Baldwin, King of Jerusalem | Encyclopedia.com What follows is a brief biography. [4] Amalric ensured that Baldwin, as the heir apparent, received a good education. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. [52] The king took his humble host to Ascalon, where in desperation he issued an arrire-ban, summoning all able-bodied men. [34][35] The Byzantine emperor Alexios I Komnenos demanded an oath of allegiance from their leaders and imposed a blockade on their camp to enforce it. Baldwin IV's father died when Baldwin was thirteen-years-old. He took after his father in good looks, body shape, and manner of walking and expressing himself. Baldwin V (1177 or 1178 August 1186) was King of Jerusalem who reigned together with his uncle Baldwin IV from 1183 to 1185 and, after his uncle's death, as the sole king from 1185 to his death. 0 references. [214] Baldwin led an expedition across the Jordan and ordered the construction of the castle of Montreal in the autumn of 1115. [14] Baldwin IV had died by 16 May 1185, leaving Baldwin V as the sole king. Baldwin failed to have Sibylla's marriage to Guy annulled and Guy's fief of Ascalon confiscated. [81] Strengthened by troops from Edessa, Baldwin raided Balduk's territory and placed a garrison in a small fortress near Samosata.[82]. [180][181] They inflicted a decisive defeat on the Egyptian and Syrian armies at Ramla on 27August. [251] Historians Hans Eberhard Mayer, Christopher Tyerman and Malcolm Barber agree that William of Tyre most probably referred to Baldwin's homosexuality. [195] Baldwin made an alliance with him and they laid siege to Sidon in October 1110. [88] Baldwin recovered unexpectedly and returned to Jerusalem. [37] As Raynald's mission was successful, Baldwin consented to his marriage with the lady of Oultrejordain, Stephanie of Milly. [182] In 1107 the Egyptians attacked Hebron, but Baldwin forced them to lift the siege. [196][202] The following year Baldwin marched to Ascalon:[203] to prevent a siege the Egyptian governor of the town, Shams al-Khalfa, promised to pay 70,000 dinars as a tribute and allowed crusader troops into the citadel. [206] Toghtekin, Mawdud and Ayaz invaded Galilee, but they did not risk attacking Tiberias after the arrival of the troops from Tripoli and Antioch. [61][62] Baldwin reached the town on around 30September. [120][121] After his return, the Armenian lord of Melitene, Gabriel, swore fealty to him. PDF THE LEPER KING AND HIS HEIRS - Cambridge University Press & Assessment Daimbert, the Latin patriarch, and Tancred offered Jerusalem to Tancred's uncle, Bohemond I of Antioch. [223][224] He seized Farama on the Nile Delta without a fight as the townspeople had fled in panic before he reached the town. [91][110] Attacks by Muslim troops, fatigue and diseases caused heavy casualties during the journey, but most of the pilgrims reached Jerusalem on 21December. [35][40][41] The crusaders were transferred to a camp established on the road between Chalcedon and Nicomedia in Asia Minor, but Godfrey and Baldwin soon returned to Constantinople to be present when the commanders of a new crusader army did homage to Alexios. Baldwin IV of Jerusalem Biography - King of Jerusalem (1161-1185; r [115], Godfrey died unexpectedly on 18July 1100. [64][65][66], The Armenians regarded Baldwin as a liberator. Baldwin IV of Jerusalem. The only way to ensure that Guy could not claim it was to have his marriage to Sibylla annulled. His full sister was Queen Sibylla of Jerusalem and his nephew through this sister was the child-king Baldwin V. He had a half sister through his father's second marriage to . The Patriarch crowned him king in Bethlehem on 25December. [25] Yet, contrary to the common practice[6] and to the surprise of Muslim observers, Baldwin was never segregated. [220][221], Baldwin fell seriously ill in late 1116. [242][97] Modern historians call her Arda and associate her father with Tathoul of Marash. [52] He persuaded the Seljuk garrison of Tarsus to raise his flag on the citadel, even before his troops were granted access to the town. [119] Bohemond, however, was captured by the Danishmend Gazi Gmshtigin in the hills near Melitene around 15August. Baldwin IV (French; Latin language: Balduinus; 1161 - 16 March 1185), called the Leper, [1] or The Leper King reigned as King of Jerusalem from 1174 until his death. A year of official mourning for the child's father, William, concluded in June 1178, and it became appropriate to seek another husband for her. [119] Although Warner soon died, two other members of Godfrey's court, Geldemar Carpenel and Arnulf of Chocques, sent a delegation to Baldwin, urging him to come to Jerusalem. On July 15, 1176, he came of age. [187][188] Baldwin convoked an assembly to put an end to the crusader leaders' conflicts. [213] Toghtekin and Mawdud returned to Damascus where an Assassin murdered Mawdud in late September. Leprosy was suspected, but there were no visible symptoms yet and physicians hesitated to diagnose because of the stigma the boy would face. published on 09 January 2023. [199] Baldwin II of Edessa accused Tancred of having incited the Muslim rulers to take actions against him. [129][132] The ceremony took place in the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem on Christmas Day. [119] Daimbert sent a letter to him, stating that Baldwin's rule would "bring about the downfall of the church and the destruction of Christianity itself", according to later chronicler William of Tyre. [55][56][57] Baldwin's own men blamed him for their fate and massacred the remnants of the Seljuk garrison. [47][49] There they could count on the support of the local Armenians, especially as Baldwin had already been befriended by an Armenian nobleman, Bagrat. Guy brusquely refused, possibly because Tyre was more lucrative, leaving Baldwin gravely insulted. [14] The young king's coronation by the Latin patriarch of Jerusalem, Amalric of Nesle, took place immediately in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. [35], In order to carry out his attack on Egypt, Baldwin needed naval support. Baldwin IV became king of Jerusalem through an unlikely set of circumstances, starting with the deaths of his uncle and father. [109], Christian defeat at Hattin two years after Baldwin's death marred the king's legacy, with historians tracing fatal discord to Baldwin's reign. [53] Baldwin reached Tarsus on the following day. [10] The historian John France says that Baldwin most probably realised that the Gregorian Reform had diminished his chance to seize rich benefices. [209] The Byzantines tried to persuade him to join a coalition against Tancred, while he wanted to secure their assistance against Tyre. [115][116] Duqaq, the Seljuk ruler of Damascus, sent forces to attack them, but the crusaders routed the Seljuk troops near Baalbek. [155] On 17 May, and against all advice, Baldwin and a force of about 500 horsemen that included dozens of new crusaders, rode out to meet the Egyptians. [82] Baldwin pledged to save his adoptive father, but when the rioters broke into the citadel on 9March and murdered both Thoros and his wife, he did nothing to help them. [77][89] Antioch became the capital of a new Crusader state, the Principality of Antioch, with Tancred's uncle, Bohemond of Taranto, as its first prince. [27][28] Godfrey left Baldwin in charge of his troops during his conference with Coloman of Hungary, to discuss the conditions of the crusaders' march across the country. [134] In most of his charters, he also emphasised that he was Godfrey's lawful heir. Omissions? Battles and truce with Baldwin. [171] After a fleet of Genoese and Pisan ships arrived at Haifa in April 1104, Baldwin made an alliance with their commanders and again besieged Acre. Frontispiece Baldwin IV topples a Muslim opponent at the battle of Mont Gisard. [42][43] He brought to Baldwin financial aid from another cousin, King Henry II of England. Even his humiliated brother-in-law led his men. In 1180, in order to forestall a coup by Count Raymond III of Tripoli and Prince Bohemond III of Antioch, Baldwin had Sibylla marry Guy of Lusignan. The king was unhorsed and carried to safety on a knight's back because he could not remount on his own. She is frequently accused by historians of exploiting her son's condition for self-gain, but the contemporary sources, including Baldwin's tutor, William of Tyre, are biased against her. [79] Saladin abandoned the siege, but declined to make a truce, worrying Baldwin and his advisers. Baldwin V may also refer to, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Baldwin_V_of_Jerusalem&oldid=1166984194, Burials at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 4.0, This page was last edited on 25 July 2023, at 00:47. [23] It is not clear from whom he caught it, but it must have been someone with whom he spent a lot of time and who did not exhibit easily visible symptoms. [8], It became apparent in late 1184 or early 1185 that Baldwin IV was dying. The king reluctantly heeded his vassals' advice. Baldwin I, [a] also known as Baldwin of Boulogne (1060s - 2 April 1118), was the first count of Edessa from 1098 to 1100, and king of Jerusalem from 1100 to his death in 1118. [11] Historian Susan B. Edgington, on the other hand, proposes that Baldwin preferred a secular career because his childless brother, Godfrey of Bouillon, duke of Lower Lotharingia, had taken ill suddenly, giving Baldwin a chance to inherit his duchy. [92] His presence was essential to unite the discordant barons. He threatened to destroy a mosque in Darayya, but local Christians convinced him not to for fear of losing their churches in retaliation. [90], In late November, Baldwin IV ordered the lighting of a beacon on the Tower of David, which may have been the first in a chain of such beacons, in order to hearten the defenders of the intensely bombarded Kerak. In an attempt to keep the succession to the throne in his family, the childless Baldwin crowned his nephew King Baldwin V in November 1183, naming Raymond of Tripoli and Jocelin III of Courtenay the boys guardians. [65] The king had never approved of Baldwin's ambition to marry his sister, and though he did wish to abdicate, he was not keen on having terms forced on him. [166] Baldwin wrote to Alexios I Komnenos, urging him not to obstruct their journey. [36] Baldwin made raids against the districts outside the walls of Constantinople, compelling Alexios to lift the blockade. He was welcomed in Jaffa, where he installed a governor, thereby depriving Guy of half of his county. [9] For reasons that are unknown, and at an unspecified time, he abandoned his church career and became a knight. [76][77] Baldwin did not want to serve Thoros as a mercenary. Taking advantage of a riot against Thoros, Baldwin seized the town and established the first Crusader state on 10March 1098. Contents 1 Early life 2 Baldwin's rule 3 Baldwin and Guy of Lusignan Notable Cases of Leprosy - News-Medical.net [54] Heavily outnumbered by Baldwin's troops, Tancred decided not to fight for the town and rode off. When physicians informed him that Baldwin could develop leprosy, Amalric may have begun viewing Sibylla and Stephen as eventual monarchs instead of Baldwin, but the match fell through. He summoned the High Court to select a regent for his nephew. He was admired by his contemporaries and later historians for his willpower and dedication to the Latin kingdom in the face of debilitating leprosy, which eventually left him blind and unable to use either his hands or his feet. He relied chiefly on his mother in this period. [222] To strengthen the defence of the southern frontier, he launched an expedition against Egypt in March 1118. [17][11] Shortly thereafter Count Raymond III of Tripoli arrived in Jerusalem and succeeded in claiming regency as the king's closest kinsman. As the boy had the next best claim after his mother, Agnes's proposal was widely accepted. [169][170], Baldwin laid siege to Acre in April 1103, but an Egyptian fleet relieved the town. He received the County of Verdun in 1096, but he soon joined the crusader army of his brother Godfrey of Bouillon and became one of the most successful commanders of the First Crusade. On 16 March 1185, at the age of twenty-three, Baldwin IV passed away. [140] During a passionate debate in the presence of the papal legate, Daimbert stated that Baldwin should not "presume to make tributary and servant the holy Church". Having found that coastal climate suited his health, Baldwin offered Jerusalem to Guy in exchange for Tyre. [77] The recent anti-Catholic coup in Constantinople gave Saladin confidence to attack the Kingdom of Jerusalem. [197] After the fall of Beirut, Baldwin and Bertrand[198] hurried to Edessa to fight against the invaders. [218] Pagan had come to the Holy Land in the entourage of Baldwin's third wife, Adelaide del Vasto. Publication types Biography Editorial Historical Article Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't . https://www.britannica.com/biography/Baldwin-IV-king-of-Jerusalem, My Hero - Biography of King Baldwin the 4th. Baldwin retained only the royal title and authority over the city of Jerusalem, but he had Guy swear that, while Baldwin lived, he would not make himself king or alienate parts of the royal demesne. [182], The Egyptians failed to launch any major military campaigns against the Kingdom of Jerusalem, but they did continually raid Baldwin's southern frontier. Baldwins health steadily deteriorated, requiring periodic appointment of other regents and contributing to power struggles among the nobility. [13] From there the boy was carried to banquet on the shoulders of Balian of Ibelin, stepfather of Baldwin IV and Sibylla's half-sister, Isabella, thus signifying that the succession arrangement had the support of the potential contender's family. He was the youngest son of Eustace II, Count of Boulogne, and Ida of Lorraine and married a Norman noblewoman, Godehilde of Tosny. [241] According to the historians Steven Runciman and Christopher MacEvitt, Baldwin and Godehilde had children who did not long survive her,[63][66] but historian Alan V. Murray emphasises that no primary source states that Baldwin fathered children. On 20 November 1183, Baldwin V was crowned as the co-king with Baldwin IV. [194][195] Baldwin spared the lives of the townspeople and many of them moved to Tyre and Damascus. In the view of the twelve governors' and all their fellow citizens' steadfastness and goodwill towards Baldwin, [Thoros of Edessa] had to grant their request whether he liked it or not, and he made Baldwin his own adopted son according to the custom of that region and people, binding him to his naked chest and clothing him once for all under the garment closest to his own flesh, with pledges given and received by both parties. [57][58] Fearful of vengeance, Baldwin took shelter in a tower, but finally convinced his soldiers of his innocence. Freebase ID /m/012btb. [17][18] Baldwin regularly visited the fortress of his wife's family at Conches-en-Ouche. [52] Though still recovering from malaria, Baldwin rode to meet the sultan,[53] while the Knights Templar hurried to defend Gaza. [103][104] The continued support that Baldwin provided his brother with increased his brother's standing within the crusade army, proofing crucial during the crusade as food was many times scarce. [49][50], Baldwin and Tancred led two separate contingents. He disinherited Guy and had Sibylla's son, Baldwin V, crowned co-king before having himself taken in a litter to lift Saladin's siege of Kerak. [34], William of Montferrat married Baldwin's sister, Sibylla, in November 1176 despite misgivings of the nobles who no longer trusted his cousin Emperor Frederick's ability to aid the kingdom. [153][154] After a short resistance, they fled in panic, pursued by the crusaders as far as Ascalon. [21] He was succeeded by his mother, Sibylla,[23] who then invested Guy with kingship. Crusader King: A Novel of Baldwin IV and the Crusades - TAN Books [11] Joscelin was Baldwin V's granduncle with no claim to the throne, and so the High Court trusted him, unlike Raymond, to keep the king safe. Baldwin II of Edessa and Bertrand swore fealty to him. [136][139], A new papal legate, Maurice of Porto, came to Jerusalem in early March 1101. [131], Baldwin was reconciled with Daimbert who agreed to anoint and crown him king. "[64], During the Holy Week in 1180, the prince of Antioch and the count of Tripoli marched with their armies to Jerusalem. King Baldwin IV of Jerusalem Alias (es) The king Leper King My lord Jerusalem Beautiful Boy Origin Kingdom of Heaven Occupation King of Jerusalem Powers / Skills Intelligence Strategy Persuasion Hobby Spending time with his people Playing chess Goals He was the son of Amalric I of Jerusalem and his first wife, Agnes of Courtenay . [12], After the question of regency was settled, Baldwin V and Raymond received homage as king and regent, respectively. Baldwin IV may also refer to, 13th-century depiction of Baldwin toppling an enemy at the, Learn how and when to remove this template message, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Baldwin_IV_of_Jerusalem&oldid=1164856026, This page was last edited on 11 July 2023, at 14:02. [5] Had the diagnosis been made when he was a child, Baldwin might have been required by law to enter the Order of St Lazarus, a military order composed of affected knights and serjeants. [113][114] Baldwin and Bohemond left Jerusalem on 1January 1100. [107][108] The two ringleaders were mutilated in accordance with Byzantine laws, but the others were allowed to redeem themselves for large fees. Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. [240], Uncertainty surrounds the name and family of his second wife, whom he married in the summer of 1098. [80][84] Shortly after Baldwin's return from campaign, the local nobles started plotting against Thoros, possibly with Baldwin's consent (as is stated by contemporary chronicler Matthew of Edessa). King Baldwin IV was born in 1165 in Jerusalem, the family of the king of Jerusalem Amaury I and Queen Agnes de Courtenay. Here's How Tall Ireland Baldwin Really Is - The List [249] Their marriage was bigamous, because Baldwin's second wife was still alive. [214] He made an alliance with the crusader rulers, and their coalition forced the Seljuk troops to withdraw without a fight. But now your sins have come to such a pass that we round you up in the fields like cattle. [122] His chaplain, Fulcher of Chartres, noticed that Baldwin "grieved somewhat over the death of his brother, but rejoiced more over his inheritance". Saladin in turn attacked Baldwin's kingdom in 1177, but the king and the nobleman Raynald of Chtillon repelled him at Montgisard, earning Baldwin fame. He was attended by his mother and the new patriarch, Heraclius, at nearby Nazareth. Baldwin IV of Jerusalem Biography - Famous People in the World "[235], Baldwin's earliest extant charters were issued in the early 1100s, but the establishment of a chancery took years. [216][217] The following year, he returned to the region and marched as far as Akaba on the Red Sea. [56] The young king was in the forefront. [191] Raymond's inheritance was distributed between Bertrand and Jordan, with Bertrand swearing fealty to Baldwin, and Jordan to Tancred. [57] In 1178, Baldwin hosted the patriarch of the Syriac Orthodox Church, Michael the Syrian, in Jerusalem and won his lasting loyalty to Frankish cause. [116] After the disastrous Seventh Crusade, a crusader was told by an old man in Damascus: I have seen a time when King Baldwin of Jerusalem, the one who was a leper, beat Saladin although he only had 300 armed men against Saladin's 3,000. [7], In 1183 Baldwin IV summoned a council to discuss who would be an acceptable alternative to Guy. His condition worsened rapidly. He thus sent Raynald of Chtillon to lead an embassy to Emperor Manuel, Raynald's stepson-in-law, in Constantinople in the winter of 117677. [165] However, only the arrival of a fleet filled with hundreds of English, French and German pilgrims forced the Egyptians to lift the siege on 27May. During Joscelin's absence, from mid-1180 to mid-1181, the full burden of government fell on the shoulders of the king, whose health was deteriorating. [65][71][72] Being the first town to convert to Christianity, Edessa had played an important role in Christian history. Baldwin was a quick learner, but he stuttered. [45] Still in sickbed in Ascalon, the king had himself taken back to Jerusalem in a litter and convened a general council, on the advice of which he offered regency to Philip. [228] On his deathbed, he named Eustace III of Boulogne as his successor, but also authorised the barons to offer the throne to Baldwin of Edessa or "someone else who would rule the Christian people and defend the churches", if his brother did not accept the crown. [5] Baldwin IV initially intended Guy to become the next king,[6] but soon Baldwin IV realized that his brother-in-law's unpopularity with the barons of the Kingdom of Jerusalem and rulers of the neighbouring Crusader states, Prince Bohemond III of Antioch and Count Raymond III of Tripoli, made him a poor candidate. [9] Though he had not yet been diagnosed, the High Court must have been aware of the royal physicians' suspicions that Baldwin had contracted leprosy. [183] Early the following year, he made a raid into Oultrejordain and forced the enemy to destroy a fortress recently built by Damascene troops to control the caravan routes. King Baldwin, nicknamed "the leprous" because of his notorious ailment, Baldwin made up for his lack of dynastic abilities (he could only sire one son, Baldwin V of Jerusalem) by proving to be a great commander during the wars against his . [24] The Templars took Baldwin's body to Jerusalem,[25] and he was buried in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre along with six of his predecessors. [42] Philip declined, and Raynald retained his post. [208] In late November, he laid siege to Tyre, although he had no supporting fleet. He was also known as the 'Leper King' of Jerusalem. [59][60], Tancred had meanwhile seized the prosperous town of Mamistra. [183] In late 1108, he concluded a ten-year truce with Toghtekin in exchange for one-third of state revenues from the northern regions of Oultrejordain. Baldwin was born in 1161, the second child of Prince Amalric of Jerusalem, the Count of Jaffa and younger brother of King Baldwin III. [89] During his march towards Antioch, Kerbogha did not wish to risk allowing the crusaders to hold Edessa. [8] In June 1174, the king came down with dysentery. [155] Baldwin escaped from the fortress before the Egyptians laid siege to it, leaving his troops to be killed or captured. [82], Baldwin could not walk unsupported or use his hands from 1183. [143][145] The Genoese received one third of the booty, but Baldwin did not grant areas in the captured towns to them. Baldwin IV's leprosy meant that he could not have children, and so he spent his reign grooming various relatives to succeed him. [201] Before leaving the county, Baldwin suggested that the Christian (mainly Armenian) peasants should be transferred to the lands west of the Euphrates, because the Seljuk rulers had frequently raided the eastern regions. [200] After the new reconciliation, the crusaders pursued Mawdud, but rumours about Muslim attacks against Antioch and Jerusalem forced them to stop the campaign. Baldwin IV, called the Leper or the Saint (Jerusalem, 1161 - March 16, 1185), son of Amalric I of Jerusalem and of His first wife Agnes de Courtenay, was King of Jerusalem from July 15, 1174 until his death in 1185. The internal discord that followed forced Baldwin to remain king, as only he was capable of uniting the quarreling nobility. [100][102], Baldwin granted the usufruct of Turbessel and Ravendel to his brother Godfrey, to secure his and his retainers' accommodation during the siege of Antioch. Also known as: Baldwin the Leper, Baudouin le Lpreux. [122][125] He spent four days in Antioch, but did not accept the local inhabitants' plea for him to administer the principality during Bohemond's captivity. [21] Having grown up without her since the age of two, Baldwin IV had no memories of his mother, but she became devotedly kind to him and he developed a strong attachment to her. [250] Decades after Baldwin's death, William of Tyre wrote that Baldwin was "said to have struggled with weakness of the flesh", but only a few of his "body-servants" were aware of this. [33] He and his advisers then decided to intervene in Saladin's war against the Order of Assassins. Educated by William, archdeacon of Tyre, Baldwin was crowned four days after his father died. Although the Crusader force consisted of only 375 knights, Saladin hesitated to ambush them because of the presence of highly skilled generals. Baldwin's godfather was his paternal uncle, King Baldwin III, who joked that his christening present was the Kingdom of Jerusalem. [247] She landed at Palestine in August 1113, accompanied by hundreds of soldiers and bringing her rich dowry. Baldwin IV of Jerusalem (1161 - 1185), called the Leper or the Leprous, the son of Amalric I of Jerusalem and his first wife, Agnes of Courtenay, was king of Jerusalem from 1174 to 1185. [47] The crusaders became exhausted during their long march across Asia Minor and most of their horses died. Baldwin IV of Jerusalem: King of Jerusalem (1161 - 1185) | Biography [214] The Seljuk sultan, Muhammad I Tapar, sent a large army to northern Syria in spring 1115. He did not devise strategy or diplomacy alone, and delegated Church patronage and finances to his mother, Agnes, and uncle, Joscelin, respectively. [26] As a leper, Baldwin could not marry or expect to have children. [120][121], News of Godfrey's death reached Edessa shortly after Baldwin's return from Melitene. In November 1177 Saladin marched from Egypt to attack Ascalon, and Baldwin rushed to the aid of the city. [2] The High Court forced Amalric to agree to an annulment of his marriage on the grounds of consanguinity in order to be accepted as king. [247] Her first husband died in 1102 and she acted as regent for their minor sons until the end of 1111.