byzantine protectorate over the kingdom.^[37] Raynald was successful.^[38]

William of Montferrat married Baldwin's sister Sibylla in November 1176. He was made count of Jaffa and Ascalon. Sicard of Cremona wrote that Baldwin offered to make William king. William said no.^[39] In April 1177, William of Monferrat got sick in Ascalon.^[40] Baldwin went to see him and became very sick too. William died two months later in June. He left Sibylla pregnant and Baldwin very sick before a large attack. The king gave control of the kingdom and army to Raynald.^[40]

Baldwin's cousin Count Philip I of Flanders came to Jerusalem in September.^[41][42] He brought Baldwin money from another cousin, King Henry II of England.^[43][44] Baldwin offered the crown to Philip,^[41] but he said no. Raynald stayed in power.^[45]

The Byzantines then sent a war fleet to get ready for the attack in Egypt.^[46] They left because the other nobles could not work together.^[47] The Byzantine alliance did not happen as a result.^[48] Baldwin continued to make friends with the Greek patriarch, Leontius. He hoped that the Byzantines would still want to help his kingdom.^[49]

Philip left the Kingdom of Jerusalem in October 1177. He went to help Raymond of Tripoli attack the Muslim-held city of Hama.^[50] Saladin attacked Baldwin's kingdom on 18 November. Baldwin and Raynald of Châtillon went to meet Saladin. The Knights Templar hurried to defend Gaza.^[51] The king took his army to Ascalon, where he issued an arrière-ban - This made all able-bodied men join the army.^[52]

Saladin got to Ascalon on 22 November 1177. Thinking that Baldwin's army was not dangerous, he kept going towards Jerusalem.^[53] Baldwin and Raynald then left Ascalon with the Templars. Saladin did not think this would happen. He did not send any of his men to patrol the city.^[54] Baldwin and Raynald attacked his army at Montgisard.^[55] Saladin badly lost. Only a small amount of his army made it back to Egypt.^[56]

After this, Baldwin chose to defend the Damascene border. The Templars wanted him to build a castle, called Chastellet, on the upper Jordan River. The king did not want to do this because his men promised not to build anything there. The local Muslims were very angry. Saladin offered Baldwin money to stop building, but the king did not want to.^[57][58]

In April 1179, Baldwin wanted to round up the sheep passing from Damascus to Banias. Saladin's nephew Farrukh Shah ran into him, and a fight happened.^[59] The old but very brave noble, Humphrey II of Toron, helped Baldwin. He died while protecting the king.^[60]

A few weeks later, Baldwin went to stop Bedouin attacks in the cities of Beirut and Sidon. In June, a battle took place at Marj Ayyun. Baldwin's crusaders easily won against Saladin's army. They let their guard down because they thought it was over. But Saladin's army then attacked the crusaders by surprise and won. Many crusaders were taken prisoner.^[60] Raymond escaped to Tyre, which William of Tyre called "disgraceful".^[61]

On 24 August 1179, Saladin and his men attacked Chastellet.^[58] When Baldwin heard about this, he sent an army to Tiberias to stop Saladin. The Muslims were able to break the walls of the castle. They entered and took it on 29 August 1179. The historian William of Newburgh said that "the Christian army met at Tiberias, but not with their usual speed."^[62] Saladin stayed at the castle for two weeks. He destroyed the building and killed the Christian soldiers there.^[63]

In the winter of 1177–78, the king's widowed sister, Sibylla, gave birth to a son. His name was Baldwin, after the king. In June, a year of official mourning for the child's father ended. It became important to find a new husband for Sibylla. Baldwin of Ibelin's will to marry Sibylla was well known, but not supported. In July 1178, Baldwin IV started associating Sibylla with him in some public acts. He supported her as next in line to the throne.^[64] He thought of marrying her to Duke Hugh III of Burgundy. Baldwin wrote to the king of France:

"Not being able to use your hands and legs does not help when you are trying to rule ... A man as weak as myself should not hold power. The fear of Arab attacks shocks the Holy City. My sickness makes the enemy more brave... Please, after meeting with the nobles of the kingdom of France, select one of them to rule this Kingdom."^[65]

During the Holy Week in 1180, Raymond III of Tripoli and Bohemond III of Antioch went with their armies to Jerusalem. Hamilton thinks that they wanted to make Sibylla marry Baldwin of Ibelin. They also wanted to make Baldwin IV stop ruling.^[66] The king never approved of Baldwin of Ibelin's marriage to his sister. While Baldwin wanted to step down, he did not want to be forced to.^[67] The king acted quickly before the armies reached Jerusalem. He had Sibylla marry a Poitevin knight, Guy of Lusignan,^[68] and the coup was stopped.^[69]

Baldwin sent his uncle, Joscelin, to tell the Byzantine emperor that Jerusalem still needed his protection. Emperor Manuel died during the discussions. Joscelin had to spend the winter in Constantinople to complete them. From mid-1180 to mid-1181, the sick king depended on his mother.^[70]

In October 1180, Baldwin had his half-sister, Isabella, engaged to the lord of Toron, Humphrey IV. Isabella was sent to live at Kerak Castle with Stephanie of Milly, Humphrey's mother.^[71] Thanks to the marriage contract, Humphrey gave Toron to Baldwin. The king stopped the combining of two large areas under one leader. He also strengthened his position against the count of Tripoli.^[72]

Baldwin wanted to step down from the throne, but could not because of arguments in his court.^[73] To deal with these problems, Baldwin wanted a two-year truce with Saladin, who was happy to accept.

Baldwin used his truce with Saladin to strengthen the position of his mother's family. He connected Guy and Sibylla with him in public acts. Baldwin stayed rivals with Raymond. He did not let him enter the kingdom in early 1182.^[75][76] The other nobles wanted the king to be friendly with Raymond again, and Baldwin agreed.^[77][78]

Baldwin's truce with Saladin was going to end in May 1182.^[77] It was broken in mid-1181 by Raynald, who stole from Muslim merchants. In July, the king went to stop the Muslims' attack in Bethsan. Baldwin won the Battle of Le Forbelet. Hamilton says that this win was thanks to the respect and loyalty people had for Baldwin.^[79] The king fought with his disease and the heat. William of Tyre wrote that as many men died of sunstroke as men died fighting.^[80]

The sultan then took his army to surround Beirut. Another army from Egypt attacked the south of the kingdom. Baldwin knew he was being tricked into separating his army. He paid no attention to the southern attack and moved with his men to Tyre. He then got help from the Italian maritime republics to stop Saladin from taking Beirut.^[79] Saladin stopped the attack, but he did not want to make a truce.^[81]

Saladin then went north to fight the Zengids and expand his kingdom. Baldwin first led an attack on Saladin's land in Damascus. Then he captured Cave de Sueth.^[82] In the winter of 1182–1183, Baldwin attacked Damascus again. He threatened to destroy a mosque in Darayya, but local Christians told him not to.^[83]

Baldwin could not walk without help or use his hands from 1183.^[84] Because he could not blink, Baldwin became blind.^[85] The king then became sick with a bad fever. He was not expected to live. Baldwin called the High Court to his side and left the government to his brother-in-law, Guy. He was next in line to become king.^[86] Baldwin had Guy promise that, while Baldwin lived, he would not make himself king.^[87][88] Fearing unhappiness among his barons, Baldwin did not give Guy any military experience before making him regent.^[87] The most powerful leaders in the kingdom refused to work with Guy.^[89] Baldwin got better and went back to Jerusalem.

The wedding of Baldwin's half-sister, Isabella, and Humphrey IV of Toron was held in Kerak in late 1183. Saladin attacked during the wedding and laid siege to the castle. He wanted to capture the king's half-sister and her husband.^[90] Guy could not be trusted to protect such an important fortress. Baldwin took his power back, taking away Guy's claim to the throne. The suggestion that Sibylla's five-year-old son, Baldwin, be made co-king was taken. The boy was crowned on 20 November 1183.^[91][92] In late November, Baldwin ordered the lighting of a beacon on the Tower of David. He wanted to cheer up the army at Kerak.^[93] Baldwin joined his men again.^[94] His presence was important to help the fighting nobles. Since Baldwin was too sick to fight, he selected Raymond III of Tripoli as field commander. Saladin stopped the siege on 4 December. The king entered Kerak as the winner.^[95][96]

Baldwin was worried about his nephew's regency. The only way to make sure Guy could not take it was to end his marriage to Sibylla. Baldwin wanted to say that he made his sister marry Guy. The marriage would have been unlawful because of that. But Sibylla's loyalty to Guy stopped Baldwin's plans. The couple refused to go to court.^[97]

Later in early 1184, Baldwin ordered Guy to join him in Jerusalem. Guy said no many times. Baldwin then went to Ascalon, where Guy did not let him into the city. The king was welcomed in Jaffa, where he selected a governor. He took away half of Guy's county by doing so. In Acre, Baldwin ordered his council to join him. He probably wanted their support to take away Guy's land. But the council wanted Baldwin to forgive Guy to avoid a civil war. They then left, making the rest of the leaders go against the king.^[98] Baldwin was again friendly with the council by June. He told them by letter that Saladin was attacking Kerak.^[99] Again, Saladin stopped the attack when the king came with his army. Once in Kerak, Baldwin ordered and paid for the repairs of the castle.^[100]

In late 1184,^[101] Baldwin was shocked to learn about Guy's murder of the Bedouin in Darum. They were under protection and gave Baldwin information about the Egyptians' movements.^[102][88] The king then developed another fever. Baldwin went back to Jerusalem in late 1184 or early 1185. He gave power to Raymond of Tripoli. Baldwin never trusted Raymond, but there was nobody better.^[103][92]

Within weeks, it was clear that Baldwin was going to die. On his deathbed, the king ordered the High Court to select a permanent regent for his nephew, Baldwin V. Raymond was selected.^[104][105]

Baldwin IV died in March of 1185,^[88][106] or before 16 May 1185 at the latest. He was buried in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre,^[106] near his father, King Amalric.^[107] Baldwin V died the next year.^[108] Sibylla, who ruled after her son,^[109] made Guy king.^[110] Saladin won against Guy at the Horns of Hattin in 1187. Baldwin IV's kingdom was then taken over by Saladin. Sibylla and her daughters died in 1190. She left Isabella I as the next queen.^[111]

Christian defeat at Hattin two years after Baldwin's death hurt the king's legacy. Historians traced very bad arguments to his reign. But while Baldwin was king, the kingdom lost no land^[112] and was very successful.^[113] Baldwin knew the importance of stopping Saladin's power, which was shown in his choice of leaders.

He did not want to abdicate before finding a new king. But his leprosy made leadership very difficult.^[114] Baldwin alone kept peace in the kingdom, which was clear during his rule. After his death, he was seen as the last Christian leader to successfully defend Jerusalem.^[115][116]

Christians of the time could not agree on the problem of Baldwin's leprosy. Pope Alexander III showed little sympathy when writing about Baldwin. He said that his leprosy was a "just judgement of God". Others wanted the Christians to see Christ in the sick.^[117] Baldwin's rule may have led to a lesser hatred of the illness in his kingdom.^[118] His peoples' acceptance of his disease confused some Muslims. Muslim historian Imad al-Din al-Isfahani wrote:

Even though he was sick, the Franks were loyal to him. They supported him ... They were happy to have him as their ruler. They liked him ... They were scared to keep him as king. But they did not care about his leprosy.^[115]

The Andalusian pilgrim Ibn Jubayr, who went to the kingdom in 1184, also had a bad view of the king:

The pig who they call king is not seen, because God has given him leprosy ...^[119]

Baldwin's public image was helped by his chastity. This was seen as very good. At this time, people thought that those with leprosy were very lustful. His success against Saladin was also seen as a sign of God's favor.^[117][116] After the Seventh Crusade, a crusader was told by an old man in Damascus:

I saw a time when King Baldwin of Jerusalem, the one who had leprosy, won against Saladin. He only had 300 armed men against Saladin's 3,000. But now your sins have become so bad that we easily win against you.^[116]

Despite this, Baldwin was not very religious. While he openly wished to step down, he did not want to enter a monastic life. He was mainly a knight. To his men, his most important traits were his courage and bravery.^[116]

• Kingdom of Heaven (movie) – a movie where Edward Norton plays Baldwin, who is seen as a weak king stuck on the throne

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• Riley-Smith, Jonathan (1973). The feudal nobility and the kingdom of Jerusalem, 1174–1277. Macmillan. ISBN 9780208013484.
• Runciman, Steven (1989) [1952]. The Kingdom of Jerusalem and the Frankish East, 1100–1187. A History of the Crusades. Vol. II. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 9780521061636.
• Lewis, Kevin James (2017). The Counts of Tripoli and Lebanon in the Twelfth Century: Sons of Saint-Gilles. Routledge. ISBN 9781472458902.
• Stevenson, W. B. (1907). The Crusaders in the East: a brief history of the wars of Islam with the Latins in Syria during the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 9781107669093. {{cite book}}: ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)
• Baldwin, Marshall W. (1969) [1955]. "The Latin States under Baldwin III and Amalric I, 1143–1174; The Decline and Fall of Jerusalem, 1174–1189". In Baldwin, Marshall W. (ed.). The First Hundred Years. A History of the Crusades. Vol. I. The University of Wisconsin Press. pp. 528–561, 590–621. ISBN 9780299048341.