In the comfort of the royal palace, Prince Baldwin played an innocent, boyish game with his peers. This incident would reveal something that would change the course not only of the prince’s life, but also that of his kingdom. A leper king from a young age, Baldwin IV’s story is a remarkable chapter in the history of the Jerusalemite dynasty. Unrivaled in his courageous attempts to protect his kingdom, Baldwin’s throne would pass to lesser men, but his legacy and his example endured throughout the centuries.
A Childhood Game Reveals Tragedy
While Baldwin was a young prince, his tutor William of Tyre discovered something that would shake the Jerusalemite dynasty to its core. William relates that Baldwin:
“was playing one day with his companions of noble rank, when they began, as playful boys often do, to pinch each other’s arms and hands with their nails. The other boys gave evidence of pain by their outcries, but Baldwin, although his comrades did not spare him, endured it altogether too patiently, as if he felt nothing. After this had occurred several times, it was reported to me. At first I supposed that it proceeded from his capacity for endurance and not from lack of sensitiveness. But when I called him and began to inquire what it meant, I discovered that his right arm and hand were partially numb, so that he did not feel pinching or even biting in the least.”
William suggests that at first, he assumed Baldwin’s strength and stamina were the cause of his unusual ability to endure the pinching from his peers. Yet upon further investigation, Baldwin’s numbness became a cause for grave concern.
William of Tyre
William, later Archbishop of Tyre, was born in Jerusalem around the year 1130. Most of what we know about him comes from his chronicle known as The Historia, in which he includes few details about himself. Probably born to Frankish parents, William’s intellectual talents were recognized early, and he was sent to Western Europe to study in preparation for a career in the Church. He returned to the Holy Land in 1165.
King Amalric soon recognized William’s abilities, and in 1167, appointed him Archdeacon and later Archbishop of Tyre. After the two men discovered they shared a love of history, the king asked William to compile a history of the Jerusalemite dynasty. In 1170, in a further mark of trust, Amalric appointed William as tutor to his young son, Prince Baldwin. William undertook this task with care and diligence and took great delight in his new pupil.
For the next four years, William remained constantly in the prince’s company. This exalted position also gave him regular access to the king and members of the royal court. His presence there provided valuable opportunities to gather information and testimony for the chronicle he was composing.
Tutor to Prince Baldwin
Baldwin proved to be an astute student who demonstrated a keen intellect. William instructed him in reading and writing, as well as in the liberal arts. He discovered that, like his father, Baldwin shared a love of history and enjoyed listening to historical tales, no doubt recounted to him by William as he compiled his chronicle.
William’s task would also have been to prepare Baldwin for his future role as king. This preparation involved developing essential skills, including ensuring he acquired a working knowledge of legal matters. Significantly, Baldwin’s education also included cultivating the social skills necessary for kingship, enabling him to converse easily with his nobles and subjects of all ranks.
It was in this intimate role as tutor that William made his devastating discovery.
A Grim Diagnosis
William informed the king of Baldwin’s numbness, and physicians were consulted. He continues:
“Repeated fomentations, oil rubs, and even poisonous remedies were employed without result in the attempt to help him. For, as we recognized in process of time, these were the premonitory symptoms of a most serious and incurable disease which later became plainly apparent… For, as he began to reach years of maturity, it was evident that he was suffering from the terrible disease of leprosy.”
William’s account indicates that a formal diagnosis was not made until Baldwin “began to reach years of maturity.” This suggests that Baldwin suffered from lepromatous leprosy, the most severe form of the disease, which typically becomes fully apparent during adolescence. It would appear, therefore, that Baldwin was only definitively diagnosed with leprosy after his father’s death in 1174, when he became king aged 13.
William’s close relationship with Baldwin is revealed in his emotional response to the diagnosis: “It is impossible to refrain from tears while speaking of this great misfortune.” William grieved not only for the suffering of his pupil but also for the future of the kingdom. This moment was monumental. It shaped the fate not only of the Jerusalemite dynasty but of Jerusalem itself. Baldwin’s short life meant he was unlikely to emulate the accomplishments of many of his predecessors. Most significantly, he would not marry or produce children to succeed him. William likely feared that the throne would eventually pass to less capable hands, unworthy of the kingship.
Medieval Attitudes Towards Leprosy
In the medieval West, leprosy was considered highly contagious. For this reason, sufferers were often shunned. They were deemed unclean, and the disease from which they suffered was regarded as a physical manifestation of moral corruption. It was perceived as a punishment from God. Lepers were considered sinners and depraved individuals, and they were frequently banished from society lest they contaminate others with their incurable condition.
In the East, however, leprosy was better understood and not considered as highly contagious as in the West, a view closer to modern medical understanding. Flight from or shunning of the leper was not advocated in the same way. Indeed, a military order in the Holy Land, the Order of St Lazarus, was composed mostly of lepers.
Despite these differing attitudes, leprosy remained incompatible with kingship.
Baldwin IV, Leprosy and Kingship
We might ask how Baldwin contracted leprosy. Certainly, those around him were not recorded as lepers. If there had been any known sufferers within the royal household, they would surely have been kept away from the court.
Only a small percentage of the population is susceptible to leprosy. The disease spreads only to those who are vulnerable and typically requires prolonged, close contact with an infected individual. It is therefore likely that someone in close proximity to the young prince passed the disease on to him. This was probably his wet nurse or another individual responsible for his personal care during childhood.
Medieval kings were duty-bound to marry and produce heirs to continue the dynasty. Because leprosy was widely believed to be highly contagious, marriage was unlikely to have been seriously considered for Baldwin once his diagnosis became clear. Instead, the continuation of the dynasty would depend upon his elder sister, Sibylla.
There were also physical limitations to consider. Baldwin’s particular form of leprosy would render him increasingly disabled throughout his short adult life. Yet he was determined to rule and refused to allow his debilitating illness to prevent him from exercising effective kingship in Jerusalem.
As leprosy rendered Baldwin’s right arm useless, a riding tutor was appointed to teach him how to control a horse using only his knees. This adaptation allowed his left arm to remain free to wield a sword.
Baldwin the Warrior
Baldwin’s horsemanship enabled him to lead his troops into battle, and he did so from a remarkably young age. At 14 and 15, he participated in several raids against Damascus. In 1177, he led his forces to victory against Saladin at the Battle of Montgisard. Baldwin was only 16 years old at the time, yet he commanded a small force and defeated a numerically superior Muslim army. This extraordinary triumph secured his reputation as a formidable military king.
His courage was again evident in 1182, when he mustered an army to confront Saladin during an invasion of the kingdom. The following year, he led a force to relieve Christians besieged by Saladin at Kerak.
Baldwin demonstrated that illness did not equate to weakness. Despite his condition, he proved himself a worthy successor to his forefathers, the heroic leaders of the First Crusade.
The Leper King’s Body
Leprosy placed an enormous burden on Baldwin’s body. Ulcers would have caused severe pain in his arms and legs, and these wounds were prone to infection. The continual cleaning and dressing of them must have been agonizing for an already fragile body.
Leprosy attacks the extremities, and Baldwin’s nose, fingers, and toes would eventually have been destroyed by the disease. William of Tyre records that from 1182, “his sight failed and his extremities became completely deadened so that his hands and feet refused to perform their office.”
Although blind and with hands and feet that no longer functioned properly, Baldwin refused to retire. When he could no longer ride, he was carried in a litter, still appearing at the head of his forces. When important dignitaries arrived in the kingdom, Baldwin refused to receive them from his sickbed. During one severe episode of illness, he traveled in a litter from the relative comfort of Ascalon to Jerusalem to meet Count Philip of Flanders.
Baldwin’s endurance earned him widespread loyalty. There is no evidence to suggest that his subjects, or indeed others in the East, questioned his legitimacy as king. William writes: “The extremities and the face were especially attacked, so that his faithful followers were moved with compassion when they looked at him.” His face was likely disfigured from an early stage of the disease, yet despite his altered appearance and growing physical limitations, Baldwin retained his crown until his death in 1185.
Baldwin’s Legacy
William of Tyre’s emotional account of discovering Baldwin IV’s leprosy offers a rare glimpse into an intimate historical moment, one that would change the fortunes of Jerusalem and the Crusader States. Baldwin’s illness marked the beginning of the end for the kingdom, as his declining health contributed to internal division and a succession crisis following his death.
After Baldwin’s passing, the kingdom eventually fell into the hands of a less capable successor, Guy of Lusignan, whose military decisions culminated in disaster at the Battle of Hattin in 1187 and the subsequent fall of Jerusalem.
Baldwin, the Leper King who defied a death sentence for over a decade, eventually succumbed to his illness and died in 1185 at the age of 24, yet his legacy has endured for centuries. Burdened by extreme pain and physical deterioration, he nevertheless achieved remarkable feats within his short lifetime and is remembered as one of the most extraordinary rulers of the Middle Ages.
