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Assassins

2011-04-13T22:18:39Z

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{{Era|Altair's Chronicles|AC1|Bloodlines|AC2|Discovery|Brotherhood|PL|Renaissance|Bbook|Lineage|Assassins}}
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{{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'':<br>[[Masyaf]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed" /><br>[[Alep]]<br>[[Cyprus]]<br> ''Renaissance'':<br>[[Monteriggioni]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" /><ref name="Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood (novel)">''[[Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood (novel)]]''</ref><br>[[Tiber Island]], [[Rome]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood">''[[Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood]]''</ref><br>''Modern times'':<br>[[Dubai]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed: The Fall - Issue #3">''[[Assassin's Creed: The Fall]] - Issue #3''</ref>
|locations =''Renaissance'':<br>[[Florence]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" /><br>[[Monteriggioni]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" /><br>[[Venice]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" /><br>[[Forlì]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" /><br>''Modern times'':<br>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" />
|religion = Christianity/Islam
|collapsed =
|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 '''Assassins''', also known as the '''Assassin Order''', '''Assassin Brotherhood''' and '''Hashshashin''', were an organized order of assassins who fought a continuous secret war with the [[Templars]] for over two-thousand years. Whereas the Templars strove for the power to save humanity from itself by controlling free will, the Assassin Order struggled to ensure the survival of free will, as it is what allows 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|21<sup>st</sup> Century]].

==The Creed==
{{quote|Laa shay'a waqi'un mutlaq bale kul'un mumkin.<br />("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 places, 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.

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" />

===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 (the clothes they wore, where they lived, and even how they walked) 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" />.

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 at any time.

==History==
===Middle Ages===
[[File:Almualimassassins.png|thumb|250px|Al Mualim and the Assassins in the fortress of Masyaf.]]
In 1191, during the [[Third Crusade]], the [[Syria]]n branch of the Assassin Order was centered in the fortress of [[Masyaf]], deep within the kingdom of the [[wikipedia:Holy Land|Holy Land]]. Led by [[Al Mualim]], the Assassins battled with the [[Templars]] and their leader, [[Robert de Sable]], over ideologies and the means with which to accomplish them. 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.

By the end of the year, 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, [[Grand Master of the Assassin Order]], and 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.

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 [[Templar Archive|Limassol archives]].<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines">''[[Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines]]''</ref> However, following the liberation of the island from its Templar rulers, the Piece was kept by Altaïr until he had at least completed his fabled [[Codex]].<ref name="Assassin's Creed II"/>

===Renaissance===
{{Quote|In this modern age, we are not as literal as our ancestors; but our seal is no less permanent…|Mario Auditore|Assassin's Creed II}}
[[File:Asslogorenaissance.png|thumb|left|Renaissance variation of the Assassins' emblem.]]
The Order continued to thrive, despite being forced to adopt an even more secretive and isolated existence. During the time period known as the [[Renaissance]], the Assassin Order had apparently "gone underground." The reason for this is explained inside the Codex pages, where Altaïr states that even though the Templar Order was served a crushing defeat in the Holy Land and Cyprus, they still survived in more inconspicuous ways. As such, Altaïr believed that the Assassins too had to change tactics so as to live on.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />

Having abandoned the fortress of Masyaf, the Assassins spread out across the [[wikipedia:Mediterranean|Mediterranean]], taking up residence in places like northern [[Italy]] and [[Spain]]. However, the Templars too had done as much, headquartering themselves in [[Rome]]. By 1321, the Assassin Order had successfully integrated itself into modern day life of northern 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 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 [[Auditore Family Villa|Auditore Villa]] in the city of [[Monteriggioni]], which became the center of the Assassin Order in Italy.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II: Auditore Crypt" />

[[File:Assassins1503E3.png|thumb|350px|Ezio and his apprentices, facing Cesare and Rodrigo Borgia in Rome in 1503.]]
Despite the order "modernizing" since the 12<sup>th</sup> 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; such was the induction of [[Ezio Auditore da Firenze|Ezio Auditore]] in 1487. Although significantly fewer in number, the Assassins were supported by the [[courtesans]], [[thieves]] and [[Mercenary|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 [[Milano|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]], [[House of Barbarigo|Barbarigo]] and [[House of Orsi|Orsi]] 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 warrior [[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:Romaassassins.png|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 Roma|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 those who had been saved by Ezio Auditore. Many undertook a variety of missions across Europe, aiding their brothers in cities such as London, Lisbon, Moscow and Calicut.<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 Julius II, the Templars' influence over the city of Rome was shattered.<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood" />

===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 21<sup>st</sup> 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 corporations such as [[NASA]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" /> and [[Abstergo]]. 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. Indeed, 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" /> 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" />

That same year, the child [[Daniel Cross]], a descendant of the Assassin [[Nikolai Orelov]] was kidnapped by Abstergo's [[Lineage Research and Acquisition|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 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 Sixteen]], 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" />

==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 initiates in the Order from their [[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 20<sup>th</sup> 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 21<sup>st</sup> 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: the mysterious '[[Subject 16]]',[[Desmond Miles| 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, in Moscow, Russia, in 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"/>
</div>

<div style="float:right; width:48%;">
*[[Majd Addin]] in 1191<ref name="Assassin's Creed"/>
*[[Jubair al Hakim]] in 1191<ref name="Assassin's Creed"/>
*[[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"/>
</div>
<br clear="all" />

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 1477<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />
*[[Francesco de' Pazzi]] in 1478<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />
*[[Stefano da Bagnone]] in 1478 - 1480<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />
*[[Bernardo Baroncelli]] in 1478 - 1480<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />
*[[Antonio Maffei]] in 1478 - 1480<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />
*[[Francesco Salviati]] in 1478 - 1480<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>
<br clear="all" />

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]] 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>
<br clear="all" />

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

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

==Notes and references==
[[File:AssassinInformant.png|thumb|right|An Assassin informant.]]
{{reflist}}

{{ACSeries}}
{{ACAC}}
{{AC}}
{{ACBL}}
{{ACII}}
{{ACIID}}
{{ACBrotherhood}}
{{ACLL}}
{{ACTF}}
[[Category:Assassin Order]]
[[Category:Factions]]

Jesus of Nazareth

2011-04-12T01:31:30Z

68.253.212.85:

{{WP-REAL}}
{{Stub}}
[[File:Jesus.jpg|thumb|Biblical representation of Jesus Christ]]
'''Jesus of Nazareth''' (5 BC – 30 AD), also known as '''Jesus Christ '''or '''Yeshua ben Yosef''', is the central figure of Christianity, which views him as the Messiah foretold in the Old Testament believing him to be the Son of God who was raised from the dead and ascended into Heaven. His prominent work was the performing of grand miracles, mostly involving the body, and sacrificing himself to cleanse the sins of all humanity.

Jesus' miracles were granted from the powers of [[the Shroud]], a [[Pieces of Eden|Piece of Eden]]. The [[Templars]] had Christ crucified, with the sole purpose to gain the Shroud. Somehow, the disciples stole the Shroud back and possibly used it to resurrect their Messiah.

==Trivia==
In recent developments, official [[Vatican]] researchers had uncovered evidence that the Shroud of Turin had been kept and venerated by the Templars since the 1204 sack of Constantinople.

{{DEFAULTSORT:Christ, Jesus}}
[[Category:Characters]]
[[Category:Characters in Religion]]
[[Category:Historical Characters]]

Jacopo de' Pazzi

2011-04-12T00:25:23Z

68.253.212.85: /* Historical Jacopo */

{{Era|AC2|Templars|Ren}}
{{WPtargets}}
{{WP-REAL|Pazzi}}
{{Character Infobox

|name = Jacopo de' Pazzi
|image = Zw-thepazziconspirators.png
|imgdesc = The Pazzi Conspirators - Jacopo de' Pazzi (center-front)
|birth = 1421
|death = 1480 (Aged 59)
|period = [[Italy|Italian]] [[Renaissance]] (15th century)
|faction = [[Pazzi]], [[Templars]]
|appear = ''[[Assassin's Creed II]]''
|voice = Arthur Grosser
}}

'''Jacopo de' Pazzi '''(1421-1480) was the uncle of [[Francesco de' Pazzi]] and great-uncle of [[Vieri de' Pazzi]]. He was also the head of the family bank. While Francesco led the [[Pazzi|Pazzi family]] in the conspiracy against the [[Medici]] and [[Auditore]] families, Jacopo described himself as "the voice of reason" of the group.

Jacopo was first seen by Ezio in [[Tuscany]] with his nephew Francesco, his great-nephew Vieri, and the Spaniard [[Rodrigo Borgia]], Grand Master of the [[Knights Templar]]. His next sighting was at a meeting in the [[Santa Maria Novella]] in [[Florence]], where he and Francesco were talking to four Templar hitmen hired to kill [[Lorenzo de' Medici]]. Jacopo was later seen in Florence after Francesco's death where he was on horseback and was inciting the people to shout for liberty. After he saw Francesco's body hanging from a tower, he knew that the plan to take over Florence had failed. He then fled the city and escaped.

[[Ezio Auditore da Firenze]] later tracked Jacopo to a meeting with the other Templar conspirators in the Antico Teatro Romano near [[San Gimignano]]. Here, Jacopo was lectured severely and then stabbed in the chest by Rodrigo Borgia and [[Emilio Barbarigo]]. When Jacopo pled for mercy, Rodrigo instead stabbed a sword through his neck. Jacopo was left barely alive, until Ezio, after he fought off a group of Templar soldiers set by Borgia to kill him, approached Jacopo and used the [[Hidden Blade]] to end his suffering.

==Final Words==

'''Jacopo:''' (gasping).

'''Ezio:''' ''Vai, amico, libero da fardelli e paure''. (Go forward, friend, unburdened and unafraid.) ''Requiescat in Pace''. (Rest in peace.)

'''Jacopo:''' (gags and then dies)

==Historical Jacopo==
Jacopo de Pazzi was actually the uncle of Francesco. He was beaten up in April 27, 1478 by the citizens of Castagno de San Godemar before being handed over to [[Florence]]. On April 28, he was hanged from the same tower window as Francesco and Archbishop Salviati. After he was hanged for a while, the angry mob threw him from the window, dragged his naked body through the streets of Florence, and tossed him off the Ponte Vecchio into the river Arno. His corpse floated down the river for all to see. After this posthumous torture, he was buried at Santa Croce, also called the Pazzi Chapel. After the failures that the Pazzi family had done, Rodrigo Borgia fatally attacked him with a sword, nearly killing him and then is finally by Ezio.

==Trivia==

*He is the only character in ''Assassin's Creed II'' ever shown to be riding a [[horse]] inside a city.
==Gallery==
<gallery captionalign="left">
Wrinklebag.png|Jacopo listens to [[Stefano da Bagnone]].
Jacopo.png|Jacopo reveals a flaw in the Duomo attack plan.
FrancesodeathJacopo.png|Jacopo rallies the crowd
Jacopo_de_Pazzi's_death.jpg|Ezio ends Jacopo's suffering
</gallery>

{{ACII}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pazzi, Jacopo de'}}
[[Category:Characters]]
[[Category:Assassin's Creed II Characters]]
[[Category:Assassin's Creed II Assassination Targets]]
[[Category:Templars|Pazzi, Jacopo de']]
[[Category:Historical Characters|Pazzi, Jacopo de']]
[[Category:Pazzi Conspirators]]

Assassins

2011-04-11T23:54:16Z

68.253.212.85:

{{Era|Altair's Chronicles|AC1|Bloodlines|AC2|Discovery|Brotherhood|PL|Renaissance|Bbook|Lineage|Assassins}}
{{WP-REAL}}
{{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'':<br>[[Masyaf]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed" /><br>[[Alep]]<br>[[Cyprus]]<br> ''Renaissance'':<br>[[Monteriggioni]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" /><ref name="Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood (novel)">''[[Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood (novel)]]''</ref><br>[[Tiber Island]], [[Rome]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood">''[[Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood]]''</ref><br>''Modern times'':<br>[[Dubai]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed: The Fall - Issue #3">''[[Assassin's Creed: The Fall]] - Issue #3''</ref>
|locations =''Renaissance'':<br>[[Florence]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" /><br>[[Monteriggioni]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" /><br>[[Venice]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" /><br>[[Forlì]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" /><br>''Modern times'':<br>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" />
|religion = Christianity
|hideh =
|formed =Pre-history
|reorganised =1191<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />
|collapsed =
|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 '''Assassins''', also known as the '''Assassin Order''', '''Assassin Brotherhood''' and '''Hashshashin''', were an organized order of assassins who fought a continuous secret war with the [[Templars]] for over two-thousand years. Whereas the Templars strove for the power to save humanity from itself by controlling free will, the Assassin Order struggled to ensure the survival of free will, as it is what allows 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|21<sup>st</sup> Century]].

==The Creed==
{{quote|Laa shay'a waqi'a mutlaq bla kul'un mumkin.<br />("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 places, 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.

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" />

===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 (the clothes they wore, where they lived, and even how they walked) 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" />.

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 at any time.

==History==
===Middle Ages===
[[File:Almualimassassins.png|thumb|250px|Al Mualim and the Assassins in the fortress of Masyaf.]]
In 1191, during the [[Third Crusade]], the [[Syria]]n branch of the Assassin Order was centered in the fortress of [[Masyaf]], deep within the kingdom of the [[wikipedia:Holy Land|Holy Land]]. Led by [[Al Mualim]], the Assassins battled with the [[Templars]] and their leader, [[Robert de Sable]], over ideologies and the means with which to accomplish them. 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.

By the end of the year, 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, [[Grand Master of the Assassin Order]], and 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.

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 [[Templar Archive|Limassol archives]].<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines">''[[Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines]]''</ref> However, following the liberation of the island from its Templar rulers, the Piece was kept by Altaïr until he had at least completed his fabled [[Codex]].<ref name="Assassin's Creed II"/>

===Renaissance===
{{Quote|In this modern age, we are not as literal as our ancestors; but our seal is no less permanent…|Mario Auditore|Assassin's Creed II}}
[[File:Asslogorenaissance.png|thumb|left|Renaissance variation of the Assassins' emblem.]]
The Order continued to thrive, despite being forced to adopt an even more secretive and isolated existence. During the time period known as the [[Renaissance]], the Assassin Order had apparently "gone underground." The reason for this is explained inside the Codex pages, where Altaïr states that even though the Templar Order was served a crushing defeat in the Holy Land and Cyprus, they still survived in more inconspicuous ways. As such, Altaïr believed that the Assassins too had to change tactics so as to live on.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />

Having abandoned the fortress of Masyaf, the Assassins spread out across the [[wikipedia:Mediterranean|Mediterranean]], taking up residence in places like northern [[Italy]] and [[Spain]]. However, the Templars too had done as much, headquartering themselves in [[Rome]]. By 1321, the Assassin Order had successfully integrated itself into modern day life of northern 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 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 [[Auditore Family Villa|Auditore Villa]] in the city of [[Monteriggioni]], which became the center of the Assassin Order in Italy.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II: Auditore Crypt" />

[[File:Assassins1503E3.png|thumb|350px|Ezio and his apprentices, facing Cesare and Rodrigo Borgia in Rome in 1503.]]
Despite the order "modernizing" since the 12<sup>th</sup> 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; such was the induction of [[Ezio Auditore da Firenze|Ezio Auditore]] in 1487. Although significantly fewer in number, the Assassins were supported by the [[courtesans]], [[thieves]] and [[Mercenary|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 [[Milano|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]], [[House of Barbarigo|Barbarigo]] and [[House of Orsi|Orsi]] 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 warrior [[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:Romaassassins.png|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 Roma|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 those who had been saved by Ezio Auditore. Many undertook a variety of missions across Europe, aiding their brothers in cities such as London, Lisbon, Moscow and Calicut.<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 Julius II, the Templars' influence over the city of Rome was shattered.<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood" />

===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 21<sup>st</sup> 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 corporations such as [[NASA]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" /> and [[Abstergo]]. 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. Indeed, 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" /> 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" />

That same year, the child [[Daniel Cross]], a descendant of the Assassin [[Nikolai Orelov]] was kidnapped by Abstergo's [[Lineage Research and Acquisition|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 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 Sixteen]], 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" />

==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 1500, Ezio Auditore and Niccolò Machiavelli had begun training new initiates in the Order from their [[Tiber Island|base]] in [[Rome]]. During this time [[Claudia Auditore]], sister of Ezio, also joined the Order.<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood" />

===Modern Times===
At the turn of the 20<sup>th</sup> 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 21<sup>st</sup> 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: the mysterious '[[Subject 16]]',[[Desmond Miles| 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, in Moscow, Russia, in 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"/>
</div>

<div style="float:right; width:48%;">
*[[Majd Addin]] in 1191<ref name="Assassin's Creed"/>
*[[Jubair al Hakim]] in 1191<ref name="Assassin's Creed"/>
*[[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"/>
</div>
<br clear="all" />

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 1477<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />
*[[Francesco de' Pazzi]] in 1478<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />
*[[Stefano da Bagnone]] in 1478 - 1480<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />
*[[Bernardo Baroncelli]] in 1478 - 1480<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />
*[[Antonio Maffei]] in 1478 - 1480<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />
*[[Francesco Salviati]] in 1478 - 1480<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>
<br clear="all" />

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]] 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>
<br clear="all" />

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

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

==Notes and references==
[[File:AssassinInformant.png|thumb|right|An Assassin informant.]]
{{reflist}}

{{ACSeries}}
{{ACAC}}
{{AC}}
{{ACBL}}
{{ACII}}
{{ACIID}}
{{ACBrotherhood}}
{{ACLL}}
{{ACTF}}
[[Category:Assassin Order]]
[[Category:Factions]]

Assassins

2011-04-08T03:25:09Z

68.253.212.85:

{{Era|Altair's Chronicles|AC1|Bloodlines|AC2|Discovery|Brotherhood|PL|Renaissance|Bbook|Lineage|Assassins}}
{{WP-REAL}}
{{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'':<br>[[Masyaf]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed" /><br>[[Alep]]<br>[[Cyprus]]<br> ''Renaissance'':<br>[[Monteriggioni]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" /><ref name="Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood (novel)">''[[Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood (novel)]]''</ref><br>[[Tiber Island]], [[Rome]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood">''[[Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood]]''</ref><br>''Modern times'':<br>[[Dubai]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed: The Fall - Issue #3">''[[Assassin's Creed: The Fall]] - Issue #3''</ref>
|locations =''Renaissance'':<br>[[Florence]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" /><br>[[Monteriggioni]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" /><br>[[Venice]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" /><br>[[Forlì]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" /><br>''Modern times'':<br>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" />
|religion = Christianity
|hideh =
|formed =Pre-history
|reorganised =1191<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />
|collapsed =
|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 '''Assassins''', also known as the '''Assassin Order''', '''Assassin Brotherhood''' and '''Hashshashin''', were an organized order of assassins who fought a continuous secret war with the [[Templars]] for over two-thousand years. Whereas the Templars strove for the power to save humanity from itself by controlling free will, the Assassin Order struggled to ensure the survival of free will, as it is what allows 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|21<sup>st</sup> Century]].

==The Creed==
{{quote|Laa shay'a waqi'a mutlaq bla kul'un mumkin.<br />("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 places, 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.

However, in order to ascertain which death might best assist the Assassins' goals, extensive political knowledge was a must have. 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 execution.<ref name="Assassin's Creed" />

===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 (the clothes they wore, where they lived, and even how they walked) 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" />.

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]], 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 at any time.

==History==
===Middle Ages===
[[File:Almualimassassins.png|thumb|250px|Al Mualim and the Assassins in the fortress of Masyaf.]]
In 1191, during the [[Third Crusade]], the [[Syria]]n branch of the Assassin Order was centered in the fortress of [[Masyaf]], deep within the kingdom of the [[wikipedia:Holy Land|Holy Land]]. Led by [[Al Mualim]], the Assassins battled with the [[Templars]] and their leader, [[Robert de Sable]], over ideologies and the means with which to accomplish them. 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.

By the end of the year, 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, [[Grand Master of the Assassin Order]], and 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.

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 [[Templar Archive|Limassol archives]].<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines">''[[Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines]]''</ref> However, following the liberation of the island from its Templar rulers, the Piece was kept by Altaïr until he had at least completed his fabled [[Codex]].<ref name="Assassin's Creed II"/>

===Renaissance===
{{Quote|In this modern age, we are not as literal as our ancestors; but our seal is no less permanent…|Mario Auditore|Assassin's Creed II}}
[[File:Asslogorenaissance.png|thumb|left|Renaissance variation of the Assassins' emblem.]]
The Order continued to thrive, despite being forced to adopt an even more secretive and isolated existence. During the time period known as the [[Renaissance]], the Assassin Order had apparently "gone underground." The reason for this is explained inside the Codex pages, where Altaïr states that even though the Templar Order was served a crushing defeat in the Holy Land and Cyprus, they still survived in more inconspicuous ways. As such, Altaïr believed that the Assassins too had to change tactics so as to live on.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />

Having abandoned the fortress of Masyaf, the Assassins spread out across the [[wikipedia:Mediterranean|Mediterranean]], taking up residence in places like northern [[Italy]] and [[Spain]]. However, the Templars too had done as much, headquartering themselves in [[Rome]]. By 1321, the Assassin Order had successfully integrated itself into modern day life of northern 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 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 [[Auditore Family Villa|Auditore Villa]] in the city of [[Monteriggioni]], which became the center of the Assassin Order in Italy.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II: Auditore Crypt" />

[[File:Assassins1503E3.png|thumb|350px|Ezio and his apprentices, facing Cesare and Rodrigo Borgia in Rome in 1503.]]
Despite the order "modernizing" since the 12<sup>th</sup> 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; such was the induction of [[Ezio Auditore da Firenze|Ezio Auditore]] in 1487. Although significantly fewer in number, the Assassins were supported by the [[courtesans]], [[thieves]] and [[Mercenary|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 [[Milano|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]], [[House of Barbarigo|Barbarigo]] and [[House of Orsi|Orsi]] 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 warrior [[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:Romaassassins.png|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 Roma|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 those who had been saved by Ezio Auditore. Many undertook a variety of missions across Europe, aiding their brothers in cities such as London, Lisbon, Moscow and Calicut.<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 Julius II, the Templars' influence over the city of Rome was shattered.<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood" />

===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 21<sup>st</sup> 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 corporations such as [[NASA]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" /> and [[Abstergo]]. 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. Indeed, 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" /> 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" />

That same year, the child [[Daniel Cross]], a descendant of the Assassin [[Nikolai Orelov]] was kidnapped by Abstergo's [[Lineage Research and Acquisition|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 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 Sixteen]], 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" />

==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 1500, Ezio Auditore and Niccolò Machiavelli had begun training new initiates in the Order from their [[Tiber Island|base]] in [[Rome]]. During this time [[Claudia Auditore]], sister of Ezio, also joined the Order.<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood" />

===Modern Times===
At the turn of the 20<sup>th</sup> 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 21<sup>st</sup> 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: the mysterious '[[Subject 16]]',[[Desmond Miles| 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, in Moscow, Russia, in 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"/>
</div>

<div style="float:right; width:48%;">
*[[Majd Addin]] in 1191<ref name="Assassin's Creed"/>
*[[Jubair al Hakim]] in 1191<ref name="Assassin's Creed"/>
*[[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"/>
</div>
<br clear="all" />

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 1477<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />
*[[Francesco de' Pazzi]] in 1478<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />
*[[Stefano da Bagnone]] in 1478 - 1480<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />
*[[Bernardo Baroncelli]] in 1478 - 1480<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />
*[[Antonio Maffei]] in 1478 - 1480<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />
*[[Francesco Salviati]] in 1478 - 1480<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>
<br clear="all" />

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]] 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>
<br clear="all" />

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

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

==Notes and references==
[[File:AssassinInformant.png|thumb|right|An Assassin informant.]]
{{reflist}}

{{ACSeries}}
{{ACAC}}
{{AC}}
{{ACBL}}
{{ACII}}
{{ACIID}}
{{ACBrotherhood}}
{{ACLL}}
{{ACTF}}
[[Category:Assassin Order]]
[[Category:Factions]]

Claudia Auditore da Firenze

2011-04-08T02:31:22Z

68.253.212.85: /* Trivia */

{{Era|AC2|acb|Renaissance|bbook|acl|assassins}}
{{Character Infobox
|name = Claudia Auditore da Firenze
|image = char_claudia.png
|imgdesc =
|hideb =
|birth = January 2, 1461<br>[[Florence]], [[Italy]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood">''[[Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood]]''</ref><ref name="Assassin's Creed II">''</ref>
|death =
|period = [[Renaissance]]
|faction = [[House of Auditore|Auditore]]<br>[[Assassins]]
|appear = ''[[Assassin's Creed: Lineage]]''<br>''[[Assassin's Creed II]]''<br>''[[Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood]]''
|actor = [[Devery Jacobs]]
|voice = [[Angela Galuppo]]
}}

'''Claudia Auditore da Firenze''' (born January 1461) was a [[Florence|Florentine]] noblewoman during the [[Italy|Italian]] [[Renaissance]]. She later became a member of the [[Assassins|Assassin Order]].<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" /><ref name="Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood" />

==Biography==
===Early life===
Claudia Auditore da Firenze was born in January, 1461 in the city of [[Florence]], the daughter of [[Giovanni Auditore da Firenze|Giovanni]] and [[Maria Auditore da Firenze]] and sister to [[Federico Auditore da Firenze|Federico]], [[Ezio Auditore da Firenze|Ezio]] and [[Petruccio Auditore da Firenze|Petruccio]].<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />

In 1476, Giovanni, Federico and Petruccio were [[Auditore execution|executed]] as they were accused of treason against Florence. In fact, they were executed by the [[Templars]], the sworn enemies of the [[Assassins]], the latter of whom her father was a member of. Following this, Claudia and her mother were brought by their housemaid [[Annetta]] to the house of the latter sister's [[Paola]]. Her brother Ezio exacted revenge on [[Uberto Alberti]], the city's Gonfalioniere, and left Florence with Claudia and their mother. They fled to [[Monteriggioni]], the city ruled over by their uncle [[Mario Auditore|Mario]].<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />

Although Ezio at first meant only to stay in Monteriggioni for a day, he decided it was best to stay at the [[Villa Auditore]] so that he could finish his father's work.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />

===Monteriggioni's treasurer===
Mario assigned Claudia to being Monteriggioni's treasurer, keeping track of all of Monteriggioni's incomes and objects Ezio brought in from the outside.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />

She kept on doing this for twenty-three years, with occasional visits from her brother.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" /> She was quite bothered by the fact that her brother rarely visited her, but she "thought the world of him" nonetheless.<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood" />

===Member of the Assassin Order===
{{dialogue3|Claudia|What?|Ezio|So, my little sister knows how to wield a knife.|And I'm ready to do it again.|Spoken like a true [[House of Auditore|Auditore]].|Claudia and Ezio, after Claudia killed four guards single-handedly.|Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood}}
In January of 1500, Ezio, along with Mario and other family friends were preparing for Claudia's birthday party, but the town of Monteriggioni was besieged by the [[House of Borgia|Borgia]], the most prominent Templar organization, under the command of [[Cesare Borgia]]. As a result, Mario was killed and Ezio left for [[Rome]], the Templars' headquarters, to exact revenge. Ezio told her and her mother to go to Florence, but feeling obligated to take revenge as well, Claudia and Maria followed Ezio to Rome. There, Claudia took control over the [[Rosa in Fiore]] after the former owner, [[Madonna Solari]], was killed. With the use of the courtesans, Claudia was able to find the location of [[Caterina Sforza]].<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood" />

[[File:Zw-acb-ceremony-4.jpg|thumb|250px|Claudia being initiated into the Brotherhood.]]

Three years later, she assisted her brother in assassinating [[Juan Borgia]] by sending her courtesans to the pagan party that he held. Her courtesans stole [[Egidio Troche]]'s money and brought it back to the brothel. However, several Borgia guards followed them back to the brothel. When Ezio heard this, he was alarmed and immediately went into the brothel, but instead discovered an unharmed Claudia standing above several corpses, holding a knife nonchalantly.<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood" />

After the events of the passion play, Claudia, in her brother's recommendation, joined the Order of Assassins, undergoing the [[Initiation to the Assassin Order|initiation]] process of burning her left ring finger as well as performing a [[Leap of Faith]] into the [[Tiber River]].<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood" />

She later fought alongside Ezio, [[Niccolò Machiavelli]], [[La Volpe]] and [[Bartolomeo d'Alviano]] against [[Cesare Borgia]]'s last remaining followers, after which Cesare was arrested.<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood" />

In 1504, Claudia was assaulted by Borgia supporters, prompting her to step down as the Madam of the Rosa in Fiora. [[La Volpe]] requested [[Rosa]] as Claudia's replacement, which was accepted and Claudia passed the position on to Rosa. Some time after, Ezio sent Claudia back to Florence to stay with her friend and now fellow Assassin Paola.<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood novel">[[Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood (novel)|''Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood'' novel]]</ref><br />
Three years later, after Ezio assassinated Cesare Borgia in [[Spain]], he asked Machiavelli to send Claudia back to him in Rome, where she would continue to support her brother in leading the Brotherhood.<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood novel" />

==Characteristics and personality==
It is evident that she had been too spoiled by Giovanni, unafraid to be violent when a girl "looked at her boyfriend" and at times immature, such as when Mario assigned her to manage Monteriggioni's finances. Due to her violent streak, Giovanni had to raise her dowry by 1,000 florins because she scared off all of her suitors.

Regardless, Claudia was very capable of handling and keeping track of the town's bankroll and her brother's purchases and earnings. Her capability in business management again came to play when she volunteered - despite Ezio's initial protest - to take over the brothel in Rome when its previous owner was killed, and under her management it turned from a run-down joint to the most popular brothel in Rome, as well as a far more effective intel-gathering arm for the Order of Assassins.

She was also kind with her family, being especially emotional over her father and brothers' execution, her mother's emotional trauma and leaving her home and her friends in Florence. Claudia was Ezio's only sister, and unlike her brothers who were executed in order for Rodrigo Borgia to prove a point to the Assassins, she was spared, likely because of her gender.

==Gallery==
{| align="center"
|<gallery width="auto" perrow="3" style="font-size:95%; padding:0;" widths="170" captionalign="left">
File:CLaudia ..jpg|Claudia, some time before her family's execution.
File:Zw-claudiaauditore.png|Claudia's database picture.
File:Ezio_and_Claudia.JPG|Claudia speaking about her trouble with [[Duccio]].
File:Ezio_Claudia_Maria.jpg|Claudia reuniting with Ezio after the execution.
File:claudia_in_brotherhood_by_ladyve-d31a3bd.jpg|Ezio talking with Claudia in 1500.
File:vlcsnap-2010-11-12-19h17m08s89.jpg|Claudia with Ezio.
File:Vlcsnap-2010-11-12-17h54m41s96.jpg|Claudia with Bartolomeo d'Alviano and La Volpe, waiting for Ezio.
File:Zw-acb-claudia-2.jpg|Claudia in her Assassin robes.
</gallery>
|}

==Trivia==
*Claudia's apperance changes greatly in Assassins Creed Brotherhood.
*Claudia, as with most of the characters, appears not to age over the course of the ''Assassin's Creed II''. She remains at the same desk in the Villa Auditore for 23 years. After she complained about being put to work, her only interaction with Ezio was asking if he was "... [there] to look at the book" of finances.
*When Ezio started earning income from Monteriggioni, Claudia stated that she would keep any money past the chest's maximum capacity (based on your collectibles and renovations to Monteriggioni), with no explanation of what she intends to do with all that money.
*Although she is always sitting in the Villa Auditore through most of the game, she, along with Maria, appear in the [[Easter Eggs|"vision"]] Ezio has at his home during the [[Bonfire of the Vanities]].
*There is a glitch is ''Assassin's Creed II'' where, if you manage to bump into Claudia and knock her down, she will be given the voice of one of the guards (since normally knocking her down is not supposed to be possible).
*When Claudia is inducted into the Assassin Order in ''Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood'', her outfit is similar to that of her ancestor [[Maria Thorpe]] in ''[[Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines]]'' and ''Assassin's Creed II''.
*Claudia still looks quite young in ''Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood'', despite her being at the age of 38 at the beginning of the game.
*Like her brother, Claudia wields a [[Short Blade|Dagger]] with an Icepick Grip, as shown in the ''Brotherhood'' mission [[Paper Trail|''Paper Trail'']].

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{ACII}}
{{ACBH}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Auditore, Claudia}}
[[Category:Characters]]
[[Category:Assassin's Creed: Lineage Characters]]
[[Category:Assassin's Creed II Characters]]
[[Category:Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood Characters]]
[[Category:Assassins]]

Vieri de' Pazzi

2011-04-08T02:26:42Z

68.253.212.85: /* Trivia */

{{Era|AC2|Templars|Ren}}
{{WPtargets}}
{{Character Infobox
|name = Vieri de' Pazzi
|image = Zw-vieridepazzi.png
|imgdesc =
|birth = 1454<ref name="Assassin's Creed II">''[[Assassin's Creed II]]''</ref>
|death = 1476<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" /><br>[[San Gimignano]], [[Italy]]
|period = [[Italy|Italian]] [[Renaissance]]
|faction = [[House of Pazzi]]<br>[[Templars]]
|appear = ''[[Assassin's Creed II]]''<br>''[[Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood]]''
|voice = [[Yuri Lowenthal]]
}}
{{Quote|I'm sorry, were you hoping for a confession?|Vieri's last words.|Assassin's Creed II}}
'''Vieri de' Pazzi''' (1454 - 1476) was a member of [[Florence|Florentine]] nobility during the [[Italy|Italian]] [[Renaissance]].<ref name="Assassin's Creed II">''[[Assassin's Creed II]]''</ref>

==Biography==
===Early life===
Vieri was born somewhere in [[Tuscany]], [[Italy]] as the son of [[Francesco de' Pazzi]]. He was extremely spoiled by his father and thought that everything he wanted, he would get.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />

One day, he met with [[Cristina Vespucci]] in front of her house, asking her why she "hadn't spread her legs yet." When Cristina refused to become intimate with Vieri, the latter attempted to sexually assault her, but was beaten up by [[Ezio Auditore da Firenze]], who had followed Cristina to her house.<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood">''[[Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood]]''</ref>

===As a Templar===
Some time prior to 1476, Vieri joined the [[Templars|Templar Order]], an organization of which his entire [[House of Pazzi|family]] was likely a part of.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />

In 1476, Vieri and Ezio, who had become rivals, met on the [[Ponte Vecchio]] in Florence, where they and their friends had a street fight. Vieri himself didn't join the fight, and fled when he realized that he had lost the fight.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />

Vieri and Ezio met again when the latter was escaping Florence with his [[Maria Auditore da Firenze|mother]] and [[Claudia Auditore da Firenze|sister]] after having assassinated [[Uberto Alberti]]. Vieri tried to kill the three by sending his armed thugs to attack them. However, the three were rescued by [[Mario Auditore]] and his men, after which Vieri fled.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />

===Death===
Vieri met with his father, [[Jacopo de' Pazzi|uncle]] and [[Rodrigo Borgia]] (the [[Grand Master of the Templar Order]]) in [[San Gimignano]] in 1476 to discuss the [[Pazzi Conspiracy]]. As soon as the four of them went their separate ways, Mario Auditore and his [[mercenaries]] attacked Vieri's men. Vieri fled to the city walls, where he was assassinated by Ezio Auditore da Firenze.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />

==Personality and characteristics==
Vieri was a cruel man who liked nothing more than to win, in any variety of contests. He would call for competitions against other noble families, which were always rigged for his victory. In the rare occasions where he would lose, he would invite the winner and his family to dinner and subsequently poison them by serving them a meal "''to die for.''"

He would do anything to get what he wanted, such as rape, hire thugs to fight for him, and outright kill people who stood in his way. He was also a coward, and would run away when his plans failed.

As revealed in the letter from [[Fra Giocondo]] that [[Mario Auditore]] took from Vieri's body after his death, Vieri had always sought attention from his father, wanting his father to recognize his abilities and devotion to the Templars. Giocondo also guessed that his cruel personality might be due to Francesco's lack of attention for him.

==Final words==
'''Ezio:''' ''What are you and your allies planning? Is this what my father discovered? Is this why he was killed?''

'''Vieri:''' ''I'm sorry, were you hoping for a confession?''

:''(outside the Animus scene)''

'''Ezio:''''' Pezzo di merda! Vorrei solo che avessi sofferto di piu! Hai avuto la fine che meritavi! Spero che bru'- (''Piece of shit! I only wish you'd suffered more! You met the fate you deserved! I hope yo''-)''

'''Mario:''' ''Enough, Ezio! Show some respect.''

'''Ezio:''' ''Respect? After all that's happened? Do you think he would have shown either of us such kindness?''

'''Mario:''' ''You are not Vieri. Do not become him''. (to Vieri's corpse) ''Che la morte ti dia la pace che cercavi.'' (''May death provide the peace you sought)'' ''Requiescat in Pace''. (Rest in peace.)

== Trivia ==
*Strangely, Vieri's birth year is listed to be 1454, whereas his [[Francesco de' Pazzi|father]]'s is 1444. There is likely an error in the database with either one or both of their ages, considering the impossiblity to have a son at age 10.
*In most cutscenes Vieri speaks in an Italian accent but sometimes, such as when he ambushes Ezio and his family on their way to Monteriggioni, he says "''My condolences for the loss of your father and brothers''!" in a more American accent.
*On the painting of Vieri in the attic of the [[Villa Auditore]], it says he died in 1477, while according to the game's timeline, he was killed by Ezio in 1476.
*Vieri makes a brief reappearance in ''[[Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood]]'' in the first [[Cristina Memories|Cristina Memory]].
**Also, if the fight lasts long enough, the player can gain a database entry for Vieri. Unlike his entry from ''Assassin's Creed II'', however, his database entry in ''Brotherhood'' is written, containing a very brief summary of his attitude and role, and how he died (by the hands of Ezio).
*Strangely enough, in ''Assassin's Creed II'', if the player climbs up to Vieri's tower, steals his weapon and then runs or jumps off the tower Vieri will follow, then if you beat him in hand-to-hand combat you will still enter the [[Memory Corridor]] and you will appear at the top of the tower again.

== Video ==
[[Video:Assassin's Creed 2 - Targets: Vieri de'Pazzi 1/9|thumb|350px|left|Vieri de' Pazzi database video.]]

{{-}}
==References==
{{reflist}}

{{ACII}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pazzi, Vieri de'}}
[[Category:Characters]]
[[Category:Assassin's Creed II Characters]]
[[Category:Assassin's Creed II Assassination Targets]]
[[Category:Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood Characters]]
[[Category:Templars]]

Vieri de' Pazzi

2011-04-08T02:24:55Z

68.253.212.85:

{{Era|AC2|Templars|Ren}}
{{WPtargets}}
{{Character Infobox
|name = Vieri de' Pazzi
|image = Zw-vieridepazzi.png
|imgdesc =
|birth = 1454<ref name="Assassin's Creed II">''[[Assassin's Creed II]]''</ref>
|death = 1476<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" /><br>[[San Gimignano]], [[Italy]]
|period = [[Italy|Italian]] [[Renaissance]]
|faction = [[House of Pazzi]]<br>[[Templars]]
|appear = ''[[Assassin's Creed II]]''<br>''[[Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood]]''
|voice = [[Yuri Lowenthal]]
}}
{{Quote|I'm sorry, were you hoping for a confession?|Vieri's last words.|Assassin's Creed II}}
'''Vieri de' Pazzi''' (1454 - 1476) was a member of [[Florence|Florentine]] nobility during the [[Italy|Italian]] [[Renaissance]].<ref name="Assassin's Creed II">''[[Assassin's Creed II]]''</ref>

==Biography==
===Early life===
Vieri was born somewhere in [[Tuscany]], [[Italy]] as the son of [[Francesco de' Pazzi]]. He was extremely spoiled by his father and thought that everything he wanted, he would get.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />

One day, he met with [[Cristina Vespucci]] in front of her house, asking her why she "hadn't spread her legs yet." When Cristina refused to become intimate with Vieri, the latter attempted to sexually assault her, but was beaten up by [[Ezio Auditore da Firenze]], who had followed Cristina to her house.<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood">''[[Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood]]''</ref>

===As a Templar===
Some time prior to 1476, Vieri joined the [[Templars|Templar Order]], an organization of which his entire [[House of Pazzi|family]] was likely a part of.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />

In 1476, Vieri and Ezio, who had become rivals, met on the [[Ponte Vecchio]] in Florence, where they and their friends had a street fight. Vieri himself didn't join the fight, and fled when he realized that he had lost the fight.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />

Vieri and Ezio met again when the latter was escaping Florence with his [[Maria Auditore da Firenze|mother]] and [[Claudia Auditore da Firenze|sister]] after having assassinated [[Uberto Alberti]]. Vieri tried to kill the three by sending his armed thugs to attack them. However, the three were rescued by [[Mario Auditore]] and his men, after which Vieri fled.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />

===Death===
Vieri met with his father, [[Jacopo de' Pazzi|uncle]] and [[Rodrigo Borgia]] (the [[Grand Master of the Templar Order]]) in [[San Gimignano]] in 1476 to discuss the [[Pazzi Conspiracy]]. As soon as the four of them went their separate ways, Mario Auditore and his [[mercenaries]] attacked Vieri's men. Vieri fled to the city walls, where he was assassinated by Ezio Auditore da Firenze.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />

==Personality and characteristics==
Vieri was a cruel man who liked nothing more than to win, in any variety of contests. He would call for competitions against other noble families, which were always rigged for his victory. In the rare occasions where he would lose, he would invite the winner and his family to dinner and subsequently poison them by serving them a meal "''to die for.''"

He would do anything to get what he wanted, such as rape, hire thugs to fight for him, and outright kill people who stood in his way. He was also a coward, and would run away when his plans failed.

As revealed in the letter from [[Fra Giocondo]] that [[Mario Auditore]] took from Vieri's body after his death, Vieri had always sought attention from his father, wanting his father to recognize his abilities and devotion to the Templars. Giocondo also guessed that his cruel personality might be due to Francesco's lack of attention for him.

==Final words==
'''Ezio:''' ''What are you and your allies planning? Is this what my father discovered? Is this why he was killed?''

'''Vieri:''' ''I'm sorry, were you hoping for a confession?''

:''(outside the Animus scene)''

'''Ezio:''''' Pezzo di merda! Vorrei solo che avessi sofferto di piu! Hai avuto la fine che meritavi! Spero che bru'- (''Piece of shit! I only wish you'd suffered more! You met the fate you deserved! I hope yo''-)''

'''Mario:''' ''Enough, Ezio! Show some respect.''

'''Ezio:''' ''Respect? After all that's happened? Do you think he would have shown either of us such kindness?''

'''Mario:''' ''You are not Vieri. Do not become him''. (to Vieri's corpse) ''Che la morte ti dia la pace che cercavi.'' (''May death provide the peace you sought)'' ''Requiescat in Pace''. (Rest in peace.)

== Trivia ==
*Strangely, Vieri's birth year is listed to be 1454, whereas his [[Francesco de' Pazzi|father]]'s is 1444. There is likely an error in the database with either one or both of their ages.
*In most cutscenes Vieri speaks in an Italian accent but sometimes, such as when he ambushes Ezio and his family on their way to Monteriggioni, he says "''My condolences for the loss of your father and brothers''!" in a more American accent.
*On the painting of Vieri in the attic of the [[Villa Auditore]], it says he died in 1477, while according to the game's timeline, he was killed by Ezio in 1476.
*Vieri makes a brief reappearance in ''[[Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood]]'' in the first [[Cristina Memories|Cristina Memory]].
**Also, if the fight lasts long enough, the player can gain a database entry for Vieri. Unlike his entry from ''Assassin's Creed II'', however, his database entry in ''Brotherhood'' is written, containing a very brief summary of his attitude and role, and how he died (by the hands of Ezio).
*Strangely enough, in ''Assassin's Creed II'', if the player climbs up to Vieri's tower, steals his weapon and then runs or jumps off the tower Vieri will follow, then if you beat him in hand-to-hand combat you will still enter the [[Memory Corridor]] and you will appear at the top of the tower again.

== Video ==
[[Video:Assassin's Creed 2 - Targets: Vieri de'Pazzi 1/9|thumb|350px|left|Vieri de' Pazzi database video.]]

{{-}}
==References==
{{reflist}}

{{ACII}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pazzi, Vieri de'}}
[[Category:Characters]]
[[Category:Assassin's Creed II Characters]]
[[Category:Assassin's Creed II Assassination Targets]]
[[Category:Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood Characters]]
[[Category:Templars]]

Vieri de' Pazzi

2011-04-08T02:24:27Z

68.253.212.85:

{{Era|AC2|Templars|Ren}}
{{WPtargets}}
{{Character Infobox
|name = Vieri de' Pazzi
|image = Zw-vieridepazzi.png
|imgdesc =
|birth = 1454<ref name="Assassin's Creed II">''[[Assassin's Creed II]]''</ref>
|death = 1478<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" /><br>[[San Gimignano]], [[Italy]]
|period = [[Italy|Italian]] [[Renaissance]]
|faction = [[House of Pazzi]]<br>[[Templars]]
|appear = ''[[Assassin's Creed II]]''<br>''[[Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood]]''
|voice = [[Yuri Lowenthal]]
}}
{{Quote|I'm sorry, were you hoping for a confession?|Vieri's last words.|Assassin's Creed II}}
'''Vieri de' Pazzi''' (1454 - 1476) was a member of [[Florence|Florentine]] nobility during the [[Italy|Italian]] [[Renaissance]].<ref name="Assassin's Creed II">''[[Assassin's Creed II]]''</ref>

==Biography==
===Early life===
Vieri was born somewhere in [[Tuscany]], [[Italy]] as the son of [[Francesco de' Pazzi]]. He was extremely spoiled by his father and thought that everything he wanted, he would get.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />

One day, he met with [[Cristina Vespucci]] in front of her house, asking her why she "hadn't spread her legs yet." When Cristina refused to become intimate with Vieri, the latter attempted to sexually assault her, but was beaten up by [[Ezio Auditore da Firenze]], who had followed Cristina to her house.<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood">''[[Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood]]''</ref>

===As a Templar===
Some time prior to 1476, Vieri joined the [[Templars|Templar Order]], an organization of which his entire [[House of Pazzi|family]] was likely a part of.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />

In 1476, Vieri and Ezio, who had become rivals, met on the [[Ponte Vecchio]] in Florence, where they and their friends had a street fight. Vieri himself didn't join the fight, and fled when he realized that he had lost the fight.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />

Vieri and Ezio met again when the latter was escaping Florence with his [[Maria Auditore da Firenze|mother]] and [[Claudia Auditore da Firenze|sister]] after having assassinated [[Uberto Alberti]]. Vieri tried to kill the three by sending his armed thugs to attack them. However, the three were rescued by [[Mario Auditore]] and his men, after which Vieri fled.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />

===Death===
Vieri met with his father, [[Jacopo de' Pazzi|uncle]] and [[Rodrigo Borgia]] (the [[Grand Master of the Templar Order]]) in [[San Gimignano]] in 1476 to discuss the [[Pazzi Conspiracy]]. As soon as the four of them went their separate ways, Mario Auditore and his [[mercenaries]] attacked Vieri's men. Vieri fled to the city walls, where he was assassinated by Ezio Auditore da Firenze.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />

==Personality and characteristics==
Vieri was a cruel man who liked nothing more than to win, in any variety of contests. He would call for competitions against other noble families, which were always rigged for his victory. In the rare occasions where he would lose, he would invite the winner and his family to dinner and subsequently poison them by serving them a meal "''to die for.''"

He would do anything to get what he wanted, such as rape, hire thugs to fight for him, and outright kill people who stood in his way. He was also a coward, and would run away when his plans failed.

As revealed in the letter from [[Fra Giocondo]] that [[Mario Auditore]] took from Vieri's body after his death, Vieri had always sought attention from his father, wanting his father to recognize his abilities and devotion to the Templars. Giocondo also guessed that his cruel personality might be due to Francesco's lack of attention for him.

==Final words==
'''Ezio:''' ''What are you and your allies planning? Is this what my father discovered? Is this why he was killed?''

'''Vieri:''' ''I'm sorry, were you hoping for a confession?''

:''(outside the Animus scene)''

'''Ezio:''''' Pezzo di merda! Vorrei solo che avessi sofferto di piu! Hai avuto la fine che meritavi! Spero che bru'- (''Piece of shit! I only wish you'd suffered more! You met the fate you deserved! I hope yo''-)''

'''Mario:''' ''Enough, Ezio! Show some respect.''

'''Ezio:''' ''Respect? After all that's happened? Do you think he would have shown either of us such kindness?''

'''Mario:''' ''You are not Vieri. Do not become him''. (to Vieri's corpse) ''Che la morte ti dia la pace che cercavi.'' (''May death provide the peace you sought)'' ''Requiescat in Pace''. (Rest in peace.)

== Trivia ==
*Strangely, Vieri's birth year is listed to be 1454, whereas his [[Francesco de' Pazzi|father]]'s is 1444. There is likely an error in the database with either one or both of their ages.
*In most cutscenes Vieri speaks in an Italian accent but sometimes, such as when he ambushes Ezio and his family on their way to Monteriggioni, he says "''My condolences for the loss of your father and brothers''!" in a more American accent.
*On the painting of Vieri in the attic of the [[Villa Auditore]], it says he died in 1477, while according to the game's timeline, he was killed by Ezio in 1476.
*Vieri makes a brief reappearance in ''[[Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood]]'' in the first [[Cristina Memories|Cristina Memory]].
**Also, if the fight lasts long enough, the player can gain a database entry for Vieri. Unlike his entry from ''Assassin's Creed II'', however, his database entry in ''Brotherhood'' is written, containing a very brief summary of his attitude and role, and how he died (by the hands of Ezio).
*Strangely enough, in ''Assassin's Creed II'', if the player climbs up to Vieri's tower, steals his weapon and then runs or jumps off the tower Vieri will follow, then if you beat him in hand-to-hand combat you will still enter the [[Memory Corridor]] and you will appear at the top of the tower again.

== Video ==
[[Video:Assassin's Creed 2 - Targets: Vieri de'Pazzi 1/9|thumb|350px|left|Vieri de' Pazzi database video.]]

{{-}}
==References==
{{reflist}}

{{ACII}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pazzi, Vieri de'}}
[[Category:Characters]]
[[Category:Assassin's Creed II Characters]]
[[Category:Assassin's Creed II Assassination Targets]]
[[Category:Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood Characters]]
[[Category:Templars]]

Templars

2011-04-07T01:13:57Z

68.253.212.85:

{{Era|Chronicles|AC1|Bloodlines|AC2|Discovery|Brotherhood|PL|Lineage|Renaissance|Bbook|The Fall|Templars|Good}}
{{Revamp}}
{{WP-REAL|Knights Templar}}
{{Faction Infobox
|name = Templars
|image = Knights.png
|imgdesc = Emblem of the Templars.
|hideo =
|founder = [[Cain]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed II">''[[Assassin's Creed II]]''</ref>
|leader = [[Grand Master of the Templar Order|Grand Master]] <ref name="Assassin's Creed">''[[Assassin's Creed]]''</ref>
|headquarters = ''Renaissance'':<br>[[Rome]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Lineage">''[[Assassin's Creed: Lineage]]''</ref><ref name="Assassin's Creed II" /><ref name="Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood">''[[Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood]]''</ref>
|locations = ''Middle ages'':<br>[[Acre]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed" /><br>''Renaissance'':<br>[[Florence]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" /><br>[[Venice]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />
|related = *[[Crusaders]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed" />
*[[Papacy]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Lineage" />
*[[House of Barbarigo]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />
*[[House of Borgia]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />
*[[House of Orsi]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />
*[[House of Pazzi]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />
*[[Abstergo Industries]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed" />
|religion = Western Christianity
|hideh =
|formed = Pre-history<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />
|reorganised =
|collapsed =
|hidea =
|notable = *[[Cain]]
*[[Gaius Julius Caesar|Julius Caesar]]
*[[Robert de Sable]]
*[[Rodrigo Borgia]]
*[[Cesare Borgia]]
*[[Alexander III of Russia|Tsar Alexander III]]
*[[Adolf Hitler]]
|}}
{{quote|May the [[Father of Understanding]] guide us.|Templar motto.}}
The '''Templars''', also known as the '''Knights Templar''' during the Middle Ages, are a corporate giant formed during prehistory. The Templars sought to create a perfect world, although the means by which they sought to do so were questionable (by force). Because of this, they were the sworn enemies of the [[Assassins|Assassin Order]], who believe that [[Humans|Man]] should always have the ability to choose; to have free will, even if it means a flawed humanity. With these contrasting ideologies, the two groups have fought over the course of thousands of years for the control and fate of humanity.

==Ideals and goals==
[[File:Ac-templar-knight.jpg|thumb|A Templar during the Third Crusade.]]
The military order of the Templars was founded publicly in 1129 to counter the greatly increasing threat against the Holy Land by the [[Saracens]], and to protect the city of [[Jerusalem]].<ref name=HC>The History Channel, ''Decoding the Past: The Templar Code'', 7 November 2005, video documentary written by Marcy Marzuni</ref> Over time, the Templars began to believe it within their power to unite the world in peace.<ref name="Assassin's Creed" />

Their system of belief changed greatly upon the discovery of the [[Pieces of Eden]]; they began to speculate that God was a myth and this led the Order to become atheistic, although they publicly maintained the pretense of following the Christian ways so as to not lose the support of the Church.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />

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

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

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

==History==
===Prehistory===
The Templar Order was likely founded by [[Cain]], whose 'mark' was used as the Templars' crest. The Templars quickly became the archenemies of the [[Assassins]], who, as opposed to the Templars, fought to allow the people to retain free will.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II"/>

===Roman era===
During the Roman era, the Templars went under the alias "[[SPQR|Senatus Populusque Romanus]]", ruling the [[Roman Empire]]. However, their rule was continually thwarted by the Assassin Order. A notable example of this was the plot against [[Gaius Julius Caesar]], who was appointed as a dictator for life. Forty Assassins, most notably [[Marcus Junius Brutus]] and [[Gaius Cassius Longinus]], had infiltrated Caesar's inner circle as senators. They actually planned to assassinate Caesar, a plan which they succesfully executed on 15 March 44 BC.<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood" /> Additionally, on 24 January 41, the Assassin [[Leonius]] stabbed [[Caligula]] with a dagger.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II"/>

During the 1<sup>st</sup> century, the Templars found out that one of the Pieces of Eden, [[the Shroud]], was in the hands of [[Jesus Christ]]. Wanting the Piece for their own purposes, the Templars crucified Jesus to gain it.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II"/>

===Middle Ages===
====Formation as a Knightly Order====
During the Middle Ages, the Templars removed themselves from the underground and founded themselves as a Knightly Order, the Knights Templar.<ref name="Assassin's Creed"/>

In the 1129 Council of Troyes, the Order was officially recognized by the church, and in 1139, Pope Innocent II granted them diplomatic immunity in all provinces and territories and exemption from taxes. This allowed the faction to grow in numbers, strength and wealth quickly, and as they became a larger force, their responsibilities increased accordingly: the Order's many members were prominent figures in the second crusade.

====Third Crusade====
[[File:Assassins-creed-altair-1.jpg|thumb|A Knight Templar battles with Altaïr.]]
''This section of the article deals specifically with the Knights Templar faction's activities during the Third Crusade. If you were looking for information on the specific enemy type in Assassin's Creed, see their article under [[Crusaders#Templar Knight|Crusaders]].''

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

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

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

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

[[File:Renaissance_Templar_Carlo_Grimaldi.jpg|thumb|240px|Ezio strikes at [[Carlo Grimaldi]], a Renaissance Templar Leader.]]
Utilizing the [[House of Barbarigo|Barbarigo family]], the Templars assumed control of Venice briefly in 1486, before they were once again overthrown by the lone Assassin. The distraction of controlling the city had been beneficial to the Templars however, as it had distracted the Assassins from noticing the preparations being made for the retrieval of the Piece of Eden from [[Cyprus]]. Two years later, in 1488, the Templar expedition returned to Venice with the Apple in hand. Bringing it to Borgia, an undercover Ezio engaged the Templar Grand Master and, with the assistance of his fellow Assassins, forced the Templars out of the city once more.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II"/> With the Apple in the hands of the Assassins, the Brotherhood approached the [[House of Orsi|Orsi brothers]] – [[Ludovico Orsi|Ludovico]] and [[Checco Orsi|Checco]] – to obtain a map detailing the location of the Codex pages from the wife of the Templar [[Girolamo Riario]] – [[Caterina Sforza]]. Invading [[Forlì]], the Orsi brothers demanded the map, and the Apple in exchange for the lives of Sforza's children. The brothers were rebuked, and assaulted the [[Rocca di Ravaldino]]. Together with the city guards, the Assassins Ezio Auditore and [[Niccolò Machiavelli]] held off the assault, although a second succeeded in claiming the Apple briefly.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II: Battle of Forlì">''[[Battle of Forlì (DLC)|Assassin's Creed II: Battle of Forlì]]''</ref>

Despite the loss of the Apple, [[Rodrigo Borgia]] was ultimately unfazed, and in 1492 became [[Wikipedia:Pope Alexander VI|Pope Alexander VI]] in order to gain access to the [[The Staff|Papal staff]], another of the Pieces of Eden, and in turn the devotional dominion of the church. In 1499 Borgia was once again confronted by the assassin Ezio, this time within the [[Capella Sistina|Sistine Chapel]] itself.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II"/> The Templar's defeat, however, was not permanent, as Rodrigo's son, [[Cesare Borgia|Cesare]], [[Fall of Monteriggioni|besieged]] [[Monteriggioni]] to regain the Apple of Eden and attempted to kill Ezio. Four years later Ezio went to the heart of the Templars itself, namely [[Rome]], to strike back at the Templars and retrieve the Apple.<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood" /> Cesare grew tired of his father's resistance to give him power and money forces Rodrigo to eat the the poisoned apple his father intended to give him. Cesare is then imprisoned by [[Pope Julius II]], but he escaped with help from his loyal friend [[Micheletto Corella|Micheletto]]. He is ultimately thrown of from the walls of [[Viana Castle|Viana's Castle]] by [[Ezio Auditore da Firenze|Ezio Auditore]], ending the dominance of the Templars in Italy.

===Modern times===
By the 19<sup>th</sup> century, the Templars gained a significant amount of power and influence within the [[Russia]]n Empire; with a number of the Tsars, including [[Alexander II of Russia|Alexander II]] and his son [[Alexander III of Russia|Alexander III]], being Templars themselves.<ref name="Assassin's Creed: The Fall">''[[Assassin's Creed: The Fall]]''</ref> In the Tsars' possession; the [[The Staff|Staff of Eden]], granting the autocratic rulers great power over their citizens. In 1908 however, their control over the Russian Empire was greatly diminished with the destruction of the Staff in [[Tunguska explosion|Tunguska]], thanks in part to the combined efforts of [[Nikola Tesla]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed II"/> and the Assassin [[Nikolai Orelov]].<ref name="Assassin's Creed: The Fall"/>

Infiltrating and establishing countless corporate entities, by the 20<sup>th</sup> Century the Templars had positioned themselves within several world-defining positions, controlling whole nations and improving the planet's technological level significantly. The Templars also worked to stifle world progress however; [[Adolf Hitler]] used a Piece of Eden to rise to power in Germany, and subsequently started [[World War II|a world-wide conflict]]. He was "fought" by his Templar contemporaries [[Winston Churchill]], [[Joseph Stalin]], and [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]], who under the guise of the Allied nations ultimately won the conflict, despite having planned the war all along, and orchestrating the peace that would follow.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II"/>

[[File:Abstergo_Desmond_Captivity.png|thumb|220px|Desmond held captive by Abstergo Industries.]]
By the early 21<sup>st</sup> Century, the Templar fronted [[Abstergo Industries]] had expanded into a global entity, far larger and more powerful than most companies that had come before it.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II"/> For the most part this was not treated as suspicious, although there were those within the general population who viewed the company with suspicion,<ref name="Assassin's Creed"/> believing it to be "too large" a company.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II"/> Among the nations whose economic and political affairs which Templars interfered included Chile, Argentina, and Iran. <ref name="Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood"/>.

During this time, the Templars had access to a number of Pieces of Eden, however, the actions of the Assassins, coupled with the [[DIA satellite accident]] forced the Templars into stepping up the [[Animus]]-project, in the hope of finding another Piece capable of controlling the minds of humanity. By September of 2012, sixteen [[Animus' Subjects|test subjects]] had been "retired" before the company succeeded with the seventeenth – [[Desmond Miles]], a descendant of both [[Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad]], and [[Ezio Auditore da Firenze]].<ref name="Assassin's Creed"/><ref name="Assassin's Creed II"/>

Captured, for seven days Miles was forced to relieve the memories of his ancestor Altaïr in order to reach one specific memory the Templars were seeking. The memory registered the moment his ancestor found a holographic map containing the locations of all Pieces of Eden scattered across the world. With the information they had long sought in hand, the Templars set about gathering the remaining Pieces to ensure "absolute peace", although they soon found themselves in a race against the Assassin Order to obtain the Pieces first.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II"/> They planned to send a satellite with a Piece mounted on it into orbit, with the launch scheduled on [[Cryptic Messages|December 21, 2012]].<ref name="Assassin's Creed"/>

==Members==
{{main|List of known Templars}}

== Templar groups ==
There are groups who act as unofficial divisions of the Templars, unrelated to them publicly, but in fact commanded by Templars (some of them through the membership of their leaders and others are part of the Templar Order itself).

*'''Roman era'''
**[[File:Roman SPQR banner.svg|30px]] [[SPQR]]: '''Senatus Populusque Romanus''', the ruling body of the [[Roman Empire]].
*'''Renaissance'''
**[[File:Pazziingame.png|30px]] [[House of Pazzi|Pazzi]]: The '''Pazzi family''' were [[Tuscany|Tuscan]] nobles who were bankers in [[Florence]] during the 15<sup>th</sup> century. They are most famous for the "[[Pazzi Conspiracy]]".
**[[File:150px-Agostino Barbarigo.png|30px]] [[House of Barbarigo|Barbarigo]]: The '''Barbarigo family''' were [[Venice|Venetian]] nobles who were bankers and traders during the 15<sup>th</sup> century. The most famous member of the family was [[Agostino Barbarigo]], the 74<sup>th</sup> Doge of [[Venice]].
**[[File:Blason famille it Borgia01 svg.png|30px]] [[House of Borgia|Borgia]]: The '''Borgia family''' were [[Spain|Spanish]]-[[Italy|Italian]] nobles during the 15<sup>th</sup> and early 16<sup>th</sup> century. The most famous members of the family were [[Rodrigo Borgia]], [[Cesare Borgia]], and [[Lucrezia Borgia]].
*'''Modern times'''
**[[File:Ford logo.png|30px]] [[Ford Motor Company]]: an automobile company founded by [[Henry Ford]], in the hands of the Templars until Ford's death.
**[[File:Nazi flag 375.jpg|30px]] [[wikipedia:Nazi Party|Nazi Party]]: a political German party which controlled Germany during the early to mid 20th century.
**[[File:CIA.svg|30px]] [[Central Intelligence Agency]]: a "civilian" intelligence agency, in fact secretly working to keep the Templar Order in control.
**[[File:Animuslogowhite.svg|30px]] [[Abstergo Industries]]: modern company that works in secret to create the New World.
**[[File:BP Logo.svg|30px]] [[BP]]: a global oil and gas company headquartered in London, England.
**[[File:NASA logo svg.png|30px]] [[NASA]]: a governmental company that created the Apollo missions to retrieve an Apple of Eden from the Moon.

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

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

The real, full name of the Knights Templars: "Poor Knights of Christ and the Temple of Solomon in Jerusalem" or ''"Pauperes commilitones Christi templique Salomonici Hierosalemitanis" ''in Latin.

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

==Appearances==
*''[[Assassin's Creed: Altaïr's Chronicles]]''
*''[[Assassin's Creed]]''
*''[[Assassin's Creed: Project Legacy]]'' {{imo}}
*''[[Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines]]''
*''[[Assassin's Creed II]]''
*''[[Assassin's Creed: Renaissance]]''
*''[[Assassin's Creed II: Discovery]]''
*''[[Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood]]''
*''[[Assassin's Creed: The Fall]]''

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

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

[[es:Templarios]]
[[Category:Templar Order| ]]
[[Category:Factions]]