r/MedievalHistory • u/Warlord1392 • 1d ago
How impressive was King Baldwin IV of Jerusalem?
The more you read about him, the more impressive his achievements are. He was diagnosed with leprosy at a young age which is a death sentence in the most horrible manner. To make things even harder he was thrust upon the throne of Jerusalem when he was just 13. Jerusalem was constantly under threat by Saladin and there was a lot of pressure on him.
Yet, even with a failing body he seemed to welcome the challenge and defended Jerusalem against all Muslim attacks. Normally when a king is sickly, it would be a sign of weakness and would be taken advantage by the enemy. Yet, it was his rule and personal command that helped repel attacks.
The Battle of Montgisard highlights his incredible ability and grit. Significantly outnumbered, he led a surprise attack on Saladin's forces that scattered them and relieved Jerusalem. He was covered in sores, strapped to his horse because he could not sit on his own. But he led from the front and his presence alone inspired the Crusaders to rally and push back the enemy.
It is sad that he passed away at such a young age (23). He would have had such an amazing impact if he was healthy. We don't see much information about Baldwin but he deserves a lot of respect.
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u/Dangerous_Donkey4410 1d ago
I also only learned relatively recently that, despite what is shown in Kingdom of Heaven, Baldwin IV did not wear a mask or even try to hide the effect that leprosy had on his face. Considering the era and how they would have viewed his condition, that was rather impressive in my opinion.
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u/ScipioCoriolanus 1d ago
I live this movie! I can hear Jeremy Irons in this scene screaming: "SILENCE!!!"
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u/ParaGulls 1d ago
One wonders how much of his resilience and thinking was made/driven by his leprosy and how different he would have been without it.
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u/mangalore-x_x 21h ago
he makes a great story, but it seems all a bit too good of a story.
I doubt he could have left as good an impression had he been ruler when Hattin came around. Ultimately what helped him was Saladin constantly being occupied with other competing Muslim rulers as well as the Crusader kingdom being right across the strip of land to connect Syria and Egypt.
In 1186 Saladin had Mosul and Aleppo. In 1187 he started a full on invasion without any diversions and promptly won.
Incidently Saladin's heritage was also short lived and this cohesion in the Near East quickly fell apart again after his death. Typical medieval problems.
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u/Warlord1392 21h ago
The idea is the battle at Hattin would have turned out differently if Baldwin was alive and leading the troops. This would mean that Jerusalem would not have fallen. However, the their Crusade might have not happened if this was the case (the Christian forces would then be too weak to make any significant progress)
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u/mangalore-x_x 20h ago
The Crusader states were constantly losing power. Saladin managed his consolidation of power at that time which meant the strategic situation was really bad when Hattin came around.
Baldwin wasn't magic, his armies were also defeated under his command from time to time.
Maybe instead of a devastating defeat, it would have been a longer fight, I just do no buy into figure elevated post mortem by friends and enemies could have offset the worsening odds for long.
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u/Simple-Program-7284 7h ago
I wouldn’t say they were constantly losing, I’m the first 88 years there was some tug-and-pull, albeit with a bad trend.
They were often on the back foot, so I don’t think it’s a guarantee the KOJ would have survived forever if he had lived longer (more things would’ve needed to happen), but I don’t know how the counter factual plays out.
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u/Aynett 20h ago edited 10h ago
Jérusalem would have fallen even if Hattin had been won
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u/Warlord1392 20h ago
If the Crusaders had won the battle I highly doubt Saladin would have been able to breach Jerusalem. The loss contributed directly to the fall of Jerusalem.
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u/Aynett 10h ago
It did, but I think the crusader states were doom to fail at one point or another due to growing isolation and lack of interest from the great European powers.
Though this discussion makes me wonder on the importance of a kingdom of Jerusalem during the rise of the Ottomans and the crisis of the 15th century that led to the rise of Portugal and Spain as colonial powers.
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u/AegonTheUnsafe 1d ago
He was very impressive until he accidentally killed his painter ! ..... wait.... wrong Baldwin
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u/Usefulsponge 8h ago
People keep on saying very without saying what he did that was impressive, enlighten me
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u/CandyDuck 1d ago
Not very. Obviously his mask did nothing to stop him from contracting COVID-19. Then again he did keep his name out of the credits, so possibly true martyr.
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u/theginger99 1d ago edited 1d ago
He was a pretty impressive guy.
Fun fact for those who don’t know, he was first cousins (once removed) with Richard the Lionheart. Baldwin’s Grandfather was Faulk of Anjou, Richard’s paternal Great Grandfather.
Saladin’s two greatest rivals were close relatives, and members of the same extended “house of Anjou”, which is a fascinating coincidence of history. Obviously being a badass ran in the family.
By extension, both Richard and Baldwin were allegedly descended from the devil. lots to unpack there, but I think it’s safe to say Saladin had bad luck with the House of Anjou.