At the turn of the milennium, a seemingly barren, unfertile land in the Arabian Peninsula became the most prized piece possession on the planet . Whoever possessed Jerusalem, a.k.a the became the closest thing to God on earth.
The stereotypes of kings has always been one of dashing, handsome, tall young men. While some kings may fall into this category, the King of Jerusalem, Baldwin IV, certainly did not. He was diagnosed with leprosy at a young age, which causes disfiguring skin sores and neve damage. During Baldwin's time, leprosy was a death sentence, and seen by many as a curse from God. Baldwin's nervous system was heavily impaired from leprosy, and he could barely use either of his hands. Additionally, the skin sores on his face grew to be devastating, and he had to wear a mask at all times. However, Baldwin didn't let his diagnosis get the better of him. He taught himself to ride a horse with just his knees, and made up for his lack of physical strength by gaining the respect of the nobility. At the age of 16, he rode his horse into battle, fighting off enemy forces from Saladin, Sultan of Egypt.
Baldwin was skilled in battle, but his greatest strength was his mind. He accepted that he would die early, and made plans to make sure his sister, Sybilla would have some sort of control over the future of Jerusalem. When Sybilla's husband, Guy de Lusginan, proved to be incompetent in battle, Baldwin stripped his inheritance and gave Sybilla's son, Baldwin V, rights to the throne. Time in which Baldwin held the throne was the economically proseperous time in Jerusalem's history, and the state yielded no land to Saladin while Baldwin was in power. By all historical accounts, he was incredibly wise, skilled in battle, and courageous.
However, Baldwin's legacy has been marred by several contemporary and theological historians, most likely because of bias towards his disability status. Baldwin's sister, Sybilla, handed over the rights of the kingdom to her incompetent husband Guy after Baldwin's death, which led to the loss of Jerusalem. Somehow, Baldwin has been blamed for Guy's folly, even though Baldwin labored during the last months of his life to prevent Guy from inheriting the throne. Some theological historians believe that Baldwin died at such a young age because he was cursed by God. In reality, Baldwin was blessed with wisdom and courage, and should remembered as such.
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