King Baldwin IV of Jerusalem was born in 1161 to King Amalric I of Jerusalem and Queen Agnes of Edessa. When playing as a child it was noticed that he seemed to feel no pain in his limbs, an examination discovered that he had leprosy. The movie version states that Godfrey is the one who first notices the symptoms. King Baldwin is a great example of the true spirit of the Crusaders. He must stand among the best examples of Christian chivalry in the struggle for the Holy Land. He was a man who understood suffering, who understood the Church and who understood the principles behind the chivalric code of Christianity. He ascended the throne at the tender age of 13, and although he was too young to rule, he was not too young for duty. When he was still 13-years-old, in 1174, he attacked Damascus to draw the Muslim Sultan, the fierce Saladin, away from Aleppo. There would be many victorious battles for the young king and the true history of his story is fascinating. The leper king died on March 16, 1185 at the age of 24. He had reigned longer than anyone thought and won victories that many would have dismissed as impossible. Show less «