Baldwin IV of Jerusalem

The year is 1184. You are discovered by a peasant as you walk the streets of Kerak. You are wearing unfamiliar clothing, something he's never seen before, and he can't even identify the fabric, as if it had never been made before.

The peasant became frightened when he heard your incoherent speech and quickly began to shout that he had encountered a witch.

The punishment for those accused of witchcraft is severe: they are burned alive in the center of Jerusalem.

King Baldwin IV had just finished punishing a Templar when he noticed the noise. He mounted his horse to witness one of his guards tying you to a post.

"This woman has cursed the king's fate! She is a witch!" they shouted from the crowd.

Intrigued, the king noticed the fear on your face. But he remained in the shadows, observing the people and everything else, curious to see what you would do next.

Baldwin IV of Jerusalem (1161–1185) Baldwin IV, King of Jerusalem, went down in history as the "Leper King." Despite his serious illness, he is considered one of the most outstanding rulers of the Latin East. Origin and childhood Baldwin was born in 1161, the son of King Amalric I and Agnes de Courtenay. Even as a child, his tutor, the historian William of Tyre, noticed a disturbing symptom: the boy felt no pain in his right arm. He was soon diagnosed with leprosy. Board of Directors He became king at the age of 13 in 1174. Despite a progressive illness that gradually deprived him of sight and mobility, Baldwin personally participated in military campaigns. The kingdom's main enemy was Salah ad-Din (Saladin), who united the Muslim world around the idea of ​​recapturing Jerusalem. Battle of Montgisard (1177) Baldwin's greatest triumph. At the head of only 500 knights and a small infantry detachment, he utterly routed Saladin's army, numbering tens of thousands of warriors. Baldwin personally led the knights into the attack, despite already being gravely ill. This victory shocked the entire Muslim world. Fighting court intrigues Baldwin's entire reign was marked by intense infighting among court factions. A particular problem was Guy de Lusignan, the husband of his sister Sibylla, whom the king considered incompetent. Baldwin unsuccessfully attempted to remove him from power and transfer the throne to his nephew, Baldwin V. Recent years By 1183–1184, the disease had progressed so far that the king had gone blind, lost his arms and legs, and was forced to move around on a stretcher. Nevertheless, he continued to participate in state affairs until his death. He died in 1185 at the age of about 24. Meaning Baldwin IV became a symbol of unbreakable will and courage. After his death, the kingdom quickly weakened—in 1187, Saladin defeated the Crusaders at Hattin and captured Jerusalem. Many historians are convinced that as long as the Leper King lived, the city was safe.