How did King Baldwin IV of Jerusalem became a Leper??

Question

I only know that William of Tyre discovered it, but how did he got infected?

Answer 1

Leprosy (a.k.a. Hansens's Disease) is only spread by persistent close contact with an infected person, so someone close to him in his household when he was a young child (e.g. a nanny or valet) must have had the disease. Leprosy has a long incubation period; it can take years before the symptoms become apparent. So that person may not have known at the time that she/he was infected.

Answer 2

As the above member stated, there does appear to be a genetic predispisition toward it, which would explain why priests and others could minister to lepers and not catch the disease itself.

Leprosy is know in modern times as Hansen's disease and is caused by the bacteria Mycobacterium leprae. Even in these times the exact mechanism by which the disease is transmitted is unknown. The two exit routes of the bacteria are the skin and nasal secretions. It's unknown how it actually enters the body.

So in reality, there is absolutely no way to know the how and where King Baldwin IV became infected.

Answer 3

a genetic predisposition towards the disease the same as any one who caught leprosy at that time due to being exposed to the bacillus,who actually carried to him I cannot say

Answer 4

I don't know that this story is real, but listen! King Baldwin was closed in tower in Bulgaria. Bulgarian king(tsar) Kaloyan's   wife fall inlove with Baldwin and her husband killed him.

In our ex- capital Veliko Turnovo was tawer, called Baldwin's tower!But no leper! Love isn't leper!