1161–1185 · King of Jerusalem (1174–1185)
Baldwin IV
Other names · Baldwin IV · Cüzzamlı Kral
King of Jerusalem who ruled against Saladin despite leprosy and tried to defer the succession crisis.
BIOGRAPHICAL DOSSIER
Life and historical role
Life and political setting
Baldwin was a son of King Amalric and showed symptoms of leprosy while still a child. When he came to the throne in 1174, the kingdom was divided among regents and court factions. The progression of his illness made the succession a permanent political issue and drew the marriages of his sister Sibylla into high politics.
Role in the Crusades
In 1177 Baldwin surprised and defeated Saladin's army at Montgisard. The defeat at Marj Ayyun and loss of the fortress at Jacob's Ford in 1179 limited that success. He tried to restrain Guy of Lusignan's influence through arrangements involving Sibylla and by crowning his nephew Baldwin V as co-king.
Biographical information is linked to the sources shown on the page and to the connected event records. Disputed dates are given as approximate, gaps are not filled by conjecture, and later literary or visual depictions are not treated as contemporary portraits.