Baldwin IV ascended to the throne of Jerusalem at the age of thirteen, already bearing the devastating diagnosis of leprosy — a disease that would slowly consume his body but never his spirit.

Despite his condition, Baldwin proved himself a formidable military commander and a shrewd political leader. He launched several campaigns to curb the increasing power of the Muslim ruler Saladin, achieving remarkable victories that stunned the medieval world.

Yet much of his reign was marked by bitter infighting amongst the kingdom's nobles — men who schemed for power while their young king fought both an empire and his own decaying flesh.