Lazarus.īecause Baldwin was still a minor (13) at the time of his father's death, the Kingdom was placed in the care of a regent, Raymond of Tripoli, himself a descendent of Baldwin II and one of the most powerful barons in the crusader states. 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. In 1174, Baldwin's father died unexpectedly of dysentery on his way back from a campaign against Nur ad-Din, the Sultan of Damascus. However, initially, Baldwin retained the use of his other limbs and did not suffer from noticeable disfigurement. According to Tyre, the leprosy first manifested itself as a lack of feeling in Baldwin’s right hand. In 1167, Amalric remarried, this time to the Byzantine Princess Maria Comnena.Īt about this same time, Baldwin was diagnosed with leprosy by his tutor William, Archdeacon and later Archbishop of Tyre. They remained at court with their father. Agnes was duly disposed of, but Amalric's children of his marriage, two-year-old Baldwin and his year-older sister Sibylla, were explicitly recognized as legitimate. However, the High Court of Jerusalem refused to acknowledge him as king unless he first set aside his wife Agnes de Courtney.
![king baldwin kingdom of heaven wiki king baldwin kingdom of heaven wiki](https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/whumpapedia/images/f/ff/Kingdom_of_Heaven.jpg)
What follows is a brief biography.īaldwin was born in 1161, the second child of Prince Amalric of Jerusalem, the Count of Jaffa and younger brother of King Baldwin III. Just two years latter, Baldwin III died childless, and Amalric as his closest male relative was the natural candidate as his successor. Baldwin IV was the sixth King of Jerusalem, and he came to power in a critical point in the history of the crusader states. Baldwin IV of Jerusalem has gone down in history as "the Leper King," but reducing his reign to his illness is a great injustice.