User blog:Elgb333/Badass with Disabilities: Baldwin the Leper vs Timur the Lame



Try to think of the most awesome warrior you can think off. Chances are the warrior you've imagined would be sporting huge ass muscles, large and tall structure and a chiseled and buff build. And don't worry, you're not alone on your choice because basically it's what the rest of us would also think of what our choice of warrior would be.

Human evolution and society itself proclaimed that a core factor of being a badass is practically having superior physicality. If you can do beyond what an average person can do physically, either by bench-pressing large barbels, running a marathon in a short amount of time, killing an engrossingly large amount of people in a war, or maybe pulling a jumbo jet with your hair if you're desperate enough, then you're a certified badass to anyone's book no doubt. By god, have mercy to anyone who tries to disagree with you. They'd likely take it back once you've shown them what your body can do to him.

However, you also have to know that there are badass people out there who are not the best of health. There were people who did extraordinary things even if they have physical or mental disabilities and life-threatening diseases. People like Nick Vujicic, Stephen Hawking, Götz von Berlichingen, Jean Danjou or even Alexey Maryesev and so much more, have showed us that not having a perfect body would stop you from being awesome. On the other hand, these two people I present today bring a whole new meaning of the word "Badass with Disabilities" to a whole new frigging level!

Baldwin the Leper: The courageous king of Jerusalem who successfully defended his kingdom to his death!

vs

Timur the Lame: The ruthless vizier who built a mighty empire and slaughtered everyone in his path!

Who is DEADLIEST?!

Baldwin the Leper
Baldwin IV (1161 – 16 March 1185), called the Leper or the Leprous, reigned as King of Jerusalem from 1174 until his death. He was born in 1161 to King Amalric I of Jerusalem and Queen Agnes of Edessa. While playing as a child it was discovered that he had leprosy and thus could not be expected to live a long or happy life. However, even as a boy, he never let his terrible disease get the better of him. When he was only 13 he became King Baldwin IV of Jerusalem with Raymond of Tripoli as his regent. When he became old enough to rule, he ruled well, but even from day one this diseased young boy was a King to admire. In 1174 the barely teenage monarch led his troops in an attack on the Muslim forces threatening Damascus and Andujar. The following year when the great Muslim warrior Sultan Saladin of Egypt attacked Ascalon King Baldwin IV (better known as Baldwin the Leper) took a mere 500 men to march to the defense of the city.

Feeling supremely confident Saladin split his forces to take Ascalon and the supposedly defenseless Holy City of Jerusalem. However, Baldwin summoned the Templars who joined him in defeating the troops at Ascalon and then rushing to overtake Saladin at Ramleh. The Christian knights were vastly outnumbered but were devoted to their young monarch who, despite his disease, led from the front and they were encouraged by their faith with the Bishop of Bethlehem on hand with the relic of the True Cross. With only 500 knights (and a few thousand local infantry) against an army of 26,000 battle-hardened veteran soldiers, Baldwin won a stunning and, to the eyes of many, miraculous battle. The Sultan himself only escaped because his guard sacrificed their lives to give him time to get away. Saladin tried and tried again but the leperous teenage king bested him at every turn; at Belvoir castle in 1181, before Beirut and at Kerak castle in 1183. Eventually, Saladin retreated to Egypt in order to regroup and the Christians were triumphant. King Baldwin IV survived longer than anyone had expected him to but finally died on March 16, 1185 not long after the death of his mother. With the brave warrior-boy-king gone Saladin soon came back and in his next major campaign conquered Jerusalem which prompted the calling of the Third Crusade. (Taken from Mad Monarchist)

Weapons
Short= Longsword The term "longsword" refers to a longer sword than the arming sword, while having the same basic shape of the arming sword, but having a length of up to about one and a half meters, designed more for thrusting, but still capable of cutting. The weapon was also known as a "hand and a half", as it can be used one or two handed, and its thin long balde can be used to pinpoint unarmored parts of the opponent. It also has a pommel for pummeling and breaking skulls. The halberd was inexpensive to produce and very versatile in battle. As the halberd was eventually refined, its point was more fully developed to allow it to better deal with spears and pikes (also able to push back approaching horsemen), as was the hook opposite the axe head, which could be used to pull horsemen to the ground The composite crossbow used a composite bow instead of a simple wooden or steel bow like other crossbows. This allowed the crossbow to have more power in a smaller frame. The composite crossbow was relatively more powerful than other wooden crossbows of similar size, allowing smaller bows to be used with the same power. This smaller size made the composite crossbow quicker and easier to reload than other crossbows. At that time, it was easier to aim and fire than a tradistional bow, and uses less training as well. A favorite and principal weapon during the Middle Ages. The lance was a long, strong, spear-like weapon, designed for use on horseback. The combination of lance and stirrup gave the armoured knights of the European Middle Ages tremendous shock potential in battle and knights trained with the weapons through jousting at a very young age. An effective weapon, it was used by European armies till WWI. A Springald, or espringal, is mechanical artillery device for throwing large bolts and less commonly stones or Greek fire. It was constructed on the same principles as a Greek or Roman ballista, but with inward swinging arms (it's practically a large swinging crossbow). It was also known as a 'skein-bow', and was a torsion device using twisted skeins of silk or sinew to power two bow-arms. During the Crusades, Baldwin and his men would have likely worn the popular riveted chainmail. The armor is nearly impervious to slashing and stabbing strikes, and a protective gambeson is worn underneath for additional protection from arrows and blunt force trauma. A great helm, which was primarily used by knights, protected all of the head and the face from slashing, stabbing as well as blunt attacks from any direction. A heater shield, which is typically made from thin wood overlaid with leather or metal, is used to protect the knight both on foot and on horseback.
 * Straight double-edged blade
 * 48 inch blade
 * Pommel
 * -|Mid= Halberd
 * Has an axe, a spike and a long spearpoint
 * 6 feet
 * -|Long= Composite Crossbow
 * Fires armor piercing bolts
 * 110 yards
 * -|Cavalry= Knight Lance
 * 10-12 feet long
 * -|Siege= Springald
 * Fires large bolts, stones and even Greek fire (which is a primitive napalm).
 * -|Armor= Great Helm, Chainmail and Heater Shield

Timur the Lame
Timur, historically known as Tamerlane, was a Turko-Mongol conqueror and the founder of the Timurid Empire in Persia and Central Asia. He was also the first ruler in the Timurid dynasty. Born into the Barlas confederation in Transoxiana during the 1320s or 1330s, Timur gained control of the Western Chagatai Khanate by 1370. From that base, he led military campaigns across Western, South and Central Asia and emerged as the most powerful ruler in the Muslim world after defeating the Mamluks of Egypt and Syria, the emerging Ottoman Empire and the declining Delhi Sultanate. From these conquests he founded the Timurid Empire, although it fragmented shortly after his death.

Timur envisioned the restoration of the Mongol Empire of Genghis Khan. "In his formal correspondence Temur continued throughout his life as the restorer of Chinggisid rights. He even justified his Iranian, Mamluk and Ottoman campaigns as a re-imposition of legitimate Mongol control over lands taken by usurpers.As a means of legitimating his conquests, Timur relied on Islamic symbols and language, referring to himself as the "Sword of Islam" and patronizing educational and religious institutions. He converted nearly all the Borjigin leaders to Islam during his lifetime. "Temur, a non-Chinggisid, tried to build a double legitimacy based on his role as both guardian and restorer of the Mongol Empire.Timur also decisively defeated the Christian Knights Hospitaller at Smyrna, styling himself a ghazi. By the end of his reign, Timur had gained complete control over all the remnants of the Chagatai Khanate, Ilkhanate, and Golden Horde and even attempted to restore the Yuan dynasty.

Weapons
Short= Turko-Mongol Saber Having poised himself as a Tartar and a Mongolian, Timur would have used the popular turko-mongol saber. The Turko-Mongol saber had a long, curved blade with a single cutting edge. The saber can be used on foot but was deadliest on horseback. The Glaive was a bladed staff weapon. The Glaive consists of a long blade (typically up to 18 inches in length) on top of a wooden shaft about six or eight feet. The blade was fixed to the shaft by means of socket, much like an axe, rather than the tang of the similar Naginata. Often, the blade also had a hook opposite the of cutting edge. The glaive was used both for slashing and stabbing, while the hook has used to pull riders from horseback. The Mongolian recurve bow was the most deadliest weapon in the steppes, and it helped carved much of the great Empires in that era. Consisting of a wooden core, with horn on the belly (facing the archer) and sinew on the back (away from the archer), all held together with animal glue. It had a maximum range of 450 yards, and contrary to popular belief, also worked well on foot. Classic Mongolian weapon. The jida had an 8-inch steel spearhead mounted on top of a long wooden shaft, the entire spear being about 12 feet long. Like most spears, the jida lance was primarily used for thrusting. Although effective from foot, its primary use was from horseback. One of the principle siege weapons by Tamerlane, infamous for his use during the Siege of Damascus. The counterweight trebuchet could fling projectiles weighing up to 350 pounds (160 kg) at or into enemy fortifications. In most depictions of Tamerlane, he's shown wearing the lightweight leather lamellar armor common of warriors in the Mongolian Empire. Made with lapping studded leather, it offered protection against slashes and blunt force trauma. Leather lamellar was weaker in terms of defending capabilities and was particularly more useful only when defending against arrows and bolts. But it did had silk vests underneath to offer much more protection.
 * Curved single-edged blade
 * 48.5 inch blade
 * -|Mid= Mongolian Glaive
 * Long blade used for cutting
 * Hook used for pulling riders
 * 8 feet
 * -|Long= Composite Bow
 * Fires arrows. Steel tipped and sometimes barbed and on-fire for increased damage.
 * 450 yards
 * -|Cavalry= Jida Lance
 * 12 feet
 * 8-inch blade
 * -|Siege= Trebuchet
 * Uses rocks and sometimes incendiary projectiles
 * -|Armor= Leather Lamellar Armor, Mongolian Helmet and Round Shield

Mongolian armor also includes the helmet, which was made from iron for the top part and leather flaps for the parts that covered the neck and ears. The inside of the helmet was also lined with fur. Most helmets had a pointed top that had a tail made of horse hair on the top. Round concave shields made out of wound wicker covered by leather was used to block arrows, swords, and knives

X-Factors
Physicality

Even though Baldwin is racked with leprosy that ravaged his face and left this right arm useless, in his prime the king can still use a sword, lance and shield like any Christian warrior. He can still fight both on foot and on horseback, and his leprosy also allowed him to feel no pain. In his childhood, Timur suffered injuries on his legs and in his right hand which crippled and made him unable to use any weapons. In every campaign he was, he always needed to be carried on a litter, and is definitely defenseless without anyone assisting him.



Experience

This is a tough one but I'll be giving the specifics. Both fought at a relatively young age, but Timur started out as nothing mroe than a bandit and cattle-raider while Baldwin trained as a knight. Baldwin fought more physically on a relative basis against the Muslim coalition in the Near East and against other Europeans trying to take his kingdom. But Timur fought a wider variety of enemies and kingdoms from all sorts of environments. Not only did he took down fellow Mongols (Tartars) from the steppes, but he also slaughtered Muslims in his push East (from the Turks and the Mughals), as well as once defeating the Knight Hospitaller in Smyma. Timur created one of the fastest growing Empire at that time so there's that.



Strategy

Both are great tacticians and were master chess players. Baldwin fought some of the greatest leaders during the Crsades such as his notewrothy fight against Saladin (I mean the guy manage to defeat a Muslim force of 26, 000 with only 500 knights). He was also a master diplomat who was akin to Otto von Bismarck in being a Commander in Chief and leading a theatre of war. While Timur definely used brute force and numerical supriority to overpwoer his foes, his tactcs such as the brutal Battle of Ankara, is till being studied today. He was virtually undefeated in his time.



Training

Although racked with leprosy, Baldwin still trained as a knight from a very young age. Not only did he trained with some of the ebst in Europe, he also schooled in the house of none other than William of Tyre. Timur started out as a bandit and a nomad, and took him more years to develop his prowess.



<p style="text-align:center;">Brutality

<p style="text-align:center;">This is an obvious edge to Timur. That guy built pyramids of human skulls and pillaged and raped his way throughout the known world. Unlike other "knights", Baldwin was one of those who actually followed the code of chivalry and did not kill as much as he needed. In fact, he was a a loving leader first before a wartorn killer.