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

Rodrigo Borgia

2011-08-14T03:31:00Z

68.195.140.52: /* Venice */

{{Era|AC2|PL|Brotherhood|Renaissance|bbook|Lineage|Ascendance|Templars}}
{{WPtargets}}
{{WP-REAL|Pope Alexander VI}}
{{Character Infobox
|name = Rodrigo Borgia
|image = char_rodrigo.png
|imgdesc = Rodrigo Borgia as Pope Alexander VI.
|birth = 1 January 1431 Xàtiva, Valencia, Crown of Aragon
|death = 18 August 1503 [[Rome]], [[Italy]]
|period = Italian [[Renaissance]]
|faction = [[House of Borgia]] [[Templars]] [[Papacy]]
|appear = ''[[Assassin's Creed: Lineage]]'' ''[[Assassin's Creed II]]'' ''[[Assassin's Creed: Ascendance]]'' ''[[Assassin's Creed: Project Legacy]]'' ''[[Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood]]''
|actor = [[Manuel Tadros]]
|voice = [[Manuel Tadros]]
}}
{{quote|He is Rodrigo Borgia, one of the most powerful men in all of Europe, and leader of the [[Templars|Templar Order]].|[[Mario Auditore]]|Assassin's Creed II}}

'''Rodrigo Borgia''' (1 January 1431 – 18 August 1503), born '''Roderic Llançol''', later '''Roderic de Borja i Borja''', was a [[Spain|Spanish]] [[Cardinal]], and the [[Grand Master of the Templar Order|leader]] of the [[Templars|Templar Order]] during the [[Italy|Italian]] [[Renaissance]]. He was the father of [[Juan Borgia the Younger|Juan]], [[Cesare Borgia|Cesare]], [[Lucrezia Borgia|Lucrezia]], and [[Jofré Borgia]].

Rodrigo was elected as [[Papacy|Pope]] from 1492 to 1503, and was known as '''Alexander VI'''. He was one of the most controversial of the Renaissance Popes, and his surname became synonymous for the corrupt standards of the Papacy in that era.

==Biography==
===Early life===
Roderic Llançol was born at Xàtiva in the Kingdom of València, one of the component states of the Crown of Aragon, now Spain. His parents were Jofré Llançol i Escrivá, and his wife and relative Isabel de Borja. His family name is written Llançol in Valencian and Lanzol in Spanish. After the elevation of Roderic's maternal uncle Alonso de Borja to the Papacy as Calixtus III in 1455, Roderic was adopted into his mother's family name of Borja.<ref name="Wikipedia: Pope Alexander VI">''[[wikipedia:Pope Alexander VI|Wikipedia - Pope Alexander VI]]''</ref>

Roderic de Borja studied law at Bologna, and was made successively bishop, cardinal and vice-chancellor of the church, all of which were nepotistic appointments characteristic of the age. He served in the Roman Curia under five Popes (his uncle, Pius II, Paul II, Sixtus IV and Innocent VIII) and acquired much administrative experience, influence, and wealth, though not great power.<ref name="Wikipedia: Pope Alexander VI" />

===Conspiracies===
[[File:Borgia lineage.jpg|thumb|left|Rodrigo Borgia hiding from Giovanni Auditore in Florence.]]
By the time Rodrigo was under Pope Sixtus IV, he had become the Grand Master of the Templar Order. In this position, he aspired to unite all of Italy under the Templar banner. In doing so, he made plans to take down the leaders of Italy's main cities, and place his own men in power.<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Lineage">''[[Assassin's Creed: Lineage]]''</ref>

====Milan====
Rodrigo devised a plan to eliminate [[Galeazzo Maria Sforza]], the Duke of Milan, in which [[Giovanni Andrea Lampugnani]], [[Carlo Visconti]] and [[Gerolamo Olgiati]] would kill Sforza on the day of Santo Stefano.<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Lineage" />

One night in December of 1476, Rodrigo was on his way to leave [[Florence]] accompanied by several of his men in the dark streets of the city. Suddenly, [[Giovanni Auditore da Firenze|Giovanni Auditore]], a member of the [[Assassins|Assassin Order]], intercepted him. Rodrigo fled immediately as the Assassin battled his men.<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Lineage" />

Hidden behind a corner, Rodrigo witnessed Giovanni capture one of his men, who later revealed the planned assassination of Galeazzo Sforza, who was a powerful ally of [[Lorenzo de' Medici]]. Giovanni attempted to prevent this, though he arrived too late to do so. Rodrigo's plan had succeeded, thus he began to devise his next scheme.<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Lineage" />

====Giovanni Auditore====
[[File:tadros.jpg|thumb|250px|Rodrigo walking in [[Rome]].]]
Giovanni Auditore learned that Rodrigo's plans would lead him to the city of [[Venice]], after looting a Venetian [[wikipedia:Ducat|ducat]] from Giovanni Lampugnani. Upon traveling there, he intercepted a message from [[Marco Barbarigo|Marco]] and [[Silvio Barbarigo]] to their master, Rodrigo.<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Lineage"/>

After [[Uberto Alberti]] and [[Antonio Maffei|Father Maffei]] "failed" to decode the intercepted letter, the [[House of Medici|Medici]] and Uberto sent Giovanni to carry a copied version of the message to [[Rome]], in order to discover who was behind the plot. After arriving in the city, he handed the message to a man. In this manner, the letter was passed through various hands before meeting its final destination: Rodrigo.<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Lineage"/>

Rodrigo then left to see [[Sixtus IV|Pope Sixtus IV]] to obtain military support in order to conquer Florence. After gaining Sixtus' favor, Rodrigo headed out of the [[Vaticano district|Vatican]], and into the streets of Rome once more.<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Lineage"/>

Giovanni was still on Rodrigo's trail at this point, and followed him all the way into [[Basilica di San Pietro|St. Peter's Basilica]]; however, there, he fell into an ambush set by Rodrigo. Rodrigo tried to offer Giovanni a position among the Templars, but the Assassin refused, stating that Rodrigo would be dead before he could see the Templars' fantasy become a reality.<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Lineage"/>

Disappointed, Rodrigo had his men attack Giovanni, but the Assassin routed all of them. Rodrigo, who had been watching from the sidelines, threw a [[Throwing knives|knife]] Giovanni's way, hitting him in the chest. Rodrigo then took the chance to flee the Basilica. Afterwards, he discussed the next step in his plan with his Templar brothers, and all agreed on one thing: to dispose of Giovanni Auditore.<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Lineage"/>

[[File:LMS_10_v.png|thumb|left|252px|Rodrigo giving orders to Uberto at the Auditore execution.]]
In order to get rid of Giovanni, Rodrigo conspired with Uberto Alberti and the [[House of Pazzi|Pazzi family]]. After careful planning, the Templars were able to frame Giovanni for the crimes of treason, and had him and two of his sons arrested.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II">''[[Assassin's Creed II]]''</ref>

The night before the trial of the [[House of Auditore|Auditore family]], Rodrigo was at Uberto's house. [[Ezio Auditore da Firenze|Ezio Auditore]], Giovanni's remaining son, came by to give Uberto his father's letters that would prove him innocent. Ezio noticed Rodrigo behind Uberto, but paid no further attention to him. The following morning, Rodrigo attended the judgment and execution of Giovanni, [[Federico Auditore da Firenze|Federico]] and [[Petruccio Auditore da Firenze|Petruccio Auditore]]. Years later, Rodrigo would tell Ezio that his brothers had not needed to die, but that he had them killed anyway to make a point to the Assassins.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II"/>

====Florence====
[[File:Burgerking.png|thumb|250px|Rodrigo discussing the Pazzi Conspiracy.]]
In 1478, Rodrigo conspired to take down the leader of Florence, Lorenzo de' Medici, and his brother [[Giuliano de' Medici|Giuliano]]. Thus, Rodrigo left for Florence again, where he held a meeting with the [[Francesco de' Pazzi]], [[Jacopo de' Pazzi]] and several conspirators in a catacomb under the Basilica of [[Santa Maria Novella]]. As the Pazzi confirmed their plan to Rodrigo, he reminded them to beware of the Assassins, and stated that the next day would be ''"a new dawn" ''for Florence<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />

However, Ezio thwarted the Templars' attempted takeover in Florence and killed off the remaining conspirators Rodrigo was arranged to meet with in [[San Gimignano]], where the Pazzi originally intended to request asylum with Rodrigo in either Venice or Rome. However, Jacopo was the only one to arrive at the meeting and claimed that the blame for the failure rested with his nephew, for his impatience, and with [[Emilio Barbarigo]], for supplying the Pazzi troops with sub-standard weaponry. Enraged by Jacopo's sniveling excuses, Rodrigo lectured his subordinate on his failure, then stabbed him in the abdomen, aided by an eager Emilio.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />

Ignoring Jacopo's pleas for mercy, Rodrigo stabbed him a second time in the neck with his sword, then called out to Ezio who had tailed Jacopo to the meeting. Grabbed by Borgia guards suddenly, Ezio was brought into Rodrigo's sight. Sarcastically apologizing for killing Jacopo for him, Rodrigo mocked Ezio, saying that he had been doing this for far longer than the [[novice]] Assassin. He then ordered his men to kill him, and left without bothering to ensure the deed was done.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />

====Venice====
[[File:AC2Pope.jpg|thumb|left|250px|Rodrigo joins the meeting in Venice.]]
{{dialogue2|Silvio|And what does the Spaniard have to say of this change of plan?|Marco|You can ask him yourself soon enough.|He's here? From Rome?|Silvio, and Marco regarding Rodrigo's presence in Venice.|Assassin's Creed II}}
Soon after the Florentine attempt failed, Rodrigo returned his attention to conducting his plans for Venice. In 1485, he met with [[Carlo Grimaldi]] and the [[House of Barbarigo|Barbarigo family]] to plan the murder of the current Doge, [[Giovanni Mocenigo]], in order for them to seize control of Venice themselves. During the meeting, Rodrigo chastised the Venetian Templars for making their own plans, rebuking them for their ''"inane prattle"'' as they argued over who would be the new Doge after they took Venice. He then silenced their debates by appointing Marco Barbarigo as the next Doge.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />

During this meeting, Marco questioned Rodrigo's presence in Venice, as Ezio was also there, but Rodrigo only replied that he felt he should see out their plans personally, particularly after the failure of the Pazzi conspiracy. Warning the Venetian tyrants of the Assassin that ''"haunts"'' their city, he then made his departure from Venice to Rome, allowing them to carry out his plans.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />

While Ezio was [[Hunt in Venice|hunting the Barbarigo]] in Venice, Rodrigo meanwhile tracked down the location of the [[Piece of Eden]] that [[Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad]] had once taken from the Templars in 1191.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />

===Apple of Eden===
[[File:Achallangeborgia.jpg|thumb|250px|Rodrigo and Ezio confront each other in Venice.]]
By 1486, Rodrigo had found out that the Piece of Eden he sought was [[Sixth Apple|the Apple]], which was hidden on [[Cyprus]]. He thus sent a battalion of his men to retrieve it. Two years later, the men returned to [[L'Arsenale]] with the artifact, and Rodrigo met with the courier who was to deliver it to him.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />

However, prior to this, Ezio had intercepted the delivery and had disguised himself as the carrier of the artifact, in order to kill Rodrigo. Rodrigo had expected the attack, and readied himself to deal with Ezio personally. The two exchanged a brief conversation, in which Rodrigo claimed himself to be the Prophet, who was said to be the only one who could open the fabled [[the Vault|Vault]]. The two then began an intense battle, in which Ezio ultimately emerged as the victor.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />

Realizing that he could not defeat Ezio alone, Rodrigo called in a supply of guards to overwhelm him. Suddenly, many of Ezio's allies appeared, all of whom revealed themselves to be Assassins. They held off the guards to allow Ezio to re-challenge Rodrigo, who then escaped from them before Ezio could kill him.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />

That same year, Rodrigo found out that the late [[Girolamo Riario]] had created a map marking where all the [[Codex]] pages could be found, thus he hired the [[House of Orsi|Orsi brothers]] to retrieve it from Riario's city of [[Forlì]]. The Orsi discovered that Riario's wife, [[Caterina Sforza]], also had the Apple, and thus laid [[Battle of Forlì|siege]] to the city and took the artifact by force, planning to present it to Rodrigo for an extra pay-off.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />

Unfortunately for Rodrigo, Ezio managed to kill both of the Orsi brothers, though the Apple eventually came into the hands of [[Girolamo Savonarola]], a later arch-enemy of Rodrigo.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />

===Spain===
In 1491, Rodrigo fooled the Spanish Inquisitor General [[Tomás de Torquemada]] into capturing and killing Assassins in Spain. Tomás, who thought Rodrigo was as much as a believer of God as he was, blindly followed his orders.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II: Discovery">''[[Assassin's Creed II: Discovery]]''</ref>

At around this time, Rodrigo also found out about [[Christoffa Corombo]]'s plans to sail west; however he, knowing of the presence of the [[wikipedia:Americas|Americas]] and the treasures that lay there, wished to stop anyone from finding it before he could. Thus, Rodrigo arranged a meeting with Christoffa in Venice, and lay a trap for him there.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II: Discovery" />

However, Christoffa's friend, [[Luis de Santángel]], was suspicious of the arrangement, and called for the aid of his fellow Assassin, Ezio. Ezio rushed to Christoffa's aid, successfully rescuing him and thwarting Rodrigo's plans.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II: Discovery" />

===Papal Rule===
Rodrigo was elected Pope in 1492, and established his power in Rome. Rodrigo's true intent, however, was simply to get into [[Vatican Vault|the Vault that lay under the Vatican]], where he believed God rested.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />

In 1494, with the death of Lorenzo de' Medici, and with the power of the Apple he had obtained, Savonarola [[Bonfire of the Vanities|took control]] over Florence. Rodrigo repeatedly sent his men to Florence in the hopes of acquiring the Apple, though he was unsuccessful. In 1498, Savonarola was assassinated by Ezio, causing the Borgia family to fall into a state of chaos upon losing track of the Apple.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" /><ref name="Assassin's Creed: Project Legacy">''[[Assassin's Creed: Project Legacy]]''</ref>

[[File:Theconfront.jpg|thumb|250px|Rodrigo confronted by Ezio.]]
In 1499, Rodrigo was followed into the Vatican by Ezio for yet another assassination attempt. Ezio sneaked into the [[Capella Sistina|Sistine Chapel]], where Rodrigo was holding Mass, and attacked him from above. However, after turning to leave, Ezio witnessed Rodrigo rise from the ground and use his Piece of Eden, [[The Staff|the Papal Staff]], to strike down him and everyone else in the room.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />

Rodrigo was surprised to see that Ezio was able to resist the power of his Staff, as Ezio had brought his own Piece of Eden: the Apple that Altaïr had taken from [[Al Mualim]]. Ezio then summoned four clones of himself to assist in his battle against Rodrigo, eventually defeating him.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />

However, Rodrigo knocked Ezio aside with the Staff, and snatched the Apple from his hands. He then combined it with the Staff to open up the door to The Vault, and as Ezio tried to stop him, Rodrigo lifted him into the air with the power of the two combined Pieces of Eden.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />

As the Assassin hung helpless, Rodrigo stabbed Ezio with a dagger, and left him to die on the floor of the Sistine Chapel. Though injured, Ezio eventually followed Rodrigo to the Vault, and found the Pope furiously pounding upon the door to the inner chambers, which refused to open.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />

[[File:Thebrawl.jpg|thumb|250px|left|Rodrigo and Ezio preparing a hand-to-hand duel.]]
Ezio then dropped down into the pit where Rodrigo was, and challenged him to one last fist fight, with no more weapons, plots, or decoys. Rodrigo accepted, and the two had one last duel. During the battle, Rodrigo stated that he had never believed in the Bible or in God, and had only become Pope to gain access to the Staff and the Vault, and to unify Italy under Templar rule. Ezio defeated Rodrigo, holding the Pope at blade-point and telling him he was not the Prophet, and had never been.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />

Broken by this revelation and accepting defeat, Rodrigo told Ezio to kill him and put an end to it. However, Ezio refused, saying that killing him would not bring back his family. Additionally, the knowledge that he was not the Prophet, as he had believed, was an even sorer blow than anything else that Ezio could have thought of.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />

When Rodrigo's son [[Cesare Borgia|Cesare]] learned of this, he led a [[Fall of Monteriggioni|siege]] on [[Monteriggioni]], though without Rodrigo's approval, in order to reacquire the Apple of Eden and kill the last of the Assassins. By this time, Rodrigo was reduced to nothing but a figurehead, with Cesare ultimately taking over Rome.<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood">''[[Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood]]''</ref>

===Later life and death===
[[File:ACB Cesare Rodrigo.png|thumb|right|250px|Rodrigo meeting with Cesare, moments before his death.]]
Following his defeat in the Vault, Rodrigo had given up on fighting the Assassin Order and instead chose to preserve the balance of power in Rome he had managed to obtain. However, Cesare was eager to take over all of Italy, a plan that Rodrigo did not approve of. As the Captain General of the Papal armies, however, Cesare held control over Rodrigo's military, and was thus able to carry out his plans without his father's consent.<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood" />

In 1501, Ezio infiltrated the [[Castel Sant'Angelo]] to assassinate both Rodrigo and Cesare, however, the former was not there and the latter left before Ezio had a chance to kill him.
In 1503, at [[Juan Borgia the Elder|Juan Borgia]]'s [[Incident at the Pagan Party|pagan party]], Rodrigo spoke to Cesare and reprimanded him, only to have his son brush aside his concerns and remind him of who was ''truly'' in charge.<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood" />

Later that year, Rodrigo had grown heavily displeased with Cesare's ambition and entitlement, believing his son to be out of control. Fearing Cesare would jeopardize his own balance of power, Rodrigo decided that his best option would be to remove Cesare.<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood" />

[[File:Apple.png|thumb|left|250px|Cesare killing his father.]]
To achieve this, he seized the Castel's supply of [[cantarella]] - the same poison that had been used for Doge Mocenigo - and poisoned a few apples for Cesare to unwittingly eat. However, Rodrigo's daughter [[Lucrezia Borgia|Lucrezia]] discovered the presence of the poison, and warned Cesare about it before he could ingest enough to be mortally wounded.<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood" />

Enraged, Cesare promptly spat out what he had eaten, before shoving the remaining apple down Rodrigo's throat. Rodrigo perished before Ezio arrived to kill him, but Ezio nevertheless gave Rodrigo his final blessing at last.<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood" />

==Personality==
Initially an ambitious middle-aged man, Rodrigo was intent, as Cesare later would be, on taking Italy in the name of the Templar Order and exterminating the Assassins. After becoming Pope, his obsession not only with conquering Italy but also of realizing what he believed to be his true calling as the Prophet intensified. He actively sought to take the Apple from Savonarola, as demonstrated when he sent battalions of Papal soldiers to Florence to take it.

After his duel with Ezio in the Vault, and the shattering revelation that he was not the Prophet, Rodrigo was reduced to being an empty shell, and instead of continuing to pursue his dreams of infinite power and the extermination of the Assassin Order, he focused on maintaining his monopoly over Rome.

==Final words - ''Assassin's Creed II''==
After Ezio's first assassination attempt.

'''Ezio:''' ''I thought... I thought I was beyond this. But I'm not. I've waited too long, lost too much...'' Requiescat in pace ''(Rest in peace), you bastard.''

'''Rodrigo:''' ''I don't think so.''

After Ezio's and Rodrigo's confrontation at the Vault.

'''Rodrigo:''' ''You can't! You can't! It's MY destiny. MINE! I am the Prophet!''

'''Ezio:''' ''You never were...''

'''Rodrigo:''' ''Get it over with then.''

'''Ezio''': ...''No. Killing you won't bring my family back... I'm done.'' Nulla è reale, tutto è lecito. Requiescat in pace. ''(Nothing is true, everything is permitted. Rest in peace.)''

==Final words - ''Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood''==
Cesare arrives in the Papal apartments, where Rodrigo is arranging a bowl of apples.

'''Cesare''': ''What has happened here?''

'''Rodrigo''': ''I do not know what you mean?''

'''Cesare''': ''My funds, my troops. Gone.''

'''Rodrigo''': ''Financial difficulties strike all of us, even those with an army.''

'''Cesare''': ''You intend to give me money?''

'''Rodrigo''': ''No, I do not.''

'''Cesare''': ''Then I will use the Piece of Eden to get what I want. Your help is not necessary.''

Cesare takes an apple from the bowl, and takes a bite from it.

'''Rodrigo''':(smiles) ''That has been made abundantly clear to me. Are you aware that the [[Octavian de Valois|Baron de Valois]], is dead?''

'''Cesare''': ''No. Did you--''

'''Rodrigo''': ''What reason could I possibly have to kill him? Was he plotting against me, with my "brilliant", traitorous, Captain General?''

'''Cesare''': ''I do not have to stand for this.''

'''Rodrigo''': ''The Assassins murdered him.''

'''Cesare''': ''Why did you not stop them?''

'''Rodrigo''': ''As if I could. It was not my decision to attack Monteriggioni, it was yours! It's high time, you take responsibilities for your actions.''

'''Cesare''': ''My accomplishments. Despite the constant interferences from failures like you.''

Cesare attempts to leave, but Rodrigo blocks him.

'''Rodrigo''': ''You are not going anywhere. I have the Piece of Eden.''

'''Cesare''': ''Get out of my way old man.''

'''Rodrigo''': ''I gave you everything, and yet it is never enough!''

Lucrezia hurries into the room.

'''Lucrezia''': ''Cesare! He intends to poison you!''

Shocked, Cesare spits out the apple he had been eating. He then advances on Rodrigo.

'''Rodrigo''': ''You would not listen to reason.''

'''Cesare''': ''Father, do you not see? I control all of this. If I want to live, I live. If I want to take, I take! If I want you to die, you die!''

Cesare assaults Rodrigo, knocking him to the floor and forcing the rest of the apple into his mouth. Rodrigo eventually succumbs to the poison, and after Cesare leaves, Ezio arrives to give Rodrigo his final rites.

'''Ezio''': (closing Rodrigo's eyes) Requiescat in pace.

==Trivia==
[[File:Blason_famille_it_Borgia01_svg.png|thumb|The [[Heraldry|coat of arms]] of the Borgia, which can be seen on Rodrigo's personal guards (who wear black outfits striped with red).]]
*Rodrigo was called "the Spaniard" by the Assassins, as he was of Spanish origin.
* During some of Rodrigo's appearances, a dim red lighting effect can be seen on Rodrigo's hood and upper body, even though there is no source for this light.
* In real life Alexander VI (Spaniard) ordered the execution of Savonarola, the mad monk of Florence
* In all of his appearances throughout the game he is seen wearing either a hood or a cap.

===Combat===
*As Ezio entered the Sistine Chapel to assassinate Rodrigo, he was proclaiming the Nicene Creed in Latin to the congregation. It is ironic, as the Nicene Creed confesses the wholeness of the Roman Catholic doctrine, in which Borgia later stated he did not believe.
* It is possible to kill Rodrigo while in the Sistine Chapel if you poison him. After this, you can wield the Staff of Eden, although you cannot use any of its powers.
* Sometimes, during the fight with Rodrigo in the Sistine Chapel, he can be seen wielding a spear instead of the Staff.
* Although Ezio did not kill Rodrigo, he is listed as dead in the [[Animus]]' Conspirator Web after the player completes ''Assassin's Creed II'' and re-enters the Animus.

===Papacy===
[[File:Papal Arms of Alexander VI.svg|thumb|The [[Heraldry#Rodrigo Borgia|Papal coat of arms]] of Alexander VI, which can be seen on his [[Papal Guard]].]]
* Rodrigo was the first Pope to be elected from a conclave in the Sistine Chapel.
* In Rodrigo's assassination target video, there is a scene with Rodrigo in his Papal robes standing next to his fellow Templars, who are seated at a table. This is impossible, because by the time Rodrigo became Pope, Ezio had killed all the other Templars present. The Pazzi, the Barbarigo and Carlo Grimaldi, for example, are shown at the table.
* In the assassination target video for the Orsi brothers, in the ''Battle of Forlì DLC'' set in 1488, Rodrigo is again shown in his Papal robes, even though he was elected Pope in 1492.
* Rodrigo appeared only a few times in [[Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood]] and was never aware of [[Ezio]]'s presence in that game.

===Death===
[[File:Rborgia_portrait.jpg|thumb|Rodrigo Borgia's Portrait]]
* Rodrigo's fate in the novel, ''[[Assassin's Creed: Renaissance]]'', differs from that shown in ''Assassin's Creed II''. In the game, after Ezio defeated and spared him, Borgia was left alone to come to terms with his misery as Ezio entered the Vault. In the novel, however, when Ezio emerged from the Vault, Borgia committed suicide with poison. His last act was to ask Ezio what he saw in the Vault, to which Ezio replied ''"Nothing. No one,"'' leading Borgia to die believing everything he had done in life was for nothing.
**In the [[Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood (novel)|novelization of ''Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood'']], however, Rodrigo evidently survived this suicide attempt, and [[Mario Auditore]] suggested that he had not taken enough poison, or that he had been faking.
* Rodrigo died in 1503 at the age of [[72]].

==Database entry==

<center>[[Video:Assassin's Creed 2 - Targets: Rodrigo Borgia 3/9|400px]]</center>
{{-}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{ACII}}
{{ACIID}}
{{ACBH}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Borgia, Rodrigo}}
[[Category:Characters]]
[[Category:Assassin's Creed: Lineage Characters]]
[[Category:Assassin's Creed II Characters]]
[[Category:Assassin's Creed: Renaissance Characters]]
[[Category:Assassin's Creed II Assassination Targets]]
[[Category:Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood Characters]]
[[Category:Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood (Novel) Characters]]
[[Category:Assassin's Creed: Ascendance Characters]]
[[Category:Assassin's Creed: Project Legacy Characters]]
[[Category:Templars]]
[[Category:Historical Characters]]
[[Category:Popes]]

Agostino Barbarigo

2011-08-12T04:00:08Z

68.195.140.52:

{{Era|AC2|PL|Renaissance|Templars}}
{{WP-REAL}}
{{Character Infobox
|name = Agostino Barbarigo
|image = Zw-agostinobarbarigo.png
|imgdesc = Agostino in the Animus Database
|faction = [[Venice|Republic of Venice]] [[Assassins]] (former ally) [[Templars]] (secretly) [[House of Barbarigo]]
|period = [[Renaissance|Italian Renaissance]]
|appear = ''[[Assassin's Creed II]]''
|voice =
|birth = 1420 Venice, Italy
||death = September 20, 1501 Venice, Italy}}
'''Agostino Barbarigo''' (1420 - 20 September 1501) was the Doge of [[Venice]] from 1486 until his death in 1501.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II">''[[Assassin's Creed II]]''</ref><ref name="Assassin's Creed: Project Legacy">''[[Assassin's Creed: Project Legacy]]''</ref>

==Biography==
===Early life===
Agostino was born in Venice in 1420, the younger brother of [[Marco Barbarigo]]. Whereas Marco was extremely spoiled from birth, Agostino had to work his way up the social ladder.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II"/>

===The Doge's brother===
Marco had joined the [[Templars|Templar Order]] by 1476. Marco became the Doge of Venice shortly after his fellow Templar, [[Carlo Grimaldi]], poisoned Doge [[Giovanni Mocenigo]] on 14 September 1485. As the Templars' sworn enemies, the [[Assassins]], were trying to break their grip on Venice, Marco never left the [[Palazzo Ducale]] for fear of death.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II"/>

Marco had to come out of his Palazzo in 1486 to celebrate [[Carnevale]], however. The Assassins used this to their advantage, as the Assassin [[Ezio Auditore]] won a golden mask which allowed entry to Marco's private party. Agostino was present at this party, where he conversed with a man wearing a carnevale outfit shortly before Marco's assassination, criticising his brother's governance of Venice, and dismissed the party as a gimmick, saying that he had "hid himself away in his palazzo while Venezia comes apart at the seams then expects a few expensive explosions will make the people forget their problems". He was still present at the party while Marco was assassinated by Ezio.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II"/>

===Doge===
After Marco's death, he met with the Assassin Ezio Auditore da Firenze and leader of the Venetian Thieves' Guild [[Antonio de Magianis]] in the [[Palazzo della Seta]], which had once belonged to Agostino's cousin [[Emilio Barbarigo|Emilio]]. As at the time he was still only the Doge-elect, Agostino informed the two that his Templar cousin, [[Silvio Barbarigo]] had taken over the [[Arsenale di Venezia|Arsenal Shipyard]] with at least 200 mercenaries at his command. He explained this threatened his appointment to become Doge, and helped them devise a plan to assassinate Silvio. After he said he wouldn't ally himself with the [[House of Borgia|Borgia]] like his brother and cousins did, he left.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />

After the Assassins succeeded in killing Silvio and freeing the [[Castello district]], Agostino was successfully inaugurated as Doge. Agostino then helped to create a coalition against [[wikipedia:Charles VIII of France|Charles VIII of France]], after which he managed to gain territory on the mainland of [[Italy]]. He also entered a war with [[wikipedia:Turkey|Turkey]] in 1499, which caused the loss of the Venetian navy and thus many of Venice's strongholds along the [[wikipedia:Orient|Orient]].<ref name="Assassin's Creed II"/>

===Death===
Despite his promise to Ezio that he would not turn out as his brother had, by 1501, Agostino had been corrupted by the Borgia. Upon discovering this, the Assassins sent Agostino [[Chapter 3 - Francesco Vecellio#Promise Unkept|three threatening letters]], each of which had been coated in small doses of poison by the Assassin [[Tessa Varzi]]. Soon afterwards, Agostino fell ill and died on 20th September 1501.<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Project Legacy"/>

After his death, he was charged with receiving bottles of wine as gifts and then reselling them tax free "beneath the staircase of the prisons," by Antonio Loredan, brother of the new doge. Agostino was also charged of extortion and nepotism.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II"/>

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{ACII}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Barbarigo, Agostino}}
[[Category:Characters]]
[[Category:Assassin's Creed II Characters]]
[[Category:Assassin's Creed: Project Legacy Characters]]
[[Category:Historical Characters]]
[[Category:Templars]]

Agostino Barbarigo

2011-08-12T03:57:23Z

68.195.140.52:

{{Era|AC2|PL|Renaissance}}
{{WP-REAL}}
{{Character Infobox
|name = Agostino Barbarigo
|image = Zw-agostinobarbarigo.png
|imgdesc = Agostino in the Animus Database
|faction = [[Venice|Republic of Venice]] [[Assassins]] (former ally) [[Templars]] (secretly) [[House of Barbarigo]]
|period = [[Renaissance|Italian Renaissance]]
|appear = ''[[Assassin's Creed II]]''
|voice =
|birth = 1420 Venice, Italy
||death = September 20, 1501 Venice, Italy}}
'''Agostino Barbarigo''' (1420 - 20 September 1501) was the Doge of [[Venice]] from 1486 until his death in 1501.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II">''[[Assassin's Creed II]]''</ref><ref name="Assassin's Creed: Project Legacy">''[[Assassin's Creed: Project Legacy]]''</ref>

==Biography==
===Early life===
Agostino was born in Venice in 1420, the younger brother of [[Marco Barbarigo]]. Whereas Marco was extremely spoiled from birth, Agostino had to work his way up the social ladder.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II"/>

===The Doge's brother===
Marco had joined the [[Templars|Templar Order]] by 1476. Marco became the Doge of Venice shortly after his fellow Templar, [[Carlo Grimaldi]], poisoned Doge [[Giovanni Mocenigo]] on 14 September 1485. As the Templars' sworn enemies, the [[Assassins]], were trying to break their grip on Venice, Marco never left the [[Palazzo Ducale]] for fear of death.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II"/>

Marco had to come out of his Palazzo in 1486 to celebrate [[Carnevale]], however. The Assassins used this to their advantage, as the Assassin [[Ezio Auditore]] won a golden mask which allowed entry to Marco's private party. Agostino was present at this party, where he conversed with a man wearing a carnevale outfit shortly before Marco's assassination, criticising his brother's governance of Venice, and dismissed the party as a gimmick, saying that he had "hid himself away in his palazzo while Venezia comes apart at the seams then expects a few expensive explosions will make the people forget their problems". He was still present at the party while Marco was assassinated by Ezio.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II"/>

===Doge===
After Marco's death, he met with the Assassin Ezio Auditore da Firenze and leader of the Venetian Thieves' Guild [[Antonio de Magianis]] in the [[Palazzo della Seta]], which had once belonged to Agostino's cousin [[Emilio Barbarigo|Emilio]]. As at the time he was still only the Doge-elect, Agostino informed the two that his Templar cousin, [[Silvio Barbarigo]] had taken over the [[Arsenale di Venezia|Arsenal Shipyard]] with at least 200 mercenaries at his command. He explained this threatened his appointment to become Doge, and helped them devise a plan to assassinate Silvio. After he said he wouldn't ally himself with the [[House of Borgia|Borgia]] like his brother and cousins did, he left.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />

After the Assassins succeeded in killing Silvio and freeing the [[Castello district]], Agostino was successfully inaugurated as Doge. Agostino then helped to create a coalition against [[wikipedia:Charles VIII of France|Charles VIII of France]], after which he managed to gain territory on the mainland of [[Italy]]. He also entered a war with [[wikipedia:Turkey|Turkey]] in 1499, which caused the loss of the Venetian navy and thus many of Venice's strongholds along the [[wikipedia:Orient|Orient]].<ref name="Assassin's Creed II"/>

===Death===
Despite his promise to Ezio that he would not turn out as his brother had, by 1501, Agostino had been corrupted by the Borgia. Upon discovering this, the Assassins sent Agostino [[Chapter 3 - Francesco Vecellio#Promise Unkept|three threatening letters]], each of which had been coated in small doses of poison by the Assassin [[Tessa Varzi]]. Soon afterwards, Agostino fell ill and died on 20th September 1501.<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Project Legacy"/>

After his death, he was charged with receiving bottles of wine as gifts and then reselling them tax free "beneath the staircase of the prisons," by Antonio Loredan, brother of the new doge. Agostino was also charged of extortion and nepotism.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II"/>

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{ACII}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Barbarigo, Agostino}}
[[Category:Characters]]
[[Category:Assassin's Creed II Characters]]
[[Category:Assassin's Creed: Project Legacy Characters]]
[[Category:Historical Characters]]

Agostino Barbarigo

2011-08-12T03:56:48Z

68.195.140.52: Agostino is NOT a Templar!

Assassins

2011-08-12T03:41:37Z

68.195.140.52: /* Entrance */

{{Era|Altair's Chronicles|AC1|Bloodlines|AC2|Discovery|Brotherhood|Revelations|Project Legacy|Secret Crusade|Renaissance|Bbook|The Fall|The Chain|Lineage|Ascendance|Embers|Assassins}}
{{WP-REAL|Assassins}}
{{NomG}}
{{Faction Infobox
|name =
|image = 498px-AssassinLogo.png
|imgdesc = The [[Assassin insignia|emblem]] of the Assassin Order.
|hideo =
|founder = [[Adam and Eve]]'s descendants<ref name="Assassin's Creed II">''[[Assassin's Creed II]]''</ref>
|leader = [[Grand Master of the Assassin Order|The Mentor]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed">''[[Assassin's Creed]]''</ref>
|headquarters = ''Middle ages'': [[Masyaf]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed"/> [[Alep]] [[Cyprus]] ''Renaissance'': [[Monteriggioni]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed II"/><ref name="Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood (novel)">''[[Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood (novel)]]''</ref> [[Tiber Island]], [[Rome]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood">''[[Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood]]''</ref> ''Modern times'': [[Dubai]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed: The Fall - Issue #3">''[[Assassin's Creed: The Fall]] - Issue #3''</ref>
|locations = ''Renaissance'': [[Florence]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed II"/> [[Monteriggioni]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed II"/> [[Venice]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed II"/> [[Forlì]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed II"/> [[Constantinople]]<ref name="Project Legacy">''[[Assassin's Creed: Project Legacy]]''</ref><ref name="Revelations">''[[Assassin's Creed: Revelations]]''</ref> ''Modern times'': Worldwide<ref name="Assassin's Creed II"/>
|related =*[[Thugs]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed"/>
*[[Mercenaries]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed II"/>
*[[Courtesans]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed II"/>
*[[Thieves]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed II"/>
*[[House of Medici]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed II"/>
|hideh =
|formed = Pre-history
|reorganised = 1191<ref name="Assassin's Creed II"/>
|collapsed = 2000 {{c|organizationally}} <ref name="Assassin's Creed: The Fall - Issue #3" />
|hidea =
|notable = *[[Marcus Junius Brutus]]
*[[Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad]]
*[[Ezio Auditore da Firenze]]
*[[Nikolai Orelov]]
*[[Daniel Cross]]
*[[Desmond Miles]]
}}
{{Quote|We work in the dark, to serve the light. We are Assassins.|[[Niccolò Machiavelli]]|Assassin's Creed II}}
The '''Assassin Order''', also known as '''Assassin Brotherhood''' and '''Hashshashin''', was an organized order of assassins and sworn enemies of the [[Templars]], with whom the fought a continuous, secret war, throughout the entirety of recorded history. Whereas the Templars strove for the power to save humanity from itself by controlling free will, the Assassin Order fought to ensure the survival of free will, as it allowed for the progression of new ideas and the growth of individuality.

The Assassins, if not the order itself, had existed since at least 456 BC, throughout the [[Roman Empire|Roman era]], the Middle Ages, the [[Renaissance|Italian Renaissance]], and into the [[Modern Times|21st Century]].

==The Creed==
{{quote|Laa shay'a waqi'un mutlaq bale kouloun mumkin. ("Nothing is true, everything is permitted" in Arabic)''|[[The Creed|The Assassin's Creed]]|Assassin's Creed II}}
The order believed in a strong set of values that strictly governed their way of life. This Creed consisted of three tenets:
#"Stay your blade from the flesh of an innocent.''
#"Hide in plain sight, be one with the crowd."
#"Never compromise the Brotherhood."<ref name="Assassin's Creed">''[[Assassin's Creed]]''</ref>

These tenets permeated every aspect of the Assassins' daily life, as well as their fight for "peace in all things." The Assassins carried out their duties through political, strategic assassination, in the hope that killing one individual would lead to the salvation of thousands. The Assassins believed that they fought on the behalf of those who did not possess the abilities, resources, or knowledge to speak out against those who abused their power.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II"/>

Despite their service to those who would otherwise suffer, the Assassins were still feared by the general populace, due mainly to their method of ensuring peace. The Assassins were most feared due to their terrifying reputation for taking life in public before many witnesses - so as to bring fear into the hearts of those who might abuse their power or corrupt the innocent - before vanishing into the crowd without a trace.<ref name="Assassin's Creed"/> To aid in this, the Assassins used a particularly efficient weapon for assassinations: the [[Hidden Blade]],<ref name="Assassin's Creed II"/> a single thrust from which could end the life of its victim. They were however forbidden from using poison as it was considered "A coward's tool".

However, in order to ascertain which death might best assist the Assassins' goals, extensive political knowledge was required for target selection. Thus, the Assassins endeavored to remain in tune with the ever-changing politics surrounding them. Obtaining information on this was the job of low-level members of the Order, who would be stationed throughout the cities of the world. These [[Informants|spies]] would watch the local nobles and rulers, looking for signs of corruption, or for membership in the Templars. Once gathered, any information was passed on to the Assassins responsible for the actual assassination.<ref name="Assassin's Creed"/>

===Entrance===
{{main|Initiation to the Assassin Order}}
[[File:Zw-acb-ceremony-5.jpg|thumb|300px|Claudia Auditore being inducted into the Assassin Order in 1503.]]
There are ways of entering the order: to be born into it, like [[Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad]], [[Ezio Auditore da Firenze]], and [[Desmond Miles]],<ref name="Assassin's Creed"/><ref name="Assassin's Creed II"/> or to be recruited, like the Assassin [[Apprentices]] and [[Shaun Hastings]].<ref name="Assassin's Creed II"/><ref name="Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood"/> After declaring oneself an Assassin under [[The Creed]], a trainee would be tested to prove his or her worth over an unspecified period of time; for example, Ezio had to hunt down the Templar conspirators over a multitude of years before he was officially inducted,<ref name="Assassin's Creed II"/> and the Assassin [[Apprentices]] had to gain enough experience in their contract missions across the World before they were ready to join the [[Assassins Guild]] as true Assassins.<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood"/>

===Training===
[[File:AssassinGuard.png|thumb|200px|left|Rauf, a combat instructor, wearing similar robes to other high ranked Assassin guards in Masyaf.]]
The Assassins spent their entire lifetime training to kill.<ref name="Assassin's Creed"/> From an early age, they were taught to observe their surroundings and plan ahead. Combat skills were essential, and its training was continuous, with a focus on bladed weapons of all sorts. However, despite such a concentration on combat, the most important consideration in the Assassins' training was concealment. Stealth was the greatest weapon of the Assassin, and everything about their life emphasized a devotion to it.<ref name="Assassin's Creed"/><ref name="Assassin's Creed II" /> It was essential for an Assassin to be able to reach their target unnoticed, and then slip back into the crowd after they had struck.<ref name="Assassin's Creed"/>

But, not '''all''' Assassins within the order were able to train from birth; this was the case of many Assassins that weren't born into the Order and were recruited later in life, as teenagers or young adults. For example, by the time of [[Renaissance]] Italy, after the order had gone underground and out of public view to follow the lead of the [[Templars]], traditional lifelong training could not be done as it had in the past.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II"/> Once brought into the Order, trainees, like [[Ezio]] and later his own [[Apprentices]], had to learn the ways of their craft through personal experience and the personal teachings from other Assassins in the field. At the time of the murders of his father [[Giovanni Auditore da Firenze]] and two brothers [[Petruccio Auditore da Firenze]] and [[Federico Auditore da Firenze]], Ezio had only been skilled in [[Free Running]], [[Fists|fistfighting]], and some [[sword]]smenship.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II"/> Throughout his life, he learns several Assassin skills from other Assassins and allies like [[Paola]], his uncle [[Mario Auditore]], and thief [[Rosa]], and several fundamental [[Assassination Techniques]] through reading the [[Codex]] of [[Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad]].<ref name="Assassin's Creed II"/> Later, the [[Apprentices]] within the Roman [[Assassins Guild]] at the [[Tiber Island headquarters]] would be trained in the Assassin ways by both Ezio himself, as well as through their own experiences gained during [[Assassination Contracts|Contracts]] they were sent on across Europe and Asia.<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood"/>

Another significant focus of an Assassins' training was maneuverability. By the time an Assassin reached the [[Ranks|rank]] of [[Master Assassin]], he was also a master of an early form of [[Free Running|parkour]], or "free running", extensively utilized by the Assassins. Widely seen as alien by the general populace, this method of movement allowed the Assassins to reach areas not normally accessible to man. From scaling a wall, to climbing to one of a city's many [[View Points|view points]], free running gave the Assassins a significant advantage over nearly all their enemies and city [[guards]] and can be used to get anywhere in the city quickly at any time.

==History==
===Formation===
The bloodline of the original Assassins was formed centuries ago, after various members of [[Those Who Came Before]] conceived children with members of the [[Humans|human]] race. These children had the visual appearance of humans, but were gifted with several extra senses from Those Who Came Before, such as [[Eagle Sense]].<ref name="Assassin's Creed II">''[[Assassin's Creed II]]''</ref>

===Roman era===
During the Roman era, the Assassin Order was a secret enemy of the [[SPQR]] (''Senatus Populusque Romanus'') - the ruling body of the [[Roman Empire]] - which was in fact an undercover Templar organization.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />

[[File:Assassination of Julius Caesar.jpg|thumb|left|250px|The Assassins killing Julius Caesar.]]
Little is known of the Order's hierarchy and activities this time, except for a few major assassinations. In 44 BC, forty Assassins, who had previously acted as senators in the Roman senate, plotted the assassination of the recently declared dictator of the Roman Empire, [[Gaius Julius Caesar]]. [[Marcus Junius Brutus]] which tasked with planning the plot by [[Gaius Cassius Longinus]], and after Brutus was shown visions by [[Those Who Came Before]] in the [[Colosseum Vault]], twenty-three of the forty Assassins stabbed Caesar to death at the Roman senate.<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood" /> Following this event, the Assassins went their separate ways, but most were killed by Caesar's allies. Brutus committed suicide before he would lose the [[wikipedia:Battle of Philippi|Battle of Philippi]], after which his Brothers unsuccessfully tried to revive him with the [[The Shroud|Shroud of Eden]].<ref name="Project Legacy" />

Not many years afterwards, [[Cleopatra]], Caesar's former lover and Queen of Egypt, was killed by the Egyptian Assassin [[Amunet]] with a venomous snake, in 30 BC. Later still, on 24 January, 41 AD, the 3rd Emperor of the Roman Empire [[Caligula]] was stabbed to death by the Assassin [[Leonius]], under unknown circumstances.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />

===High Middle Ages===
During the Middle Ages, the Templars had become a public knightly order under the name "Knights Templar". In the year 1090, control of the Assassins fell to [[Hassan-i Sabbah]], who in turn also changed the Assassin Order into a public organization. Under his command, public assassinations occurred much more often and the people were encouraged to stand up to their oppressors, realizing that they weren't on their own.<ref name="Assassin's Creed Timeline">[http://assassinscreed.wikia.com/wiki/File%3AAC_Timeline.jpg ''Assassin's Creed'' Timeline]</ref>

Gumushtigin requested from Rashid ad-Din Sinan, grand-master of the Assassins who were already at odds with Saladin since he replaced the Fatimids of Egypt, to assassinate Saladin in his camp.[36] A group of thirteen Assassins easily gained admission into Saladin's camp, but were detected immediately before they carried out their attack. One was killed by a general of Saladin and the others were slain while trying to escape.

During the 1170s, the Assassins were at odds with the [[Saracens]].<ref name="Assassin's Creed: The Secret Crusade">''[[Assassin's Creed: The Secret Crusade]]''</ref> In 1174, thirteen Assassins were sent to the Sultan [[Salah Al'din]]'s camp close to [[Damascus]] and were successful in infiltrating his tent, but were detected; one was killed by a Saracen general and the others were killed upon trying to escape.<ref name="Wikipedia: Saladin">[[wikipedia:Saladin|''Wikipedia'': Saladin]]</ref>

In 1176, Salah Al'din led a siege on the Assassins' fortress of [[Masyaf]]. After the location of Salah Al'din's tent was revealed by the Assassin spy [[Ahmad Sofian]], [[Umar Ibn-La'Ahad]] was sent to infiltrate the tent and leave a feather and a dagger with a threatening message attached to it. Umar evaded the chalk and chinders that were strewed around the tent and successfully left the objects, but was detected by the Sultan himself. Umar had to kill a noble to make his escape, and the Assassins managed to make a truce with the Saracens; though Umar's life had to be taken in the process.<ref name="Assassin's Creed: The Secret Crusade" />

[[File:Almualimassassins.png|thumb|250px|Al Mualim and the Assassins in the fortress of Masyaf.]]
By 1191, were still in a secret battle with the [[Templars]] and their leader, [[Robert de Sable]]. It was during the Third Crusade that the Assassins learned of a Templar interest in an [[Sixth Apple|ancient artifact]], hidden within the catacombs of [[Solomon's Temple]]. It was decided to liberate the treasure from them, and the mission was a success, although a costly one. With the death of [[Kadar A-Sayf|one Assassin]], the severe injury of [[Malik A-Sayf|another]], and the arrival of the Templar army at the gates of Masyaf, the Assassins were nearly overwhelmed by the [[Siege of Masyaf|following battle]]. However, by crushing most of the Templar army under a concealed onslaught of rolling logs, they were able to drive the Templars from the fortress and village below.<ref name="Assassin's Creed"/>

Following the assault, the Assassin blamed for the loss of life that day – [[Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad]] – was severely reprimanded, and tasked with removing nine influential individuals, who plagued the Holy Land with their corrupt rule. As Altaïr made his way down the list made up of both [[Crusader]] and [[Saracen]] individuals, he was greatly unsettled by the realization that their goal to bring peace to the people of the Holy Land was just, as he that felt his victims were "misguided perhaps, but pure in motive." This was a view shared by Al Mualim, who agreed with their goals, but felt that their attitude of "the end justifies the means" undermined the good they sought to ensure. As his mission progressed, Altaïr sought to know what bound his victims together, and the discovery that they were all Templars only served to reinforce the Assassin's determination to bring an end to the Templar plot.<ref name="Assassin's Creed" />

By Fall of 1191, the Assassins were victorious over their Templar enemies. [[Robert de Sable]], [[Grand Master of the Templar Order]], was dead, however the treachery of one of their own had also hit the Assassin Order hard. Al Mualim, secretly a former member of a coalition of ''ten'' Templar leaders, was revealed to be a traitor, and was killed by the very man he had sent to eliminate his fellow Templar conspirators. With Al Mualim dead, Altaïr took over as Grand Master of the Order, leading the Assassins in their attempts to rebuild their strength after the costly conflict.<ref name="Assassin's Creed" />

[[File:Codex.jpg|thumb|left|200px|Altaïr writing the Codex.]]
With full control over the Assassins, Altaïr immediately set out on a one-man quest to liberate the island of [[Cyprus]] from the Templars, who had recently bought if from [[Richard I of England|King Richard]]. After successfully having done so, killing the Templar Grand Master [[Armand Bouchart]] and discovering the [[Templar Archive]] in the process,<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines">''[[Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines]]''</ref> Altaïr continued to write the [[Codex]]: a book detailing the secrets he had managed to uncover from the Apple of Eden,<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" /> which he started writing on during his journey to Cyprus.<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines" /> In the end, those secrets had a profound effect on the Order, as new assassination techniques and world secrets had been uncovered.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" /> 
In 1209, Altaïr started to send his Assassins to various cities spread throughout the world, after he was made aware of their existence by the Apple of Eden.<ref name="Assassin's Creed Timeline" />

Eventually, it was decided that the [[Pieces of Eden|Piece of Eden]] was too great a threat to keep in Masyaf, and the decision was made to store it on the island of [[Cyprus]], in the Limassol archives.<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines">''[[Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines]]''</ref> However, the Piece was kept by Altaïr until he had at least completed his fabled [[Codex]].<ref name="Assassin's Creed II"/>

===Late Middle Ages===
{{Quote|In this modern age, we are not as literal as our ancestors; but our seal is no less permanent…|Mario Auditore at Ezio's official induction into the Assassin Order|Assassin's Creed II}}
[[File:Asslogorenaissance.png|thumb|Italian Renaissance variation of the Assassins' emblem.]]
During the Late Middle Ages, the Order continued to thrive, despite being forced to adopt an even more secretive and isolated existence. When the [[Renaissance]], a cultural movement, started in [[Italy]], the Assassin Order had apparently "gone underground" and primarily focused themselves in Italy, where the headquarters of the Templar Order were also located. As the Templar Order survived in more inconspicuous ways, Altaïr believed that the Assassins too had to change tactics so as to live on and made the Order a secret organization once again.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II"/>

By 1321, various members of the Assassin Order had successfully integrated themselves into modern day life of middle Italy, widely unknown to the average folk. That same year, a young sailor by the name of [[Domenico Auditore|Domenico]], the son of an Assassin, was apprenticed to the poet and Assassin [[Dante Alighieri]], who had been tasked with transporting the [[Codex|Codex of Altaïr]] from [[Venice]] to Spain.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II: Auditore Crypt">''[[Auditore Family Crypt|Uplay Content - Assassin's Creed II: Auditore Family Crypt]]''</ref> Upon his death, however, the undertaking fell instead to Domenico. During the voyage, pirates under the employ of the Templars ambushed the ship looking for the Codex, consequently killing the wife of Domenico. Fortunately for the Assassins, Domenico managed to break apart the Codex and hide its pages from the pirates before he and his son were forced overboard.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II: Auditore Crypt"/>

Eventually returning to Venice, Domenico found his father and his patron, [[Marco Polo]], an ally of the Assassins, dead. Thus, Domenico emptied the bank accounts of Messer Polo, and traveled to the city of [[Florence]] under the assumed name of [[House of Auditore|Auditore]]. He eventually constructed the [[Villa Auditore]] in the city of [[Monteriggioni]], which became the center of the Assassin Order in Italy up to the year 1500.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II: Auditore Crypt"/>

Despite the order "modernizing" since the 12th Century, they still retained many of the rituals and practices, albeit altered. The practice of removing one's ring finger had been stopped, although the seal of the Order was branded upon the finger instead with hot iron. Although significantly fewer in number, the Assassins were supported by the [[courtesans]], [[thieves]] and [[Mercenaries|condottieri]] of Florence and Venice; the guilds of which were each run by a member of the Order.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II"/>

During this time period, the Assassins entered another period of increased hostilities with the Templars, who were attempting to overthrow the ruling [[House of Medici]] in Florence, and the [[wikipedia:Doge|Doge]] of Venice. Having already killed the [[Galeazzo Maria Sforza|Duke]] of [[Milan]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Lineage">''[[Assassin's Creed: Lineage]]''</ref> in 1476, [[Rodrigo Borgia]], the Grand Master of the Templar Order, brought the noble families of [[House of Pazzi|Pazzi]] and [[House of Barbarigo|Barbarigo]] together<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Lineage"/> to accomplish his goals. Entering into conflict with the Assassins, Borgia dealt a crippling blow to the Order in 1476, when he executed the experienced assassin [[Giovanni Auditore da Firenze|Giovanni Auditore]] and his two sons, [[Federico Auditore da Firenze|Federico]] and [[Petruccio Auditore da Firenze|Petruccio]], although a third son, Ezio, managed to escape. With the aid of Ezio, the Assassins were able to counter Borgia's plot over a [[Assassin's Creed II|twenty-three year campaign]], defeating him at every turn.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II"/>

In 1487, the Order of Assassins learned that the Templars had retrieved an important artifact from the island of Cyprus, and deemed its capture necessary. Following the artifact from [[L'Arsenale di Venezia]], Ezio managed to overpower and replace the Templar guard carrying the artifact. Under this guise, Ezio met with Borgia himself, and the two engaged in battle. Borgia fled upon the arrival of other Assassins, and the artifact fell once again into the hands of the Assassins. The Assassins of this age, however, were unaware of the nature of the artifact, although they did recognize it as one of the Pieces of Eden mentioned within Altaïr's Codex.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />

[[File:Vlcsnap-2010-11-12-17h45m54s20.jpg|thumb|300px|left|The Assassins in Rome.]]
By 1500, right after [[Cesare Borgia]] [[Fall of Monteriggioni|besieged]] the city of [[Monteriggioni]], murdering [[Mario Auditore]] and once again claiming the Apple for the Templars, Ezio Auditore had moved to Rome, meeting up with Niccolò Machiavelli and laying the foundations of a new "brotherhood" of Assassins. Utilizing the mercenaries, thieves and courtesans of [[Bartolomeo d'Alviano]], [[La Volpe]] and [[Claudia Auditore da Firenze|Claudia Auditore]] respectively, Ezio's brotherhood worked to [[Liberation of Rome|combat the influence and power]] of the Borgia family, and by extension the Papacy itself. Headquartered in an underground store-room owned by [[Fabio Orsini]], on [[Tiber Island]] in the center of Rome, the Assassins begun to spread their influence throughout the city, recruiting Rome's own citizens as Assassin [[Apprentices]] under Ezio, eventually becoming inducted and branded into the order as Assassins themselves. Under the instruction of Ezio, many Assassin recruits undertook a variety of missions across Europe and Asia in cities such as [[London]], [[Paris]], [[Barcelona]], [[Lisbon]], [[Moscow]] and [[Calicut]], killing and sabotaging [[Templars]], their allies, and corrupt men in power, and defending and aiding their Assassin brothers and sisters, as well as anyone willing to stand against the Borgia and The Church.<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood"/>

Over a period of three years, Ezio's brotherhood whittled away the Borgia family's power, and with the murder of Rodrigo Borgia at the hands of his own son, and the arrest of Cesare by the [[Papal Guard]] of [[Pope Julius II|Julius II]], the Templars' influence over the city of Rome was shattered.<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood" />

Three years after [[Siege of Viana]] in 1507, when Ezio ended the threat of Cesare Boergia, the Assassin Grand Master traveled to the ancient Assassin fortress of Masyaf, on a pilgrimage to learn the origins of the Order. When he arrived, he discovered that the fortress had been overrun by the Templars, who were searching the five [[Seals of Altaïr]], which would combine to unlock a secret weapon hidden by Altaïr. With one seal already in Masyaf, Ezio learned that the remaining four were hidden throughout the city of [[Constantinople]]. He made his way to the city, in the hopes of obtaining the remaining seals.<ref name="Revelations" />

===Modern times===
{{Quote|In the old days, that usually meant killing anyone who became too powerful or greedy. ''[…]'' These days, it means subversion of established regimes. ''[…]'' Countries. Corporations. We change the system from within.|[[The Mentor (2000)|"The Mentor"]], in 2000, on the Assassin Order.|Assassin's Creed: The Fall}}

By the late 19th century, the Russian sect of the Assassin Order, the [[Narodnaya Volya]] (''People's Will''), played a vital role in overthrowing the Tsarist rule over [[Russia]]. The Assassins strongly assisted their close ally, [[Vladimir Lenin]], the leader of the Bolsheviks – [[Aleksandr Ulyanov|Lenin's brother]] was an Assassin himself. Due to the efforts of the Assassin [[Nikolai Orelov]], the Templar Tsar [[Alexander III of Russia|Alexander III]] died of kidney failure and the [[The Staff|Staff of Eden]] was destroyed in the [[Tunguska explosion]]. Without power, Tsarevich [[Nicholas II of Russia|Nicholas II]] was removed from the throne and Russia became communistic.

By the 20th Century, the tactics and practices of the Assassin Order had changed greatly.<ref name="Assassin's Creed: The Fall - Issue #3"/> Whilst the Order of Assassins had kept to their policy of remote camps and isolation,<ref name="Assassin's Creed" /> the Templars had begun to infiltrate society further; taking the form of many publicly known corporations such as [[NASA]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" /> and [[Wikipedia:Kraft Foods|Kraft]],<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood" /> which all secretly fell under the shadow corporation [[Abstergo Industries]].

The Assassins relied less upon killing powerful or greedy individuals, and more on changing the "established regime" from within, using politics as well as the blade to achieve their aims, such as rigging elections to keep Templars out of office. 
The American presidential election of 2000 was one such election, with the Templars attempting to place their puppet [[George W. Bush]] into power, and the Assassins backing [[Al Gore]].<ref name="Assassin's Creed: The Fall - Issue #3"/>

By the year 2000, the hidden blade had become a largely ceremonial weapon.<ref name="Assassin's Creed: The Fall - Issue #3" /> In the meantime however, the Templars continued to search for and investigate the various Pieces of Eden they discovered throughout this period,<ref name="Assassin's Creed" /><ref name="Assassin's Creed II" /> whilst the Assassins continued their war against them; notably being responsible for the destruction of at least one Templar-controlled base in [[wikipedia:Siberia|Siberia]] in 1908, known in public as the [[Tunguska explosion]].<ref name="Assassin's Creed II"/> However, by the year 1985, the Templars, under the guise of their front company [[Abstergo Industries]], had begun kidnapping Assassins or those related to them in an attempt to locate even more [[Pieces of Eden]].<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood"/>

[[File:The Mentor die.jpg|thumb|The Mentor's death at Cross' hands.]]
That same year, a child codenamed [[Daniel Cross]], a descendant of the Assassin Nikolai Orelov, was kidnapped by Abstergo's [[Lineage Research and Acquisition]] department and entered into the [[Animus project]].<ref name="Assassin's Creed: The Fall - Issue #1">''[[Assassin's Creed: The Fall]] - Issue #1''</ref> Years later, in 1998, Daniel joined the Order as a prospective, but with a mission to find the then-current [[The Mentor (2000)|Mentor]]. Two years later, he was granted his wish and inducted into the Order by the Mentor himself; Cross subsequently murdered the Mentor with the very hidden blade he had been bequeathed by his victim just moments before, a result of brainwashing instilled in him by Warren Vidic during his time as an Abstergo captive.<ref name="Assassin's Creed: The Fall - Issue #3"/> Other notable Assassins held captive by Abstergo included the mysterious [[Subject 16]] and [[Desmond Miles]] – descendants of both Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad and Ezio Auditore.<ref name="Assassin's Creed"/>

{{Quote|We lost two more teams last night. That's eight more of us just… gone.|Lucy Stillman, 2012.|Assassin's Creed II}}
Using Desmond, Abstergo managed to obtain a map of the locations of the Pieces of Eden across the globe, and subsequently begun their attempts to claim them. Not long after, the Assassins were able to free Desmond<ref name="Assassin's Creed II"/> with the aid of [[Lucy Stillman]] (an Assassin who had been working undercover at Abstergo for at least seven years by 2012)<ref name="Assassin's Creed II"/> as well as obtain their own copy of the map.<ref name="Assassin's Creed"/> Following this, Desmond agreed to aid the Assassins in their quest to defeat Abstergo, mostly for revenge, but also for closure. Utilizing the [[Animus|Animus 2.0]], a copy of the machine used by Abstergo to explore his genetic memories previously,<ref name="Assassin's Creed"/><ref name="Assassin's Creed II"/> Desmond followed the memories of Ezio Auditore, adopting his skills in combat and free-running, while the rest of the Order concentrated to locating the Pieces of Eden before their Templar counterparts. Despite this, however, the war with the Templars had taken a turn for the worse. With their numbers dwindling, the Order of Assassins was in danger of losing the war.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II"/>

As technology progressed, so did the weapons used against the Assassins. By 2012, the Templars were using cell phone towers and satellites to track down the Assassins. As a result, Desmond and his group had to take refuge within the [[Sanctuary]], deep beneath the city of [[Monteriggioni]]. By this point the Order was using at least one e-mail network, known as the [[Hephaestus Email Network]], to facilitate communications.<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood"/>

[[File:Modern Assassins Inside the Vault.JPG|left|thumb|The Assassins in the Colosseum Vault.]]
In the later half of 2012, an Assassin team made up of [[Lucy Stillman]], [[Rebecca Crane]], [[Shaun Hastings]] and [[Desmond Miles]] discovered [[Colosseum Vault]] – after Desmond relived Ezio's memories through the Animus – and infiltrated it, securing the Apple of Eden that Ezio had hidden there centuries before. Miles' body was taken over by the ancient being [[Juno]], who forced him to stab Stillman. The team and the Apple were brought to [[William M.]] and the Order had thus secured one of the ancient artifacts.<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood"/>

{{clear}}

==Known Assassins==
''See also: [[List of known Assassins]]''
[[File:Zw-renaissance-assassins.png|thumb|300px|Ezio's initiation into the Brotherhood.]]
{{quote|The seeds were planted as two worlds became one. Behold, the Assassins, the children of two worlds!|Subject 16|Assassin's Creed II}}
The Assassins had existed since before the turn of the first millennium; several known figures included [[Darius]], [[Iltani]], [[Wei Yu]],<ref name="Assassin's Creed II"/> [[Gaius Cassius Longinus]], [[Marcus Junius Brutus]] and their co-conspirators,<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Project Legacy">''[[Assassin's Creed: Project Legacy]]''</ref> [[Amunet]] and [[Leonius]].<ref name="Assassin's Creed II"/> Historically however, the fore-bearers of the Assassins have existed since before recorded time, possibly reaching as far back as [[Adam and Eve]].<ref name="Assassin's Creed II"/>

===Medieval and Renaissance periods===
During the [[Third Crusade]], the Syrian sect of the Order of Assassins was mainly made up of native, Syrian-born individuals; although some, like Altaïr, were born to parents of both religions. Led by [[Al Mualim]],<ref name="Assassin's Creed"/> and later [[Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad]] himself,<ref name="Assassin's Creed II"/> other members included [[Harash]],<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines"/> [[Malik A-Sayf|Malik]] and [[Kadar A-Sayf]], [[Rauf]], [[Abbas]], [[Masun]], [[Jamal]],<ref name="Assassin's Creed"/> and [[Qulan Gal]], the death-bringer of [[Genghis Khan]].<ref name="Assassin's Creed II"/> Allies also included various individuals, such as [[Adha]],<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Altaïr's Chronicles">''[[Assassin's Creed: Altaïr's Chronicles]]''</ref> and even former Templars like [[Maria Thorpe]].<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines"/><ref name="Assassin's Creed II"/> Others included [[Dante Alighieri]] and [[Domenico Auditore]], <ref name="Assassin's Creed II" /> founder of the [[Auditore Villa]].

[[File:Vlcsnap-2010-11-12-17h45m54s20.jpg|thumb|274px|Bartolomeo d'Alviano and La Volpe with the Assassin Brotherhood.]]
Later on, during the Renaissance, the Order's numbers had dwindled significantly. Having become much more secretive, members of the Order often had occupations and lives outside of the Order, ranging from artists<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Renaissance">''[[Assassin's Creed: Renaissance]]''</ref> to thieves<ref name="Assassin's Creed II"/> to royal treasurers.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II: Discovery">''[[Assassin's Creed II: Discovery]]''</ref> They included the Florentine banker [[Giovanni Auditore da Firenze]];<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Lineage"/><ref name="Assassin's Creed II" /> his brother [[Mario Auditore]], caretaker of the Auditore Villa and ''[[Mercenary|condottieri]]'' leader; [[Federico Auditore da Firenze]] and his brother [[Ezio Auditore da Firenze]]; [[Paola]] and [[Teodora]], the heads of the Florentine and Venetian courtesans respectively; [[Antonio]], the head of the Venetian Thieves Guild; [[La Volpe]], the head of the Florentine Thieves Guild; [[Niccolò Machiavelli]], a writer and head of the Florentine Mercenaries; [[Bartolomeo d'Alviano]],<ref name="Assassin's Creed II"/> ''condottiero'' of [[Venice]]; [[Perotto Calderon]], undercover in the employ of the Borgia. Others included [[Giovanni Borgia]], the illegitimate son of Calderon and [[Lucrezia Borgia]]; [[Bombastus|Paracelcus]], Swiss scientist and alchemist; [[Francesco Vecellio]], Renaissance painter,<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Project Legacy">''[[Assassin's Creed: Project Legacy]]''</ref> [[Tessa Varzi]] and [[Cipriano Enu]],<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Project Legacy"/> [[Rinaldo Vitturi]], the keeper of [[the Shroud]],<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Project Legacy"/> [[Ridolfo Fioravant]] and [[Pietro Antonio Solari]], spies working undercover as architects on the [[wikipedia:Moscow Kremlin|Kremlin]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood"/> and [[Luis de Santángel]] and [[Raphael Sanchez]], finance minister to Ferdinand II and treasurer of Queen Isabella I respectively.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II: Discovery"/>

Once again, the Order had many allies amongst the common folk of Italy, as well as amongst the nobility. Foremost among them was [[Leonardo da Vinci]], Ezio's closest friend and a genius of invention. Others included [[Caterina Sforza]],<ref name="Assassin's Creed II: Battle of Forlì">''[[Battle of Forlì (DLC)|Assassin's Creed II: Battle of Forlì]]''</ref> the Countess of [[Forlì]];<ref name="Assassin's Creed II"/> [[Lorenzo de' Medici]], the ruler of Florence;<ref name="Assassin's Creed II"/> [[Agostino Barbarigo]], the Doge of Venice from 1486;<ref name="Assassin's Creed II"/> and the famed explorer [[Christoffa Corombo]].<ref name="Assassin's Creed II: Discovery"/>

By 1501, Ezio Auditore and Niccolò Machiavelli had begun training new [[Assassin recruits]] in the Order from their [[Tiber Island headquarters|Tiber Island Base]] in [[Rome]]. In 1503, [[Claudia Auditore]], sister of Ezio, also joined the Order.<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood"/>

===Modern times===
At the turn of the 20th Century, the Assassins' Order had spread as far the Russian Empire, with a strong presence in and around [[Petrograd]]. Members of the [[Narodnaya Volya]] were in fact members of the Assassin Order. Some known Assassins include [[Nikolai Orelov]] and [[Aleksandr Ulyanov]], the older brother of [[Vladimir Lenin]].<ref name="Assassin's Creed: The Fall - Issue #1"/>

[[File:Swap.png|thumb|The medic and his target.]]
During World War I, there was an Assassin on the Western Front, an unidentified medic fighting for the British on the front line. The medic assassinated [[Erich Albert]], a German general and member of the Templars.<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Project Legacy"/>

During the late 20th and 21st Century, however, the Order seemed to have sunk further into hiding, with their numbers fewer than ever.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II"/> Although it is evident that more existed, only a few were known to be in the Order: the mysterious '[[Subject 16]]', [[Desmond Miles]], [[Lucy Stillman]],<ref name="Assassin's Creed"/> [[Rebecca Crane]], [[Shaun Hastings]],<ref name="Assassin's Creed II"/> [[Hannah Mueller]], [[Paul Bellamy]], [[Daniel Cross]], [[Bill Miles]],<ref name="Assassin's Creed: The Fall - Issue #2">''[[Assassin's Creed: The Fall]] - Issue #2''</ref> and [[William M.]] There were also known groups of Assassins based in São Paulo, Brazil; [[Moscow]], [[Russia]]; Osaka, Japan and [[Denver]], Colorado, US.<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood"/>

==Known victims==
{{Quote|Find them, kill them. In doing so, you will sow the seeds of peace.|[[Al Mualim]] to Altaïr|Assassin's Creed}}
Over the [[Timeline|centuries]], the Order of Assassins killed hundreds, if not thousands of individuals who they saw to be corrupt in their ways and a danger to humanity. Their intense rivalry with the Templars also ensured that many underlings who served their Templar masters often shared the same fate.<ref name="Assassin's Creed"/>

Below is a chronological list of notable victims of [[Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad]]:

<div style="float:left; width:48%;">
*[[Tamir (Altaïr's Chronicles)|Tamir of Damascus]] in 1190<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Altaïr's Chronicles"/>
*[[Alaat]] in 1190<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Altaïr's Chronicles"/>
*[[Roland Napule]] in 1190<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Altaïr's Chronicles"/>
*[[The Master's Student]] in 1190<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Altaïr's Chronicles"/>
*[[Master of the Tower]] in 1190<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Altaïr's Chronicles"/>
*[[Harash]] in 1190<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Altaïr's Chronicles"/>
*[[Basilisk|Lord Basilisk]] in 1190<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Altaïr's Chronicles"/>
*[[Tamir|Tamir, the arms dealer]] in 1191<ref name="Assassin's Creed"/>
*[[Garnier de Naplouse]] in 1191<ref name="Assassin's Creed"/>
*[[Talal]] in 1191<ref name="Assassin's Creed"/>
*[[Abu'l Nuqoud]] in 1191<ref name="Assassin's Creed"/>
*[[William of Montferrat]] in 1191<ref name="Assassin's Creed"/>
*[[Majd Addin]] in 1191<ref name="Assassin's Creed"/>
*[[Jubair al Hakim]] in 1191<ref name="Assassin's Creed"/>
</div>

<div style="float:right; width:48%;">
*[[Sibrand]] in 1191<ref name="Assassin's Creed"/>
*[[Robert de Sable]] in 1191<ref name="Assassin's Creed"/>
*[[Al Mualim]] in 1191<ref name="Assassin's Creed"/>
*[[Frederick the Red]] in 1191<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines"/>
*[[Moloch]] in 1191<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines"/>
*[[Dark Oracle]] in 1191<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines"/>
*[[Shalim]] in 1191<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines"/>
*[[Shahar]] in 1191<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines"/>
*[[Pirate captain]] in 1191<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines"/>
*[[Armand Bouchart]] in 1191<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines"/>
*[[Swami]] in 1227<ref name="Assassin's Creed: The Secret Crusade">''[[Assassin's Creed: The Secret Crusade]]''</ref>
*[[Bayhas]] in 1247<ref name="Assassin's Creed: The Secret Crusade" />
*[[Abbas Sofian]] in 1247<ref name="Assassin's Creed: The Secret Crusade" />
</div>
 

Below is a chronological list of notable victims of [[Ezio Auditore da Firenze]]:

<div style="float:left; width:48%;">
*[[Uberto Alberti]] in 1476<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />
*[[Vieri de' Pazzi]] in 1478<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />
*[[Francesco de' Pazzi]] in 1478<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />
*[[Antonio Maffei]] in 1478<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />
*[[Francesco Salviati]] in 1479<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />
*[[Bernardo Baroncelli]] in 1479<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />
*[[Stefano da Bagnone]] in 1479<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />
*[[Jacopo de' Pazzi]] in 1480<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />
*[[Emilio Barbarigo]] in 1485<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />
*[[Carlo Grimaldi]] in 1485<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />
*[[Marco Barbarigo]] in 1486<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />
*[[Silvio Barbarigo]] in 1486<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />
*[[Dante Moro]] in 1486<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />
*[[Ludovico Orsi]] in 1488<ref name="Assassin's Creed II: Battle of Forlì " />
*[[Checco Orsi]] in 1488<ref name="Assassin's Creed II: Battle of Forlì " />
*[[Gaspar Martinez]] in 1491<ref name="Assassin's Creed II: Discovery" />
*[[Pedro Llorente]] in 1491<ref name="Assassin's Creed II: Discovery" />
</div>

<div style="float:right; width:48%;">
*[[Juan de Marillo]] in 1491<ref name="Assassin's Creed II: Discovery" />
*[[Girolamo Savonarola]] in 1498<ref>''[[Bonfire of the Vanities (DLC)|Assassin's Creed II: Bonfire of the Vanities]]''</ref>
*[[Il Carnefice]] in 1500<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood" />
*[[Master of the Sacred Palace]] in 1500<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood" />
*[[Malfatto]] in 1503<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood" />
*[[Silvestro Sabbatini]] in 1503<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood" />
*[[Lanz]] in 1503<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood" />
*[[Lia de Russo]] in 1503<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood" />
*[[Brother Ristoro]] in 1503<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood" />
*[[Donato Mancini]] in 1503<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood" />
*[[Gaspar de la Croix]] in 1503<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood" />
*[[Auguste Oberlin]] in 1503<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood" />
*[[Juan Borgia the Elder]] in 1503<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood" />
*[[Octavian de Valois]] in 1503<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood" />
*[[Ercole Massimo]] in 1506<ref name="The Da Vinci Disappearance">''[[Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood]]'' - ''[[The Da Vinci Disappearance]]''</ref>
*[[Cesare Borgia]] in 1507<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood" />
</div>
 

Below is a chronological list of the known victims of other Assassins:<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />

<div style="float:left; width:48%;">
*[[Xerxes I of Persia|King Xerxes the Great]], by [[Darius]] in 456 BC<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />
*[[Alexander the Great]], by [[Iltani]] in 323 BC<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />
*[[Qin Shi Huang]], by [[Wei Yu]] in 210 BC<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />
*[[Gaius Julius Caesar]], by various in 44 BC<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood" />
*[[Cleopatra]], by [[Amunet]] in 31 BC<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />
*[[Caligula]], by [[Leonius]] in 41<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />
*[[Genghis Khan]], by [[Qulan Gal]] and [[Darim Ibn-La'Ahad]] in 1227<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />
*[[Tomás de Torquemada]], in 1498<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />
*[[Perotto Calderon]], by various in 1498<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Project Legacy" />
*[[Agostino Barbarigo]], by [[Tessa Varzi]] in 1501<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Project Legacy" />
*[[Margaret of York]], in 1503<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood" />
*[[Isabella I of Castile]], in 1504<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood" />
</div>

<div style="float:right; width:48%;">
*[[Niccolò di Pitigliano]], by [[Francesco Vecellio]] in 1510 <ref name="Assassin's Creed: Project Legacy" />
*[[Francisco Pizzaro]], in 1541<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />
*[[Mary I of England]], in 1558<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />
*[[Ivan Ivanovich of Russia]], in 1581<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />
*[[John Wilkes Booth]], in 1865<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />
*[[Alexander II of Russia]], in 1881<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" /><ref name="Assassin's Creed: The Fall - Issue #1" />
*[[Alexander III of Russia]], indirectly by [[Nikolai Orelov]] in 1894<ref name="Assassin's Creed: The Fall - Issue #1" />
*[[Grigori Rasputin]], in 1916<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />
*[[Adolf Hitler]], in 1945<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />
*[[Joseph Stalin]], in 1953<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />
*[[François Duvalier]], in 1971<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />
</div>
 

==See also==
*[[The Creed]]

==Appearances==
*''[[Assassin's Creed: Altaïr's Chronicles]]''
*''[[Assassin's Creed]]''
*''[[Assassin's Creed: The Secret Crusade]]''
*''[[Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines]]''
*''[[Assassin's Creed: Lineage]]''
*''[[Assassin's Creed II]]''
*''[[Assassin's Creed: Renaissance]]''
*''[[Assassin's Creed II: Discovery]]''
*''[[Assassin's Creed: Ascendance]]''
*''[[Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood]]''
*''[[Assassin's Creed: Revelations]]''
*''[[Assassin's Creed: Lost Legacy]]''
*''[[Assassin's Creed: The Fall]]''
*''[[Assassin's Creed: Project Legacy]]''

==Notes and references==

{{reflist}}

{{ACSeries}}
{{ACAC}}
{{AC}}
{{ACBL}}
{{ACII}}
{{ACIID}}
{{ACBrotherhood}}
{{ACRevelations}}
{{ACTF}}

[[ru:Ассассины]]
[[Category:Assassin Order| ]]
[[Category:Factions]]

Rome

2011-08-12T01:32:21Z

68.195.140.52: /* Renaissance era */

{{era|AC2|Brotherhood|PL|Renaissance|Bbook|Lineage|Ascendance}}
{{WP-REAL}}
{{Location Infobox
|name =
|image =Zw-ACBH-DLC-1-1.jpg
|hidep =
|state =Papal States, [[Italy]]
|rulers =[[Papacy]]
|factions =[[Templars]] [[Assassins]] [[Thieves]] [[Courtesans]] [[Mercenaries]] [[House of Borgia]] [[Followers of Romulus]]
|hideh =
|founded =Romulus and Remus
|date =758-728 BC
|abandoned =
|hidea =
|landmark =[[Colosseum]] [[Capella Sistina]] [[Castel Sant'Angelo]]
|flags =101 [[House of Borgia|Borgia]] [[Flags|flags]]
|targets =[[Rodrigo Borgia]] [[Juan Borgia the Elder|Juan Borgia]] [[Octavian de Valois]] [[Micheletto Corella]]}}
{{quote|Roma is the pillar that holds our entire enterprise aloft. She cannot waver; which means neither can you.|[[Cesare Borgia]] to his allies.|Assassin's Creed Brotherhood}}

'''Rome''' (Italian: ''Roma'') was a major city in [[Renaissance]] [[Italy]], capital of the [[wikipedia:Papal State|Papal State]] and headquarters to the Italian sect of the [[Templars|Templar Order]]. Today, it is the capital of the Italian Republic.

==History==
===The Beginning of an Empire===
According to legend, two brothers were given a choice, the money or the kingdom; one chose the kingdom while the other chose the money. Both of the brothers had two fine daughters. One brother used his money to hire mercenaries, and stole the kingdom from his brother, the King, imprisoning the King's daughter in the process. Whilst imprisoned, she gave birth to twin boys (''Romulus and Remus'').

The new king ordered that her and the children be killed; however, the daughter of the new king pleaded that her cousin be spared, so the new king ordered that only the twins be executed, while the daughter be spared. The servants feared the river because of high-tide and so, instead of drowning the twins, they simply placed them near the shallow section of the river, thinking they would still die when the tide came in.

The twins floated down the river until they were found and cared for by a wolf and a bird. A shepherd saw the twins and, remembering a rumor about the twins surviving; he took care of them and raised them as his own until the old king heard of the twins. Together they reclaimed the city, and when their grandfather asked them to guard over the city and become it's rulers they refused the offer, as they believed it was their grandfather's kingdom, not theirs; so they decided to build their own city, Rome.

===Roman era===
Rome was the capital of the [[wikipedia:Roman Empire|Roman Empire]], and was ruled by the Templars under the alias "[[SPQR|Senatus Populusque Romanus]]."<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood">''[[Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood]]''</ref>

On the 15th March 45 BC, [[Gaius Julius Caesar]] was killed by the [[Assassins]], led by [[Marcus Junius Brutus]].

In the year 41, the [[Assassins|Assassin]] [[Leonius]] assassinated the Templar [[Caligula]] in Rome, whom he stabbed with a [[dagger]].<ref name="Assassin's Creed II">''[[Assassin's Creed II]]''</ref>

===Renaissance era===
In 1476, [[Rodrigo Borgia]], [[Grand Master of the Templar Order]] and a powerful figure in Vatican politics briefly left the city to discuss his Order's plans, before returning to affirm Papal approval. Assent was given, and the [http://assassinscreed.wikia.com/wiki/Templar Templars] were provided with military support for their endeavors.<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Lineage">''[[Assassin's Creed: Lineage]]''</ref>

In 1492, [http://assassinscreed.wikia.com/wiki/Rodrigo_Borgia Rodrigo] became Pope Alexander VI, and head of the Papal State and Catholic Church. Ruling from Rome , he was left alone by the [[Assassins]] for the most part, until 1499, when [[Ezio Auditore da Firenze]] learned that [http://assassinscreed.wikia.com/wiki/Vatican_Vault The Vault] was located in Rome, beneath the [[Capella Sistina|Sistine Chapel]].<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />

In 1500, following the [[Siege of Monteriggioni|Siege]] by [[Cesare Borgia]] on the Assassin headquarters of [[Monteriggioni]], Ezio Auditore returned to Rome''' '''to exact his revenge. Rome''' '''at the time, had fallen far behind its fellow cities of [[Florence]] and [[Venice]], and grown stagnant in terms of development under the influence of the [http://assassinscreed.wikia.com/wiki/House_of_Borgia Borgia].<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood" />

The Borgia maintained oppression over the city with [[Borgia Tower]]s located throughout Rome , which prevented shops from opening. In order to free Rome''' '''of the [http://assassinscreed.wikia.com/wiki/House_of_Borgia Borgia] influence, Ezio killed the overlords of the towers and burned the structures themselves to the ground.<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood" />

Additionally, due to the loss of Monteriggioni, Ezio established the [[Assassins Guild]] in Rome, and set up its [[Tiber Island headquarters|headquarters]] on [[Tiber Island]]. By recruiting several Roman [http://assassinscreed.wikia.com/wiki/Civilians Civilians] as [http://assassinscreed.wikia.com/wiki/Apprentices Apprentice Assassins], the Assassin Order worked to free Rome''' '''of the [http://assassinscreed.wikia.com/wiki/Templar Templar] control.<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood" />

{{wide image|Rome_1_by_murcuseo-d338rco.jpg|1800px|Rome panorama from Assassin's Creed II.
|alt=Panorama of Rome}}

==Structure==
The city is divided into 4 districts: [[Centro District|Centro]], [[Antico District|Antico]], [[Campagna district|Campagna]], and [[Vaticano District]]. With the exception of the Vaticano district, these are also subdivided into 12 territories, each one controlled by a Borgia Tower.<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood" />

Landmarks in Rome included the [[Pantheon]], the [[Colosseo]], the [[Passetto di Borgo]], the [[Castel Sant'Angelo]] and [[Capella Sistina|Cappella Sistina]].<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" /><ref name="Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood" />

==Assassination Targets==
===''Assassin's Creed II''===
*Rodrigo Borgia (DNA Sequence 14: The Vault)

===''Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood''===
*[[Juan Borgia]] (DNA Sequence 5: The Banker)
*[[Octavian de Valois]] (DNA Sequence 6: The Baron de Valois)
*[[Micheletto Corella]] (DNA Sequence 7: The Key to the Castello)

==Trivia==
*The city of Rome is the largest city ever seen in an ''Assassin's Creed'' game. It is three times larger than Florence, which is featured in ''[[Assassin's Creed II]]''.<ref>http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=260729</ref>
*In the game, the city is tilted roughly 15 degrees to the right from real life.
*While historically Rome and Florence's architecture at the time were similar, game developers designed Rome with its later Baroque style to be more familiar to gamers.<ref>[http://www.livescience.com/culture/assassins-creed-virtual-rome-renaissance-scholar-101112.html A Renaissance Scholar Helps Build Virtual Rome, ''Live Science'' article]</ref>
*The area where Ezio climbed up to the Castello from the river in ''Assassin's Creed II'' seems to be missing in ''Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood''.
*For unknown reasons, the buildings seen north of the Passetto di Borgo in ''Assassin's Creed II'' are missing in ''Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood''.

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Gallery==
<gallery captionalign="left">
assassins-creed-brotherhood_1276846795.jpg|Concept art of the Castel Sant'Angelo.
996094_20100614_790screen002.jpg|Concept art of Rome.
Rome_E3.jpg|A bird's-eye-view of Rome as seen in the E3 trailer.
Roma 1.jpg|The Pantheon in Rome.
ac2_s_073_rome_throatslash.jpg|Ezio fighting on the Passetto di Borgo.
article-1276605924782-0A0B3F76000005DC-888923_636x300.jpg|Ezio riding through the city towards the Pantheon.
Rome_Map_Partial.png|A part of the in-game Rome map.
Rome_Map_1_v.png|The map of Rome that comes with the ''Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood'' Collector's Edition.
z_68fe6e4d.jpg|Map of Rome from ''Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood'' multiplayer.
roma.PNG|Rome in ''Assassin's Creed: Lineage''
vt.PNG|Panoramic view of Rome from a tower
Paoraaahadwf.jpg|Rome at sunset
Mario Rome.jpg|Ezio and Mario running from the Sistine Capel|link=Sistine Chapel
EzioMarioJumping.jpg|Rome as seen at the beginning of ''Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood''
Rome Bird's eye view.jpg|Bird-eye view of Rome.
Castel Sant Angelo..jpg|The centre of Borgia control, the Castel Sant'Angelo
Climbing rome.jpg|A wide view of the [[Centro district]], seen from the [[Trajan Market|Mercato di Traiano]].
Rome at night.jpg|Panoramic view of Rome at night
Rome rooftops.jpg|Roman rooftops at night
Romedusk.jpg|Panoramic view of Rome at dusk
</gallery>

==External links==
*[[w:c:godfather:Rome|Rome]] on [[w:c:godfather|The Godfather Wiki]]

{{ACII}}
{{ACBrotherhood}}

[[es:Roma]]
[[Category:Italy]]
[[Category:Cities of Europe]]
[[Category:Rome| ]]
[[Category:Assassin's Creed II Locations]]
[[Category:Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood Locations]]
[[Category:Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood Multiplayer Locations]]
[[Category:Assassin's Creed: Project Legacy Locations]]
[[Category:Assassin's Creed: Ascendance Locations]]