On November 25, 1177, the Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem stood on the brink of collapse. Saladin, Sultan of Egypt and Syria, invaded with an army of 26,000 men—believing Jerusalem would fall easily. But fate had other plans. At the heart of the resistance stood Baldwin IV, a 16-year-old king afflicted with leprosy, already showing signs of paralysis. Despite his condition, Baldwin donned armor, mounted a horse, and led just 375 knights and a few thousand infantry in a desperate, lightning-fast ma