INTRODUCTION

Baldwin IV was perhaps one of the more remarkable kings in the medieval Christian world. He is not remembered for great military campaigns, despite the fact that he beat the infamous Saladin on the battlefield on several occasions. Nor is his name associated with a long and illustrious reign as he died at a young age. He is renowned because he developed leprosy. Perhaps more to the point, he developed leprosy and still maintained his position on the throne, becoming a successful ruler. Many kings over the ages have suffered with disease and continued to rule. Hardly any have managed to do so if their illness was leprosy. It was so feared in the medieval world and associated so closely with severe social consequences that to overcome these obstacles was an incredible feat.

There were a number of reasons why developing leprosy was seen as such a disaster in the medieval period. First, it can be a disfiguring disease leading to ulceration and deformity of the face, hands, feet and skin elsewhere. Disfigurement and disability have always had powerful effects on how a person is viewed by others. This may be related to fear of developing the same disease after contact with the sick person or the guilt from being healthier or luckier than them. While it is difficult to tell exactly how many people had leprosy at this time, it may well have been the most common disease to cause such major disfigurement. Secondly, there were strong religious overtones attached to the disease. This is thought to have originated from a poor translation of the Hebrew word Tsarʿath, used in biblical texts to refer to any disfiguring skin disease. As disease in the biblical period was often thought to be punishment for the sins of the patient or his ancestors, those with skin lesions were forbidden entry to the synagogue and were ostracised from the community. Ironically, leprosy may not even have been present in the eastern Mediterranean at the time of these Old Testament records, and it is believed that the diseases described would have been other conditions.