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Constantinople

2015-10-12T18:17:35Z

212.36.208.37:

{{Era|AC2|ACB|ACR|PL|DYL|Rbook}}
{{WP-REAL}}
{{Quote|The crossroads of the world. Many generations of men have ruled this city, but they have never subdued her. She always bounces back.|[[Yusuf Tazim]] regarding Constantinople, 1511.|Assassin's Creed: Revelations}}
{{Location infobox
|image = Constantinoplepic.png
|hidep =
|state = [[Byzantine Empire]] (330 - 1204, 1261 - 1453) {{wiki|Latin Empire}} (1204 - 1261) [[Ottoman Empire]] (1453 - 1923)
|rulers = Autocracy (330 - 1204, 1261 - 1453) Feudal monarchy (1204 - 1261) Sultanate (1453 - 1923)
|factions = [[Byzantine Empire|Byzantines]] [[Templars]] [[Assassins]] [[Romani]] [[Thieves]] [[Mercenaries]]
|hideh =
|founded = {{Wiki|Byzas}} (as {{Wiki|Byzantium}}) {{Wiki|Constantine I}} (as Constantinople)
|date = 658 BC (as Byzantium) 324 - 330 (as Constantinople)
|abandoned =
|hidea =
|landmark = [[Topkapı Palace]] [[Hagia Sophia]] [[Galata Tower]]
|targets = [[Vali cel Tradat]] [[Cyril of Rhodes]] [[Georgios Kostas]] [[Lysistrata]] [[Mirela Djuric]] [[Odai Dunqas]] [[Tarik Barleti]] [[Ahmet]]}}
'''Constantinople''' (Byzantine Greek: ''Konstantinoupolis''; Latin: ''Constantinopolis'' or ''Byzantium''; Turkish: ''Kostantiniyye'' or ''İstanbul'') was the capital of the [[Byzantine Empire]] and, following the city's conquest in 1453, became the [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman Empire's]] capital in 1458.

The only pan-continental city in the world, during the [[Renaissance]], it was [[Europe]]'s largest and wealthiest city, consisting of four distinct districts: [[Constantine District|Constantine]], [[Bayezid District|Bayezid]], [[Imperial District|Imperial]], and [[Galata District|Galata]].

==History==
===Origins===
The city began in 658 BC as Byzantium, a modest city-state situated on {{Wiki|Seven hills of Istanbul|First Hill}}. It was founded by Byzas, a devout soldier who had chosen the location based on a promising prophecy uttered by the Oracle of Apollo at Delphi.<ref name="ACR">''[[Assassin's Creed: Revelations]]''</ref>

Reportedly a rowdy port town, Byzantium was nevertheless considered an "island" of [[Greece|Hellenic]] civilization due to the many barbarian tribes that surrounded it. As time went on, both the city's inhabitants and its rulers diversified, with Spartans, Macedonians, [[Athens|Athenians]], and Romans all having controlled Byzantium at one point.<ref name="ACR"/>

===Byzantine Empire===
In 324 CE, the Roman Emperor [[Constantine I]], supposedly inspired by a vision from God, moved the capital of the [[Roman Empire]] to Byzantium, which he then rebuilt and expanded. When construction was finished in 330 CE, he had the city rechristened Nova Roma Constantinopolitana, or "New Rome, City of Constantine". Colloquially, it came to be known as both "Constantinopolis" and "New Rome", as the rulers still considered themselves Romans living in the Eastern Roman Empire.<ref name="ACR"/>

For the next 800 years, Constantinople served as the capital of the Roman Empire, as well as a beacon of Christianity, while the West experienced barbarian attacks and economic hardship.<ref name="ACR"/> Nevertheless, the city suffered its share of turmoil as well; in 1204, mass riots against the Byzantine Emperor occurred, following which [[Europe]]an [[Fourth Crusade|Crusaders]] invaded and sacked Constantinople. As a result, [[Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad]], [[Mentor]] of the [[Levantine Assassins]], could not carry out his intentions of introducing the [[Assassins|Assassin Brotherhood]] to the city and was forced to retreat.<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed: The Secret Crusade]]''</ref>

Captured by the invaders, Constantinople became part of the Latin Empire, leading to an influx of [[Venice|Venetian]] and [[Genoa|Genoese]] [[merchants]] that settled on the south and north side of the [[Golden Horn]] respectively. In 1258, an Assassins' guild was established in the city by [[Niccolò Polo|Niccolò]] and [[Maffeo Polo]], who had come from the Assassin fortress of [[Masyaf]]. They also hid the five [[Masyaf Keys]] given to them by Altaïr in the [[Yerebatan Cistern]], the [[Maiden's Tower]], beneath the [[Forum of the Ox]], [[Galata Tower]] and what would become [[Topkapı Palace]].<ref name="ACR"/>

In 1261, [[Michael VIII Palaiologos]], Greek heir to the Byzantine throne, marched on Constantinople and, after a decisive victory, managed to reclaim it. Yet, the recaptured city was struggling to survive; the Empire possessed but a mere fraction of its former land and power. Although Constantinople still flourished culturally, its population rapidly dwindled, leaving it an easy target for the continually expanding Ottoman Empire. The Byzantine Emperors attempted to get help from leaders in Western Europe, but ongoing wars and the complicated feelings held by the Catholic west concerning their Orthodox cousins led only to a series of half-hearted gestures and weak alliances.<ref name="ACR"/>

===Ottoman Empire===
In 1453, Constantinople was besieged by Sultan [[Mehmet II]] and his army. Although Byzantine Emperor [[Constantine XI Palaiologos]] managed to hold the city for 54 days, he and his forces were eventually defeated by the attackers, thanks to the [[Ezio's Apple of Eden|Apple of Eden]] in Mehmet's possession.<ref name="Recollection">''[[Assassin's Creed: Recollection]]''</ref> Once Constantinople had officially come under Ottoman control, the [[Turkey|Turks]] made it their priority to restore the city to its former glory, with the Sultans being tolerant of different religions. As a result, Constantinople became attractive to all kinds of people, causing the population to grow once more. It was also around this period that the city began to be called Istanbul by many of its residents.<ref name="ACR"/>

During the Renaissance, at some point between 1501 and 1507, the Doge of [[Venice]], along with Sultan [[Bayezid II]], sought to ally their considerable naval powers through a free trade treaty. However, the [[Templars]] were wary of any peace between the two, and became intent on interfering with their alliance. The [[House of Borgia|Borgia family]] dispatched a force of [[mercenaries]] to disrupt the agreement, but they were quickly intercepted by members of the [[Italian Assassins]], who set their [[Ships|ship]] aflame before they could depart.<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed: Project Legacy]]''</ref><ref>''[[Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood]]''</ref>

By 1509, the Templars had began to relocate themselves to Constantinople due to their defeat in [[Italy]] and the disruption of their activities throughout Western Europe. The Templars formed a faction known as the Stewards of Byzantium and attempted to seize control of the city in the wake of Bayezid's absence, due to his civil war with his son [[Selim I|Selim]].<ref name="ACR"/>

During this year, an {{Wiki|1509 Istanbul earthquake|earthquake}} uncovered one of the Masyaf Keys hidden beneath Topkapı Palace. Two years later, after traveling to Masyaf to research his Assassin heritage, [[Ezio Auditore da Firenze]], Mentor of the Italian Assassins, arrived in Constantinople to retrieve the other Keys before the Templars. His leadership enabled the Assassins to reclaim their [[Assassin Dens|dens]] from the Byzantines and liberated most of the shops from their control, much as he had in [[Rome]], as well as training several Assassins to the rank of [[Master Assassin]] through the assassination of key Templar agents. However, when Selim took control of the throne, he banished Ezio from Constantinople,<ref name="ACR"/> though allowed him one final visit to the city to sort out his affairs, by request of his son [[Suleiman I|Suleiman]].<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed: Revelations (novel)]]''</ref>

After the end of world war 1,Constantinople was taken by the Allies after having allied with Germany and orchestrated the Armenian genocide that decimated nearly all christians populations in the Middle-East.
==Trivia==
*[[Bernardo Baroncelli]], one of the [[Pazzi conspiracy|Pazzi conspirators]], fled to Constantinople following the failed attempt to take over [[Florence]].
*In ''[[Assassin's Creed: Revelations]]'', the city was slightly smaller than Rome was in ''[[Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood]]'', but it had more buildings, and was more densely populated.
*[[Alexandre Amancio]], the Creative Director of the [[Assassin's Creed (series)|''Assassin's Creed'' series]], stated at E3 that Constantinople is a "really cool metaphor for Ezio meeting Altaïr", citing the fact that half of Constantinople was in Europe, and the other in Asia.
*It was also stated by [[Darby McDevitt]] that Constantinople would be a meaningful meeting of Ezio and Altaïr as the city itself was formerly under {{Wiki|Christianity|Christian}} control, then {{Wiki|Muslim}}, which suited Altaïr and Ezio as the former hailed from a Muslim culture in [[Syria]] and the latter hailed from a Christian Italy.
*Constantinople was originally meant to be included in ''[[Assassin's Creed]]''.{{Fact}}
*In ''Assassin's Creed: Revelations'', it is only possible to explore the section of the city within the {{Wiki|Walls of Constantinople#Wall of Constantine|Constantinian Walls}} and Galata. The rest of the city, which is wholly inaccessible, can be seen from high locations such as top of the Galata Tower and the minarets of the [[Fatih Camii]].

==Gallery==
<tabber>
Concept art=
<gallery captionalign="center" position="center" spacing="small" widths="180">
constantinople.png|Constantinople panorama
Imageassassinscreedreve (2).jpg|Port of Constantinople
ACR Constantinople Port.jpg|Port of Constantinople
ACR Imperial District Port - Concept Art.jpg|Imperial district port
ACR Constantinople Port - Concept Art.jpg|Imperial district port
Olivier Martin ACR Concept.JPG|Port market
Rich district of Constantinople by Olivier Martin.jpg|Rich district buildings
Assassin's creed Revelations shanty district by Omartin.jpg|Poor district buildings
Constantinople Poor District 1.jpg|Poor district
ACR Constantine District - Concept Art.jpg|Poor district
Constantinople Rich District by Gilles Beloeil.jpg|Rich district
Rich District ACR.jpg|Rich district
ACR Street Art HD.png|Streets of Constantinople
ACR Street Art 2 HD.png|Streets of Constantinople
ACR Street Art 3 HD.png|Streets of Constantinople
78.jpg|Constantinople outskirts
ACR Constantinople Gates Art HD.png|Constantinople gates
Contantinople by night concept art by Francis Denoncourt.jpg|Constantinople by night
Istanbul Rooftops concept by Donglu Yu.jpg|Constantinople rooftops
PL MyEnemysEnemy.jpg|Artwork from ''[[Assassin's Creed: Project Legacy]]''
</gallery>
|-|
Screenshots=
<gallery captionalign="center" position="center" spacing="small" widths="180">
Constantinople at night.jpg|Constantinople at night
The view 3.png|Ezio and Yusuf looking out over Constaninople from Galata Tower
Arcadia district of Constantinople.jpg|Arcadia district of Constantinople
Constantinople poor district.jpg|Constantinople’s poor district
Poor district of Constantinople 2.jpg|Poor district of Constantinople
Poor district of Constantinople.jpg|Poor district of Constantinople
Constantinople at night - Panoramic.png|Constantinople at night panorama
Constantinoplepanoramic.png|Constantinople as seen from the Bosphorus
acr-revelation-map-constantinople-galata.jpg|Map of the city
</gallery>
</tabber>

==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{ACR}}
[[Category:Turkey]]
[[Category:Constantinople| ]]
[[Category:Capital cities]]

Teodora Contanto

2015-10-12T18:04:25Z

212.36.208.37:

{{Era|AC2|2book|Assassins|Featured}}
{{Quote|I find that men are more... open, to religious change when it comes to women like me.|Sister Teodora.}}
{{Character Infobox
|image = TeodoraContantoDatabaseRender.png
|birth = 1450 [[Venice]], [[Republic of Venice]]
|affiliates = [[Courtesans]] [[Assassins]]
|appear = ''[[Assassin's Creed II]]'' ''[[Assassin's Creed: Renaissance]]''
|voice = [[Nadia Verrucci]]
|hideb = }}
'''Teodora Contanto''', also known as '''Sister Teodora''', (1450 – unknown) was the leader of the [[Venice|Venetian]] [[courtesans]] and a member of the [[Assassins|Assassin Order]].

She spent five years of her life in a convent, but found herself disagreeing with the beliefs of the other nuns. After leaving the convent, she founded [[La Rosa della Virtù]], her own brothel, which was staffed by women with a similar belief to her own.

She assisted the Assassin [[Ezio Auditore da Firenze]] during his quest to assassinate [[Marco Barbarigo]], the [[Templars|Templar]] Doge of Venice. With the help of Teodora and her girls, Ezio was able to infiltrate the Doge's [[Carnevale]] party, where he assassinated his target.

She was also one of the Assassins that were present during Ezio's fight with [[Rodrigo Borgia]], though they had come to retrieve an [[Ezio's Apple of Eden|Apple of Eden]]. Teodora, [[Paola]] and [[Niccolò Machiavelli]] remained at the sidelines while the others joined the fight, and only revealed themselves after Rodrigo's departure.

==Biography==
===Early life===
{{Quote|Like many young women, I was drawn to the church, but grew disillusioned by the 'believers' of this city.|Teodora on joining the church.|Assassin's Creed II}}
Teodora was born in Venice to a family of jewelers that had their own shop, and was apprenticed to her mother as a shop girl. Visitors to the shop noticed Teodora's beauty and charm, and in 1462, one man buying diamond earrings for his wife, Margarita, noticed the twelve year old Teodora and left wishing he had never married. Five years later, court records show that on 26 November she was caught having an affair with a married man at the age of 17. The man's wife found out and alerted the authorities. To avoid legal action, her parents sent her to the Santa Maria degli Angeli convent as a punishment, so that she could live out the rest of her days in peace and prayer.

===Becoming a courtesan===
{{Quote|Men hold God as an idea in their heads, not in the depths of their hearts and bodies. Men must know how to love in order to reach salvation. My girls and I provide that to our congregation.|Teodora describing her service to her beliefs.|Assassin's Creed II}}
[[File:DiD 1.png|thumb|left|250px|Teodora with Antonio de Magianis at La Rosa della Virtù]]
In 1473, at the age of 23, Teodora grew tired of convent life and the way it conflicted with her own personal beliefs. She left the convent, leaving behind a statement nailed to the door in which she spoke about life as a nun being "earthly" and sterile. She concluded her letter with a brief description of her own beliefs: ''"only in partnership with another can one truly enter the arms of God"''.

That very same year, Teodora opened La Rosa della Virtù, "The Rose of Virtue", a bordello situated in Venice's [[Dorsoduro District]], the festival center of Venice. It was staffed solely by former nuns with similar ideals to those of Teodora. The Pope would frequently try to force the [[La Serenissima|Venetian Council]] to shut it down, but it would remain open until 1516. Although she was no longer a part of the Catholic Church, Teodora considered herself a nun, worshipping in her own idiosyncratic brand of faith. Additionally, Teodora was somehow introduced to and inducted into the Assassin Order.

===Helping Ezio===
{{Quote|You'll need a golden mask for entry. And before you think of forging one, keep in mind, each mask is numbered. Fortunately for you, I have an idea. Let's see if we can't win you a mask.|Teodora informing Ezio of their situation.|Assassin's Creed II}}
[[File:NtW 3.png|thumb|right|250px|Teodora explaining her plan to obtain the golden mask]]
In 1486, Teodora was introduced to Ezio Auditore by fellow Assassin, [[Antonio de Magianis]]. Teodora guided Ezio in his objective to kill the Templar Doge Marco Barbarigo by informing him that he could win a [[Golden Mask|golden mask]], which would grant him access to Marco's personal Carnevale party. Ezio participated in the contest to win the mask, but even though Ezio fairly won all the matches, the mask was given to Marco's bodyguard [[Dante Moro]].

Teodora and Antonio then instructed Ezio to use Teodora's courtesans to distract Dante, which would allow him an opportunity to steal the mask. Successful, Ezio entered the party and met with Teodora, who offered him her girls to help Ezio stay out of the guards' sight, who had been informed of his presence at the party. After Marco appeared, Ezio assassinated him and returned to La Rosa della Virtù, where he tried to win himself a night with Teodora; she cut his efforts short and commanded her girls to attend to him.

===Acquiring the Apple of Eden===
{{Quote|Do you really, now? Or are you here for another reason, my son?|Teodora's response when Ezio desired to follow after Rodrigo.|Assassin's Creed II}}
[[File:Play along 10.png|thumb||250px|left|Ezio's formal induction to the Assassin Order]]
In 1488, Teodora joined the other Assassins in Venice, where they hoped to acquire the Apple of Eden from the Templar [[Grand Master]] Rodrigo Borgia. However, when they arrived, they found Ezio already fighting the Templar and his guards; Paola, Teodora and Niccolò Machiavelli remained on the sidelines as the other Assassins assisted Ezio in the fight. When the guards were killed and Rodrigo had fled, leaving the Apple of Eden behind, they revealed themselves to be Assassins, a fact which had previously been unknown to Ezio. Ezio was then [[Initiation into the Assassin Order|inducted in the Assassin Order]], a ceremony where Teodora was also present, after which they all took a [[Leap of Faith]] from a tower.

===Finding the Vault===
{{Dialogue|Mario|Now I understand! It's not the Vault alone he's gained access to - but the staff as well!|Teodora|What staff?|The Assassins discussing the Pieces of Eden.|Assassin's Creed II}}
[[File:X marks 7.png|thumb|right|250px|[[Bartolomeo d'Alviano]] suggesting the Assassins cause trouble in Rome]]
In 1499, Ezio had acquired the remaining [[Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad's Codex|Codex]] pages, and Teodora and the other Assassins met again, this time in [[Monteriggioni]]. They hoped to locate [[Vatican Vault|the Vault]] that the prophecy spoke of. Once it had been determined that the Vault was in [[Rome]], she agreed to "cause trouble in the city", along with the others, while Ezio infiltrated the [[Vatican (disambiguation)|Vatican]]. After this, she returned to Venice, where she remained as the head of the courtesans.

===Later life===
In 1516, La Rosa della Virtù was burned in a fire started by a disgruntled bishop who wished to lie with one of the girls for free. The Roman Catholic Church publicly cited that the fire was an act of God. Teodora's fate remained unknown, although she would have been 66 at this time.

==Trivia==
*The name Teodora is an Italian variant of Theodora, the feminine form of Theodoros, a Greek name meaning "gift of god." Contanto comes from an Italian phrase "''con tanto (affetto/amor)''", meaning "with a lot of (affection/love)."
*Teodora's design bears a strong resemblance to the {{Wiki|Ridolfo Ghirlandaio}}'s painting, {{Wiki|File:Ridolfo del Ghirlandaio - Portrait of a Woman, called "The Nun" - WGA08928.jpg|''The Nun''}}.
*During the mission "[[Having a Blast]]," if Marco was killed before Teodora leaves, guards may chase and kill her, allowing her body to be looted.
*She claims that she don't see any contradiction with being a nun and what she do with her body.What means that when she claims she's devout to God,she let herself succomb to the desire of flesh.Which is hypocrite and contradictory to what the bible teach.

==Gallery==
<gallery captionalign="center" position="center" spacing="small" widths="180">
Early Teodora Contanto Concept art.jpg|Early concept art of Teodora
</gallery>

==Reference==
*''[[Assassin's Creed II]]''
{{AC2}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Contanto, Teodora}}
[[Category:1450 births]]
[[Category:Individuals]]
[[Category:Italians]]
[[Category:Courtesans]]
[[Category:Assassins]]
[[Category:Italian Assassins]]
[[Category:Italian Assassin Council]]

Portugal

2015-10-12T17:50:32Z

212.36.208.37:

{{Era|ACB|PL|ACRG|CC|4book}}
{{WP-REAL}}
{{Update|''[[Assassin's Creed: Rogue]]''}}
[[File:PL Exodus.jpg|thumb|250px|Lisbon]]
'''Portugal''' is a country in southern Europe, sharing its borders with [[Spain]].

==History==
During the [[Renaissance]] the country was ruled by [[Manuel I of Portugal|Manuel I]], who had close ties to Spain and the [[Templars]]. He also took great interest in founding colonies in the east, such as [[India]].

After having learned of the [[Assassins]] being present in India as well, he sent a fleet of thirteen ships to [[Calicut]], led by [[Pedro Álvares Cabral]]. However, the Assassins destroyed the fleet and only three ships managed to return to Portugal. Manuel then sent [[Vasco da Gama]] and a fleet of 800 men to Calicut to root out the Assassins, though many of the men fell during a fierce Assassin attack, sending a clear message to Portugal and making clear they didn't accept their interference.

Manuel then ordered a lock-down in [[Lisbon]], preventing anyone from escaping, and forced all citizens to convert to {{Wiki|Christianity}}. Because it was clearly suspected that the jews helped in medieval time, the muslims to invade Spain.The Assassins managed to evacuate many citizens, though they knew they could never get all of them out of the city. Realizing they had to do something, they provided the citizens with weapons, armor and a basic combat training, giving them a chance to stand up against their king.

==Reference==
* ''[[Assassin's Creed: Project Legacy]]''
[[Category:Portugal| ]]

Christmas truce

2015-10-12T17:45:23Z

212.36.208.37:

{{Era|PL}}
{{WP-REAL}}
The '''Christmas truce''' took place during Christmas 1914 during [[World War I]]. During this time, both the [[Germany|German]] and [[United Kingdom|British]] soldiers stopped fighting to have a peaceful Christmas as both sides fighting each other were mostly christians.

[[Erich Albert]], a German General, took two medics, one German and one [[Assassin medic (1914)|British]], into his camp during the Christmas truce, hoping they could help one of his wounded soldiers. The German medic returned to the festivities after the successful operation, but the British medic, secretly an [[Assassins|Assassin]], remained behind as Albert offered to trade his [[Templar ring|ring]] for the medic's, having mistaken the branding mark on the Assassin's ring finger for jewelry. The Assassin noted the [[Templars|Templar]] seal on the ring and killed the General with his [[Hidden Blade]].

==Reference==
*''[[Assassin's Creed: Project Legacy]]'' - [[Holidays: Chapter 1 - Ghosts of Christmas Past]]
[[Category:Timeline]]