Baldwin IV was born in 1161 to King Amalric I of Jerusalem and Agnes of Courtenay. The Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem was precarious—surrounded by powerful Muslim states and divided by rival barons, churchmen, and foreign knights. His tutor William of Tyre noted the first sign of illness during childhood games: Baldwin felt no pain when hurt. That loss of sensation was eventually recognized as leprosy. Unlike typical tales of isolation, Baldwin’s life did not end there. When Amalric died in 1174,

Baldwin IV was born in 1161, the son of King Amalric I of Jerusalem and Agnes of Courtenay, in a kingdom that lived on a knife’s edge. The Crusader States were surrounded by powerful Muslim rulers and torn internally by rival barons, ambitious clergy, and foreign knights whose loyalty could shift with politics and profit. The first warning sign came in childhood. His tutor, William of Tyre, describes a strange detail: Baldwin didn’t flinch when hurt during play. What looked like toughness was ac