Niccolò Machiavelli

2010-05-26T18:20:49Z

143.235.195.66: /* Trivia */

{{WP-REAL}}
{{Era|AC2|Assassins|Ren}}
{{Character Infobox
|name = Niccolò di Bernardo dei Machiavelli
|image = Zw-niccolomachiavelli.png
|imgdesc = Niccolò Machiavelli in the Animus Database.
|faction = [[Assassins]], [[Mercenaries]]
|appear = ''[[Assassin's Creed II]]''
|period = Italian Renaissance (15th century)
|voice = [[Shawn Baichoo]]
}}

'''Niccolò di Bernardo dei Machiavelli''' (3 May 1469 – 21 June 1527) was an Italian philosopher, writer, and is considered one of the main founders of modern political science. He was a diplomat, political philosopher, musician, and playwright, but foremost he was a civil servant of the Florentine Republic.

==Description==
Niccolò was in secret a member of the [[Assassin]] Order, and the leader of the Florentine [[Mercenaries]]<ref>[http://assassinscreed.uk.ubi.com/assassins-creed-2/dlc/ Assassin's Creed II DLC Official Site]</ref>. This was perhaps why he was such a secretive person, to not reveal too much about himself.

Niccolò and the other Assassins were to attack [[Rodrigo Borgia]], who was at that point in possession of the Apple of Eden. Unbeknownst to them, [[Ezio Auditore da Firenze]] also knew about Rodrigo having the Apple and had already attacked him. The other Assassins went to help him fend off Rodrigo's guards. Eventually, Rodrigo ran away, leaving the Apple behind. Niccolò revealed himself along with the other Assassins, who had helped Ezio assassinate the Templars before.

Niccolò was present at Ezio's initiation into the Assassin Brotherhood, performing a [[Leap of Faith]] along with the other Assassins.

Eventually, Niccolò helped Ezio defend [[Caterina Sforza]] and the city of [[Forlì]]. He also aided him during the [[Bonfire of the Vanities]], in which [[Girolamo Savonarola]] acquired the Apple of Eden.

==Trivia==
*It is possible that the game's developers chose Machiavelli because of his supposed character during the Renaissance, as he is thought to have been a very secretive person.
*However, he did write several books about how he would have preferred the government to take control of the people, which seems to be a Templar belief, not an Assassin belief.
*In real life, Machiavelli witnessed the execution of [[Girolamo Savonarola]], and wrote about it the night of the event. The location, or even the name of these writings are unknown today.
*In reality, many historians speculate that Machiavelli may actually have been an evil man, with intentions of controlling Italy, instead of just serving its people. A detailed description can be found [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Niccol%C3%B2_Machiavelli#Realist_or_evil.3F here]
*The debate over Machiavelli's true intentions are often disorted due to the fact that many people concentrate on "Il Principe" (The Prince), which was one relatively short book, written in a few months. The Prince was written for a specific reason during a specific time in Italian history (a period when the Medici family had the oppertunity to build a strong Italian state in central Italy and drive out the 'barbarians').
*Machiavelli also wrote a thesis called the "Discourses on Livy". This thesis (which was written over a signifigant period of his life) reflected Machiavelli's more republican notions of government, and is a far more comprehensive thesis than the Prince. Together the Discourses and the Prince show us that, in real life, he was an individual who prefered a republican government, but was prepared to accept a principality if it ensured the survival of the state.
*The facts that the fictional Machiavelli was the leader of Florence's [[Mercenaries]] doesn't match with his real-life counterpart. In real life, Machiavelli was against the use of Mercenaries, because he believed they were unreliable.
*Ironically, Machiavelli called Rodrigo Borgia/Pope Alexander VI a very succesfull politician, because he was the prototype of a leader who has no scrupules to reach his target.
*The discrepancies between Machiavelli's beliefs in the game, and in real life, could be the Templars using their power to rewrite history, and even Machiavelli's own books, to portray him as a bad man.

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Gallery==

<center><gallery>
Image:AC2-M.jpg|Concept art for Niccolò Machiavelli.
Image:Machiavelli pose.jpg|Machiavelli with a longsword.
Image:Battle for forli.jpg|Battle of Forlì: Machiavelli (left) and Ezio (right) protecting Caterina Sforza from the Templars.
</gallery></center>

{{ACII}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Machiavelli, Niccolò}}
[[Category:Characters|Machiavelli, Niccolò]]
[[Category:Assassin's Creed II Characters|Machiavelli, Niccolò]]
[[Category:Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood Characters]]
[[Category:Assassins]]
[[Category:Historical Characters]]

Templars

2010-05-26T18:06:20Z

143.235.195.66: /* Others */

{{WP-REAL}}{{Era|AC|ACAC|AC2|Templars|Crusade|Ren|Good}}
{{FAimp}}
{{Faction Infobox

|image = Knights.png
|imgdesc = The Templars used many variations on this red cross pattée as their symbol.
"Behold the mark of [[Cain]]." -Subject 16
|game = ''[[Assassin's Creed: Altaïr's Chronicles]]'' ''[[Assassin's Creed]]'' ''[[Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines]]'' ''[[Assassin's Creed II]]'' ''[[Assassin's Creed II: Discovery]]'' ''[[Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood]]''
|religion = [[Wikipedia:Atheism|Atheist]] (pretend to be [[Wikipedia:Catholic Church|Roman Catholic]])
|location = Throughout the world.
}}
{{quote
|May the [[Father of Understanding]] guide us.
|Templar motto
}}

The '''Knights Templar --''' or '''Brotherhood''' as they called themselves -- was a religious military order-turned corporate giant during the second and third millennium A.D. (Anno Domini/ In the Year of Our Lord). Founded during the First Crusade, the Knights Templar sought to create a perfect world, although the means by which they sought to do so were questionable. Sworn enemies of the [[Order of Assassins]], the Templars suffered a crippling blow during the [[Third Crusade]], largely due to the work of the Assassin Altaïr, but survived.

Adopting a less public position, the Knights Templar retreated into the shadows and thrived, continuing their war against the Assassins throughout the Renaissance, and into the [[Modern Times|Modern era]].

==Ideals and goals==
The military order of the Knights Templar was founded publicly in 1129 to counter the increasing threat against the Holy Land by the [[Saracens]], and to protect the city of [[Jerusalem]]<ref name=HC>The History Channel, ''Decoding the Past: The Templar Code'', 7 November 2005, video documentary written by Marcy Marzuni</ref>. Over time, the Templars began to believe it within their power to unite the world in peace<ref name="Assassin's Creed">''[[Assassin's Creed]]''</ref>.
Their system of belief changed greatly upon the discovery of the [[Pieces of Eden]]; the realization of the non-existence of God led Order to become atheistic, although they publicly maintained the pretence of following the Christian ways so as to not lose the support of the Church<ref name="Assassin's Creed II">''[[Assassin's Creed II]]''</ref>.

Realizing the power that the Pieces of Eden held over man, the Knights Templar began to seek out the artifacts. In 1191 [[Robert de Sable]], then the Grand Master of the Order, personally sought the fabled ''Apple of Eden'', buried in the catacombs beneath [[Solomon's Temple|Solomon's Temple]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed" />. The theft of the piece of Eden by the Order of Assassins brought the two great powers into a sustained conflict with one another, ending with the death of [[Armand Bouchart]] in [[Limassol]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines">''[[Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines]]''</ref>. Despite this setback, the Order maintained its belief in creating a world of peace through manipulation of the Pieces of Eden.

By their reasoning, with no afterlife or ultimate punishment or reward after death, there was no reason to oblige notions of morality or ethics; the end always justified the means, no matter how heinous. They thought that only this life was important, rather than preparing for a non-existent next life. With so many lower class people kept in line by the promise of an afterlife, and so many upper class men blissfully ignoring such ideals, the Templars vowed to make a better world; one of lasting peace, no matter the cost<ref name="Assassin's Creed" />.

As time progressed, the Templars' interest in the Pieces of Eden became more about seeking the power and domination that the artifacts offered. Their goals changed as they sought to control and unify the entire world using the Pieces of Eden to create a "New World Order"<ref name="Assassin's Creed" /><ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />.

==History==
===Pre-Crusades===
Little is known of the Templars as a whole before their 'official' founding in 1129, though occording to [[Subject 16]] they did indeed exist before then in some form or another, starting with [[Cain]] from whom the crusade-era Templars would get their symbol from. What is known is that Cain, [[Xerxes]], [[Alexander the Great]], [[Quin Shi Huang]], [[Attila the hun]], [[Cleopatra]], and [[Caliguia]] were all consitered Templars that had lived (and died) prior to the "official" formation of the Knights Templar. Anything else, including but not limited to weither or not they had any real goals outside of personal conquest and power, their level of organisation with other Templars (if any at all), or even if they had used the "Templar" name before the Third Crusade is purely spectulative. In fact, it is not implausable that the "Knights Templar" was simply a cover name for the group to hide the faction's true name, much the same way as [[Abstergo Industries]] is used in the modern era to cover up the "Templar" identity. If this is the case, than the original name of the faction has long since been lost to history, though like any information regarding the Templars before the Third Crusade, it is purely speculative weither or not this was even the case.

===Third Crusade===
[[File:Assassins-creed-altair-1.jpg|thumb|A Knight Templar battles with Altaïr.]]
Founded in Jerusalem in 1129, the Knights Templar sought a world at peace with itself. By 1191, they had come to the realization that such peace could only be maintained through use of the [[Pieces of Eden]], and made it their quest to gather as many as they could<ref name="Assassin's Creed" />. That same year, after the theft of the ''Apple of Eden'' by the assassins [[Malik A-Sayf]] and [[Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad]] from [[File:Maria-Templar-Robert-de-Sable.jpg|thumb|left|160px|Maria Thorpe, a Templar posing as Robert de Sable.]]the Templars, the Brotherhood entered into a brief period of sustained conflict with their Assassin enemies. Over the course of the year, ten Templar leaders from both [[Crusader]] and [[Saracen]] backgrounds fell to the blades of the assassin Altaïr, who was serving penance for crimes committed during the theft. The deaths included not only the Grand Master of the Order, but also [[Al Mualim]], leader of the Order of Assassins in Syria and the only Templar not willing to share the power of the Apple with his nine brothers<ref name="Assassin's Creed" />.

With their leadership effectively wiped out by a single assassin, the Brotherhood retreated to the island of [[Cyprus]] under the command of a new Grand Master, [[Armand Bouchart]]. Pursued by Altaïr, the Templars were wiped out once again, although the treasures of the [[Templar Archive]] in Limassol were spirited away before they could be found<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines" />. The death of Armand forced the Order to consider its position carefully, and by 1312 the Order had officially disbanded. In reality, the Order continued to thrive, adopting a much more secretive position in world affairs.

===Renaissance===
By the late 15th Century, the Brotherhood had regained a position of strength on the world stage, spreading deep into the Church and nobility of [[Italy]]. Under the command of [[Rodrigo Borgia]], the Knights Templar sought to unify northern Italy under their command, and regain the Apple of Eden which they knew to be buried in Cyprus<ref name="Assassin's Creed" />. Targeting [[Lorenzo de' Medici]], Duke of [[Florence]], the Templars found themselves confronted by the assassin [[Giovanni Auditore da Firenze]], who whilst not knowing of their Templar allegiances, was rapidly piecing together the clues. Following a near fatal encounter with Giovanni himself, Borgia arranged for the trial and execution of Giovanni and his three sons – [[Federico Auditore da Firenze|Federico]], [[Petruccio Auditore|Petruccio]] and [[Ezio Auditore da Firenze|Ezio]] – for the crimes of High Treason against the city of Florence. Corrupting the city official [[Uberto Alberti]], the city guards arrested Giovanni and two of his sons, narrowly missing their chance to capture the third, Ezio, who had been delivering and collecting letters for his father<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />.

Realizing too late, the treachery of Uberto Alberti, whom his father had considered a friend<ref name="Assassin's Creed:Lineage">''[[Assassin's Creed: Lineage]]''</ref>, Ezio appeared at the execution of his family, watching in horror as his father and brothers were hanged; he narrowly escaped such a fate himself. Unconcerned with the remaining Auditore, the Templars continued in their mission to assume control of the cities of northern Italy. In 1478, the Templar affiliated [[House of Pazzi]] made their push for control. In what would become known as the [[Pazzi conspiracy]], the family struck against the Medici during Mass, killing [[Giuliano de' Medici]] and fatally wounding Lorenzo, who was saved only by the timely intervention of Ezio Auditore, the son who had been allowed to escape. Lorenzo's survival and the arrival of Ezio spelt doom for the Pazzi family, who were left to their fate by Rodrigo Borgia. [[Vieri de' Pazzi|Vieri]], [[Francesco de' Pazzi|Francesco]] and [[Jacopo de' Pazzi]] were all slain by the lone assassin whilst[[File:Renaissance_Templar_Carlo_Grimaldi.jpg|thumb|right|240px|Ezio strikes at Carlo Grimaldi, a Renaissance Templar Leader.]] the Templars acknowledged their defeat in Florence, instead turning the attention to the city of [[Venice]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />.

Utilising the [[House of Barbarigo]], the Brotherhood assumed control of Venice briefly in 1485, before they were once again overthrown by the lone Assassin. The distraction of controlling the city had been beneficial to the Templars however, as it had distracted the Assassins from noticing the preparations being made for the retrieval of the piece of Eden from Cyprus. Two years later, in 1487, the Templar expedition returned to Venice with ''the Apple'' in hand. Bringing it to Borgia, an undercover Ezio engaged the Templar Grand Master and, with the assistance of his fellow Assassins, forced the Templars out of the city once more<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />. With the Apple in the hands of the Assassins, the Brotherhood approached the [[House of Orsi|brothers Orsi]] – [[Ludovico Orsi|Ludovico]] and [[Checco Orsi|Checco]] – to obtain a map detailing the location of the Codex pages from the wife of the Templar [[Girolamo Riario]] – [[Caterina Sforza]]. Invading [[Forlì]], the Orsi brothers demanded the map, and ''the Apple'' in exchange for the lives of Sforza's children. The brothers were rebuked, and assaulted the [[Rocca di Ravaldino]]. Together with the city guards, the Assassins Ezio Auditore and [[Niccolò Machiavelli]] held off the assault, although a second succeeded in claiming ''the Apple'' briefly<ref name="Assassin's Creed II: Battle of Forlì">''[[Battle of Forlì (DLC)|Assassin's Creed II: Battle of Forlì]]''</ref>.

Despite the loss of ''the Apple'', Rodrigo Borgia was ultimately unfazed, and in 1492 became Pope [[w:Alexander VI|Alexander VI]] in order to gain access to the Papal staff, another of the Pieces of Eden. In 1499 Borgia was once again confronted by the assassin Ezio, this time within the [[Sistine Chapel]] itself<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />.

===Modern era===
Despite their defeat at the hands of the assassin Ezio Auditore da Firenze, the Templar order continued to exist within the shadow. Infiltrating or starting up countless corporate entities, the Templars positioned its members in several world-defining positions, improving the planets technological level significantly. The Templars also worked to stiffle world progress however; [[Adolf Hitler]] used a Piece of Eden to rise to power in Germany, and subsequently started a [[w:World War II|world-wide conflict]]. He was "fought" by his Templar counterparts Winston Churchill and [[Joseph Stalin]], who ultimately won the conflict though it appears that FDR was an assassin<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />.

[[File:Abstergo_Desmond_Captivity.png|thumb|left|220px|Desmond held captive by Abstergo Industries.]]By the early 21st Century, the Templar fronted [[Abstergo Industries]] had expanded into a global entity, far larger and more powerful than most companies that had come before it<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />. For the most part this was not treated as suspicious, although there were those within the general population who viewed the company with suspicion<ref name="Assassin's Creed" />.

At this time, Abstergo Industries seemingly lacked a Piece of Eden capable of controlling the minds of humanity, and as such authorised the [[Animus]]-project in order to gain access to the memories of those who might know the location of one. By September of 2012, sixteen test subjects had been "retired" before the company succeeded with the seventeenth – [[Desmond Miles]], the descendant of both Altaïr, and Ezio Auditore<ref name="Assassin's Creed" /><ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />. With the location of all the Pieces of Eden now theirs, the Templars

Captured, for seven days Miles was forced to relieve the memories of his ancestor [[Altaïr]] in order to reach one specific memory the Templars were seeking. The memory registered the moment his ancestor found a holographic map containing the locations of all [[Pieces of Eden]] scattered across the world. With the info in hand, the Templars started gathering the remaining intact pieces for use in their ancient purpose of "absolute peace". Their plan of sending ''the Apple'' into orbit and use the device to control the minds of all citizens of Earth is still in progress, with the satellite launch scheduled to December 21, 2012. <ref name="Assassin's Creed" />. It should also be noted that they altered public records of history numerous times, which can explain inconsistencies with historical dates and in-game events.

==Members==
Originally crusaders of unprecedented skill, as time progressed, they began to act secretly, utilizing powerful and influential people to further their cause. Often, these people are lured to being Templars by the promise of power and glory.
===Third Crusade===
* [[Basilisk]] (Grand Master of the Knights Templar)
* [[Robert de Sable]] (Grand Master of the Knights Templar, after Basilisk)
* [[Armand Bouchart]] (Grand Master of the Knights Templar, after Robert)
* [[Tamir the Merchant]] (Black marketeer in [[Damascus]])
* [[Garnier de Naplouse]] (Grand Master of the [[Knights Hospitalier]])
* [[Talal the Slave Trader]] (Slave master in [[Jerusalem]])
* [[Abul Nuqoud]] (Merchant king of Damascus)
* [[William of Montferrat]] (Regent lord of [[Acre]])
* [[Majd Addin]] (Regent lord of Jerusalem)
* [[Jubair al Hakim]] (Head of the Illuminated and the chief [[scholar]] of Damascus)
* [[Sibrand]] (Grand Master of the [[Knights Teutonic]])
* [[Al Mualim]] (Master and leader of the [[Assassin]]s, and a former Templar)
* [[Maria Thorpe]] (Robert de Sable's steward and his own personal assassin; became ally to the Assassins)
* [[Roland Napule]] (Head of a Templar hospital in [[Tyre]])
* [[Masun]] (Traitorous assassin who is a double agent to the Templar)
* [[Alaat]] (Templar knight)
* [[Tamir (Altaïr's Chronicles)]] (A rich merchant allied to Basilisk)
* [[Master of the Tower]] (Basilisk's second-in-command, master of the art of killing)
* [[The Master's Student]] (Templar killer)
* [[Harash]] (Al Mualim's second-in-command, traitor who joined Templars)
* [[Frederick The Red]] (Templar regent of Limassol)
* [[Pirate Captain]] (Leader of Cypriot pirates who joined the Order)
* [[Osman]] (Templar knight, secretly a member of Cypriot resistance)
* [[Moloch]] (Templar regent of Kyrenia)
* [[Shalim]] (Armand Bouchart's second-in-command, son of Moloch)
* [[Shahar]] (Shalim's twin brother)
* [[Templar Agent]] (Armand Bouchart's highly trained, stealthy killer)
* [[Isaac Comnenus]] (Former ruler of [[Cyprus]] and keeper of the [[Templar Archive]])

===Renaissance===
*[[Rodrigo Borgia]] (Grand Master of the Knights Templar and Pope Alexander VI)
*[[Marco Barbarigo]] (Corrupt Doge of Venice)
*[[Silvio Barbarigo]] (Member of the Supreme Tribunal of Venice)
*[[Emilio Barbarigo]] (Corrupt Merchant of Venice)
*[[Carlo Grimaldi]] (Member of the Council of Ten of Venice)
*[[Uberto Alberti]] (The Gonfaloniere of Firenze)
*[[Jacopo de' Pazzi]] (Patriarch of the Pazzi Family)
*[[Francesco de' Pazzi]] (Head of the Pazzi Conspiracy)
*[[Vieri de' Pazzi]] (Francesco's son - Ezio's rival)
*[[Stefano da Bagnone]] (Advisor to Jacopo de' Pazzi - Pazzi Conspirator)
*[[Bernardo Baroncelli]] (Banker - Pazzi Conspirator)
*[[Francesco Salviati]] (Archbishop of Pisa - Pazzi Conspirator)
*[[Antonio Maffei]] (Priest - Pazzi Conspirator)
*[[Dante Moro]] (Personal Guard of Marco Barbarigo)
*[[Francisco Pizzaro]] (Spanish Conquistador)

===Modern Times===
*[[Alan Rikkin]] ([[Abstergo Industries]] CEO)
*[[Warren Vidic]] (Scientist of Abstergo Industries)
*[[Nancy Nilop]] ([[Abstergo Industries]] employee)
*[[Jane Birkam]] ([[Abstergo Industries]] employee)
*[[Audrey Jacobs]] (Alan Rikkin's assistant)
*[[Richard (Abstergo)|Richard]] ([[Abstergo Industries]] employee)

===Others===
*[[Cain]] (Eldest Son of Adam and Eve)
*[[Xerxes]] (Persian King)
*[[Alexander the Great]] (Macedonian King)
*[[Qin Shi Huang]] (First Emperor of China)
*[[Atilla the Hun]] (Leader of the Huns)
*[[Genghis Khan]] (Mongolian Emperor)
*[[Cleopatra]] (Last Egyptian Pharaoh)
*[[Caligula]] (Thrid Emperor of Rome)
*[[François Duvalier]] (Haitian President)
*[[John Wilkes Booth]] (Templar Hitman)
*[[Lee Harvey Oswald]] (Templar Hitman)
*Abraham Zapruder (Clothing Manufacturer and Oswald's Accomplice)
*William Greer (Secret Service Agent, Templar Employee and Oswald's Accomplice)
*[[Rasputin]] (Russian Mystic and Advisor to Czar Nicholas II)
*[[Josef Stalin|Joseph Stalin]] (First General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union)
*[[Mary I of England]] (Queen Regnant of England and Ireland)
*[[Thomas Edison]] (American Inventor and Abstergo Employee)
*[[Henry Ford]] (Founder of the Ford Motor Company)
*[[Adolf Hitler]] (Fuhrer of the Nazi Party)
*Winston Churchill (British Prime Minister)
*[[Lyndon B. Johnson]] (36th President of the United States)
*[[J. P. Morgan]] (American Financer)

== Templar Groups ==
There are groups who act as unofficial divisions of the Templars, unrelated to them publicly, but in fact commanded by Templars (some of them through the membership of their leaders and others are part of the Templar Order itself).
*Third Crusade
**[[File:Knights Teutonic Cross.svg|30px]] [[Teutonic|Teutonic  /]] Being a part the Crusaders, Knight Teutonic are basically trusted with the task of guarding the city of Acre. The Knights Teutonic, also known as ''Order of the German House of St.Mary in Jerusalem'', was formed at the end of the 12th century in Acre itself.
**[[File:Hospitalier Crest.svg|30px]] [[Hospitalier|Hospitalier / The Knights Hospitalier also known as ''Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of St. John of Jerusalem of Rhodes and of Malta, Order of St. John, Knights of Malta, and Chevaliers of Malta'', was one of the Christian orders with the ]][[Third Crusade]]
*Renaissance
**[[File:Pazziingame.png|30px]] [[Pazzi|Pazzi / The '''Pazzi family''' were ]][[Tuscany|Tuscan]] nobles who were bankers in [[Florence]] during the 15th century. They are most famous for the "[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pazzi_conspiracy Pazzi Conspiracy]". They are also part of the [[Knights Templar]] in ''[[Assassin's Creed II]]''.
**[[File:Flag of Most Serene Republic of Venice.svg|30px]] Gouverment of Venice / '''La Serenissima''' is a collective title for the governing body of ''The Most Serene Republic of Venice'', taken from its name in Italian (Serenissima Repubblica di Venezia). The term can also be used to refer to the Republic of [[Venice]] itself.[[La Serenissima| ]]

**[[File:442px-Emblem of the Papacy SE svg.png|30px]] [[Papacy|Papacy / The '''Papacy''' is the office of the ]][http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/pope pope]. Besides its religious role as the official catholic order, it acted as a government ruling over a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Papal_States large part] of Italy.
**[[File:Blason famille it Borgia01 svg.png|30px]] [[Rodrigo Borgia|Borgia / all the personal guards of Rodrigo Borgia have this sighn. ]]
*20th century
**[[File:Ford Motor Company Logo.svg|30px]] [[wikipedia:Ford Motor Company|Ford Motor Company / The '''Ford Motor Company''' is]] an American [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multinational_corporation multinational corporation] based in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dearborn,_Michigan Dearborn, Michigan], a suburb of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Detroit Detroit].
**[[wikipedia:Edison Studios|Edison Studios / '''Edison Studios''' was an ]][http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States American] [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motion_picture motion picture] production company owned by the Edison Company of inventor [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Edison Thomas Edison.]
**[[File:Flag of Nazi Germany (1933-1945).svg|30px]] [[wikipedia:Nazi Party|Nazi Party / the '''Nazi Party''', was a ]][http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_party political party] in Germany between 1919 and 1945 .
**[[File:Animuslogowhite.svg|30px]] [[Abstergo Industries|Abstergo Industries / modern company that works in secret to create the New World. ]]
**[[File:NASA logo svg.png|30px]] NASA / a guvernamental company that created the Apollo missions to colonize other worlds for templar purposes.
*21st century
**[[File:Animuslogowhite.svg|30px]] [[Abstergo Industries]]
**[[File:NASA logo svg.png|30px]] [[wikipedia:NASA|NASA]]

== The Historical Templars ==
[[File:Templar4.jpg|thumb|Depiction of Templars]]
{{quote|Non nobis Domine, non nobis, sed Nomini Tuo da Gloriam (''Latin for "Not to us God, not to us, but to Your Name Give Glory"'')|Historical motto of the Templars
}}
''Ordre du Temple'' in French, the Knights Templar are amongst the most famous of the Western Christian military orders involved in the war. They are well known by the distinctive white mantles with a red cross. Officially endorsed by the Roman Catholic Church around 1129, the Order became a favored charity throughout Christianity, and grew rapidly in membership. Despite losing their interests in Outremer, they still had financial holdings in Europe, but King Philip the 4th of France deceived Pope Clement the 5th into disbanding the Knights Templar. The Order`s Knights either fled, were executed, or absorbed into other orders like the Knights Hospitalier. The Portuguese branch changed their names to Knights of Christ.

They were among the most skilled fighters at the time, which is reflected in the game. Their ruthlessness against non-Catholics was also infamous; this also is reflected in the game.

== See Also ==
*[[List of Templar Locations|List of Templar Locations in ''Assassin's Creed'']]

==Notes and references==
{{reflist}}

{{AC}}
{{ACII}}
{{ACSeries}}
[[Category:Templars| ]]
[[Category:Factions]]

Assassin's Creed Wiki - User contributions [en-gb]

Niccolò Machiavelli

Templars