Editing Baldwin IV of Jerusalem (section)

==Assessment and legacy==
[[File:Schlacht von Montgisard 2.jpg|thumb|19th-century depiction of Baldwin commanding troops at the Battle of Montgisard, by [[Charles-Philippe Larivière]]. Baldwin is depicted in a litter, but he was still mobile at the time and fought this battle on horseback.]]

Christian defeat at Hattin two years after Baldwin's death marred the king's legacy, with historians tracing fatal discord to Baldwin's reign.{{sfn|Hamilton|2000|p=235}} Yet, while Baldwin was on the throne, the kingdom lost no territory{{sfn|Hamilton|2000|p=235}} and flourished economically and spiritually.{{sfn|Hamilton|2000|p=238}} Baldwin understood the importance of curbing Saladin's power, which was reflected in his choice of ministers. He did not devise strategy or diplomacy alone, and delegated Church patronage and finances to his mother, Agnes, and uncle, Joscelin, respectively.{{sfn|Hamilton|2000|p=239}} His chief contribution was his determination not to abdicate before finding a suitable successor, despite leprosy making government an unbearable burden.{{sfn|Hamilton|2000|p=240}} As was clear during his reign and especially in its disastrous aftermath, Baldwin alone preserved unity in the kingdom.{{sfn|Hamilton|2000|p=241}}

Contemporary Christian theologians were divided on the issue of leprosy. [[Pope Alexander III]] showed little sympathy when writing about Baldwin, declaring leprosy a "just judgement of [[God in Christianity|God]]", but another school of thought encouraged the faithful to see [[Christ]] in the affected.{{sfn|Hamilton|2000|p=242}} Baldwin's reign may have led to a lesser stigmatization of the illness in the 13th-century Kingdom of Jerusalem.{{sfn|Hamilton|2000|p=257}} His subjects' acceptance of his illness confounded some Muslims.{{sfn|Hamilton|2000|p=241}} Muslim historian [[Imad al-Din al-Isfahani]] wrote:
{{blockquote|In spite of illness the Franks were loyal to him, they gave him every encouragement ... being satisfied to have him as their ruler; they exalted him ... they were anxious to keep him in office, but they paid no attention to his leprosy.{{sfn|Hamilton|2000|p=241}}}}

Baldwin's public image may have been aided by his chastity, seen as evidence of extraordinary sanctity,{{sfn|Hamilton|2000|p=243}} and his success against Saladin was interpreted as a sign of God's favor.{{sfn|Hamilton|2000|p=243}} After the disastrous [[Seventh Crusade]], a crusader was told by an old man in Damascus:
{{blockquote|I have seen a time when King Baldwin of Jerusalem, the one who was a leper, beat Saladin although he only had 300 armed men against Saladin's 3,000. But now your sins have come to such a pass that we round you up in the fields like cattle.{{sfn|Hamilton|2000|p=243}}}}

Despite perceived sanctity Baldwin was not particularly devout. He was primarily a knight, both in character and in upbringing, and to contemporaries his most distinctive traits were his courage and honourableness.{{sfn|Hamilton|2000|p=243}}