The king of leprosy, and the greatest ruler of the Middle Ages. The forgotten Baldwin IV

Saladin’s army was thundered not by the famous Richard the Lionheart, but by the forgotten King Baldwin IV. He was one of the greatest rulers of the Middle Ages. His worst enemy, however, turned out to be illness.

Fragment, Battle between Baldwin IV and Saladin’s Egyptians, November 18, 1177. — [Photo: Charles-Philippe Larivière, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons]

In 1161, the brother of Jerusalem’s King Baldwin III — Count Amalric — had reason to rejoice. His…