Since learning of the Leper King a few years ago, I have been really fascinated with the whole idea that the king of a holy city could get leprosy and still have the respect of his people. The movie, Kingdom of Heaven, is where I first learned of Baldwin IV. I was curious and set out to do more research. This is what I discovered.
First, he was a real person and a real king! He ruled the Kingdom of Jerusalem from 1174 (when his father, Almaric I died) until 1185 (when Baldwin himself died at the age of 24). He really did have leprosy. He never married or had any children. He really did have a full sister named Sibylla and it was her son, Baldwin V, that inherited the thrown when Baldwin died. Baldwin V only lived to be 9 years old and then the kingdom passed on to Sibylla and her husband, Guy of Lusignan, under whom it ultimately fell to Saladin at the Battle of Hattin.
Baldwin’s leprosy is discovered above when he is playing with other children and feels no pain. Archbishop William of Tyre discovers the illness. The above painting is included in his writing, Historia
As we did discussed in class, Baldwin IV has been turned into an ideal hero in more recent times.
This is the cover of a book from the 2000s.
This close-up of a painting by Charles-Phillipe Lariviere, done around the 1850s, shows King Baldwin going into battle at Montgisard. The painting is romanticized to show the king as very healthy and strong.
Art and Writing in the Crusaders' World 