Death of Baldwin IV

March 16, 1185

The leper king of Jerusalem, who had ruled from boyhood through progressive disfigurement, died at twenty-four. He had held his kingdom together by sheer will. His nephew and successor Baldwin V, an eight-year-old, lasted less than a year before dying as well. Baldwin IV's reign is remembered as a remarkable display of personal courage, as he led armies into battle even when the disease had left him blind and unable to use his hands.