King Baldwin the Leper was only sixteen when he learned that
Saladin’s army was attacking Palestine, and that there was no
one to stop them. He called all his knights together from their
castles with letters that his soldiers carried secretly through the
Muslim army lines. It was a dangerous plan, but it worked. The
Franks arrived to help their king and they surprised Saladin’s
army at Ramla. Saladin’s soldiers had to run to escape and the
Franks nearly killed Saladin. It was a very bad defeat, and after
it many emirs no longer wanted to be in Saladin’s army.