Crusades · 4 chapters
The Story of Baldwin IV
The Leper King
A teenage king ravaged by leprosy who held together a crumbling Crusader kingdom through sheer willpower, and defeated Saladin's army when no one believed he could stand.
Start ReadingChapters
1
The Leper King Saladin Couldn't Kill
A blind, paralyzed king commanded armies from a litter while his body rotted--yet held Saladin at bay for a decade.
14 min read
2
Baldwin IV: The King Everyone Wanted Dead
Blind, paralyzed, and rotting alive--Baldwin IV spent his final years fighting his own family to save Jerusalem from a fool.
11 min read
3
How the Leper King Destroyed Saladin's Army
November 25th, 1177. A sixteen-year-old king with leprosy led 450 knights against Saladin's 26,000-man army at the Battle of Montgisard--and won.
12 min read
4
Saladin Enters Jerusalem. Then Came the Chains.
Saladin waited ten years for Baldwin IV to die. When he finally took Jerusalem, 15,000 Christians marched into slavery.
10 min read
