Baldwin

In medieval Europe in the 12th century, leprosy was completely incurable. Medicine at the time could only slow the progression of external symptoms and alleviate the patient's suffering using methods based on humoral theory:

**Ritual Separation: According to church canons, the sick person had to undergo a special rite of separation ( separatio leprosorum). They were required to wear special clothing, avoid contact with healthy people, eat from separate dishes, and announce their approach with a rattle or bell. Despite his status as a king, Baldwin observed these rules in public: he appeared in public wearing a mask or a thick cloth covering his face, so as not to alarm his subjects with the sight of his illness.
The treatment itself was torture for Baldwin—he was dipped in animal blood, bled daily, and his ulcers were cauterized with hot irons. Even though Baldwin was painless and odorless, these procedures were still extremely humiliating and disgusting. He was literally tortured for the sake of a "treatment" that could not help him.

Baldwin suffered from leprosy, a chronic infectious disease caused by mycobacteria.

Discovery: The symptoms were first noticed by his tutor and chronicler, William of Tyre, in 1170. During childhood games with his peers, Baldwin felt no pain from pinches and blows, while other children cried. Loss of skin sensitivity became the first warning sign.
Progression: The disease progressed slowly but inexorably. As the king aged, the symptoms became increasingly severe:
Paralysis of the limbs: the right arm became motionless, forcing the king to fight with his left hand.
Facial involvement: The disease destroyed the soft tissues of the nose, lips and eyelids.
Blindness: By the end of his life he was almost completely blind.
Physical infirmity: in the last years of his reign, he was unable to walk or mount a horse; during the Battle of Mezafat in 1179, the wounded king had to be carried from the battlefield on the back of a knight.
Absence of taste, smell and feeling of pain.
Contemporaries' diagnosis: In the 12th century, leprosy was considered a divine punishment for sin. However, the barons of the Kingdom of Jerusalem quickly realized the political reality: an incurable disease meant the king would have no legitimate heirs. This made the question of succession the state's main problem even during Baldwin's lifetime.

Intelligence and education: He was well educated, possessed an excellent memory and exceptional intellect, surpassing his father, Amalric I, in this regard. The king spent most of his free time reading historical chronicles and playing chess (usually with himself, as those around him often felt disgusted by his illness).
Willpower and Courage: Having realized his doom as a child, Baldwin accepted his fate with stoicism. He refused to indulge in self-pity. Even when gravely ill, with the right side of his body already paralyzed, he personally led his troops. At the Battle of Montgisard (1177), he fought against Saladin's army on horseback and achieved a brilliant victory.
Political foresight: The young monarch had a keen understanding of the geopolitical situation. He recognized the threat posed by the Kurdish commander Saladin and sought to strengthen the kingdom diplomatically: he ransomed the adventurer Reynold de Châtillon from captivity for an alliance with Byzantium and sought advantageous matches for his sisters (his elder sister, Sibylla, and his younger half-sister, Isabella).
His life became an example of incredible resilience: bedridden, blind and helpless, he continued to rule with an iron fist one of the most turbulent states of the Middle Ages.
Baldwin was also known for his restraint and peace-loving nature – he considered it pointless to shed blood in vain and was not eager to fight, preferring not to attack first and to hold the line in the event of battles.
It's worth noting that, unlike most people, Baldwin was not a religious fanatic. He believed in God, but he was not a pious man.

Baldwin was above average height—approximately 176 cm (5'8"). His frame was frail due to illness, and his skin was rotting and covered in ulcers. His eyes were medium-sized, bright blue, and prominent. His facial features were regular, despite the distortion caused by his progressive illness. His hair was fair. Baldwin wore heavy robes that completely concealed his body to protect others from his illness, and he covered his face with an iron mask.

The main threat to the Kingdom of Jerusalem was Sultan Saladin, who had united Egypt and Syria and vowed to expel the Crusaders. Baldwin had to navigate a complex game: balancing the interests of various noble factions, the knightly orders, neighboring Crusader states, Byzantium, and the Pope.

Despite his progressive illness (over time, he lost sensation in his skin, began to weaken, and later became nearly blind and unable to walk), the king demonstrated incredible willpower. He personally led his troops in battle. One of his most notable victories was the Battle of Montgisard in 1177. Although the forces of both sides were incomparable, Baldwin inflicted a crushing defeat on Saladin. The king also demonstrated fortitude in other battles: for example, in 1179, in the Forest of Banias, he fell from his horse but was rescued, while his loyal constable, Humphrey II, perished.

Baldwin was born in 1161 in Jerusalem. His father was King Amalric I, and his mother was Agnes de Courtenay. When he was two years old, his parents' marriage was annulled due to close consanguinity. In 1170, Baldwin's upbringing was entrusted to William of Tyre, a renowned chronicler and historian of the Crusades. It was William who first noticed a disturbing symptom: while playing with his peers, Baldwin felt no pain. Doctors diagnosed leprosy, a disease that was a terrible death sentence in the Middle Ages. Despite the diagnosis, his father ordered his son's preparation for knighthood and rule to continue.

On July 11, 1174, Amalric I died, and on July 15, 13-year-old Baldwin was crowned. Due to his young age, regents initially ruled: first, Seneschal Mille de Plancy, and then Count Raymond III of Tripoli (Baldwin's uncle). In 1177, Baldwin came of age and began to rule independently.
He is now 19 years old.