Giovanni Auditore da Firenze

2010-09-05T08:36:24Z

78.172.185.191: /* In pursuit of Rodrigo Borgia */

{{Era|AC2|Assassins|Ren}}
{{NomF}}
{{Character Infobox
|name = Giovanni Auditore da Firenze
|image = Zw-giovanniauditore.png
|imgdesc = Giovanni Auditore in the Animus database.
|birth = 1436<ref name="Assassin's Creed II">''[[Assassin's Creed II]]''</ref> [[Florence]], [[Italy]]
|death = 1476<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" /> [[Florence]], [[Italy]]
|period = Renaissance (15th century)
|faction = [[House of Auditore]] [[Assassins]] [[House of Medici]]
|appear = ''[[Assassin's Creed: Lineage]]'' ''[[Assassin's Creed II]]''
|actor = [[Romano Orzari]]
|voice = [[Romano Orzari]]
}}
{{Quote|I am Giovanni Auditore, and like my ancestors before me, I am an Assassin.|Giovanni Auditore.|Assassin’s Creed: Lineage}}
'''Giovanni Auditore '''(1436 - 1476) was [[Florence|Florentine]] noble and head of the [[House of Auditore|Auditore family]] in [[Florence]]. A nobleman and banker working for the [[House of Medici|Medici family]], Giovanni's true nature as an [[Assassin]] was known only to a few. Raised and trained along with his brother [[Mario Auditore|Mario]] from birth to be an Assassin, Giovanni had been aware of the [[Templars|Templar Order]] for almost all of his life.

The husband of [[Maria Auditore da Firenze|Maria Auditore]], and father to [[Federico Auditore da Firenze|Federico]], [[Ezio Auditore da Firenze|Ezio]], [[Claudia Auditore da Firenze|Claudia]] and [[Petruccio Auditore da Firenze|Petruccio]], Giovanni sought to induct his children into the Order, but had only revealed his allegiance to his wife by the time of his death; despite this however, he had already begun to train his eldest son in the Assassin ways, albeit secretively.

==Biography==
===Early years===
{{quote|Tu sei un Auditore. Sei un combattente. Perciò Combatti! (You are an Auditore. You are a fighter. So fight!)|Giovanni Auditore speaking to Ezio at his birth|Assassin's Creed II}}
The second son, or grandson, of [[Ilario Auditore]], Giovanni was born in [[Monteriggioni]], in 1436, two years after his elder brother [[Mario Auditore|Mario]]. From an early age, both Giovanni and his brother were taught to be [[Assassin's Order|Assassins]], although Giovanni was also tutored in banking and other subjects as well<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />.

With time, Giovanni left the [[Auditore Villa|family Villa]] and joined his Ilario in Florence, where he was serving as Gonfaloniere to [[Cosimo de' Medici]]. As such, Giovanni joined the [[House of Medici|Medici]] banking family and adopted the title of ''da Firenze''. Sometime later, he saved a young [[Lorenzo de' Medici]] from drowning in the Arno river, ensuring the continued friendship of the Medici and Auditore family. In 1452, Giovanni met and married [[Maria Auditore da Firenze|Maria de' Mozzi]], whom he revealed himself to be an Assassin to. After four years, their first son – [[Federico Auditore da Firenze|Federico]] – was born, followed by [[Ezio Auditore da Firenze|Ezio]] in 1459, [[Claudia Auditore da Firenze|Claudia]] in 1461, and [[Petruccio Auditore da Firenze|Petruccio]] in 1463<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />.

At some point during this time, he also revealed Lorenzo, his patron, of his true nature as an assassin, and undertook several missions for him behind the back of his own children. In 1476, Giovanni Auditore tracked down [[Rodrigo Borgia]], Grand Master of the [[Knights Templar]], in a Florentine alleyway; although he managed to eliminate to of his bodyguards, and incapacitate the third, Borgia himself escaped. The assassin handed the third guard over to the [[Uberto Alberti]], the Gonfaloniere, for questioning<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Lineage">''[[Assassin's Creed: Lineage]]''</ref>.

[[File:Giovanniassassin.png|thumb|left|Giovanni Auditore, in his Assassin garb]]

===In pursuit of Rodrigo Borgia===
Through torture, the guard revealed that [[Galeazzo Maria Sforza]], the Duke of [[Milano|Milan]] was to be assassinated by the Templars, and Giovanni was quickly sent to prevent this. Though he arrived too late to save the Duke, Giovanni was able to eliminate some of his murderers whilst the Duke’s bodyguards killed the rest. With all the assassins dead, Giovanni searched the corpse of [[Giovanni Andrea Lampugnani]], and found a collection of coins stamped with the seal of [[Venice]] <ref name="Assassin's Creed: Lineage" />.

Arriving in Venice, Giovanni infiltrated the [[Basilica di San Marco]], and eavesdropped on a group of men conversing in a nearby room. The men then dispatched a courier, with a message for their master in [[Rome]]. Giovanni chose to pursue the courier, before finally confronting him. After a lengthy battle, he overpowered and pinned down the courier, his [[hidden blade]] to the man’s throat. Refusing to answer his questions, the courier impaled himself on the blade, leaving Giovanni frustrated, albeit with a letter sealed with the crest of the [[House of Barbarigo]]. Returning to Florence, Giovanni presented the letter to Lorenzo de' Medici, although it was encoded<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Lineage" />.

That night, Giovanni was summoned to meet with Lorenzo and Alberti. Before leaving, Maria reminded her husband that their second eldest son, Ezio, who was watching them from behind a nearby haystack, was becoming suspicious of his banker father having to leave the [[Palazzo Auditore|Palazzo]] at night so often; Giovanni promised that he would speak with him soon, and then left. Arriving at the meeting, Alberti falsely claimed that Father [[Antonio Maffei]] had been unable to decrypt the letter, and that as such, the only course of action was for Giovanni to deliver the letter himself. Giovanni agreed, and headed for Rome with the letter in hand<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Lineage" />.

In Rome, he delivered the letter, and followed it until it reaches Rodrigo Borgia. Giovanni followed Borgia into St. Peter's Basilica, where the two finally share words; Borgia remarked at his respect for the assassin's skills, offering him the chance to join the Templar Order, and live to see the "new world". Giovanni refused, and was subsequently attacked by a number of Borgia's henchmen. Despite being heavily outnumbered, he prevailed, although a [[Throwing knives|knife thrown]] by Rodrio Borgia did wound him, allowing the Templar the oppertunity to escape<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Lineage" />.

Returning home, Giovanni had his wife tend his wound, and confessed that he feared the assassination of the Duke of Milan was just the beginning of a much wider conspiracy. Before he could go on however, the two were interrupted by their son Federico, who warned that Father Maffei had arrived with armed guards. Asking his son to provide him cover, Giovanni slipped out of the palazzo through a secret passage within the fireplace<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Lineage" />.

[[File:QuickTimePlayer 2009-09-25 20-14-39-52.png|thumb|right|200px|Giovanni and his sons, moments before their [[Auditore Execution|execution]].]]

===Betrayal and execution===
At some point after this, Giovanni found evidence suggesting [[Francesco de' Pazzi]] had commited murder, and had Uberto Alberti arrest him; as a result of this, Francesco's son – [[Vieri de' Pazzi|Vieri]], developed an intense rivalry with Ezio Auditore. Following a brawl the two had on the [[Ponte Vecchio]], Giovanni scolded his son for his behaviour, although he noted that it reminded him of himself when he was younger. He then tasked Ezio with delivering a letter to Lorenzo de' Medici, but was surprised to learn that Lorenzo had left the city for a short while. Undeterred, Giovanni had Ezio deliver several more letter, as well as pick up a letter from a pigeon coop near the [[Piazza della Signoria]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />.

Whilst his son was away however, armed guards sent, unknowingly to Giovanni, by Uberto Alberti, invaded the Palazzo Auditore and arrested Giovanni and his two other sons, taking them to be imprisoned in the clock tower of the Piazza della Signoria. Before long, Ezio had managed to climb the clock tower, where Giovanni told his son to empty his chest in the room behind the fireplace, and take the evidence exonerating him to the Gonfaloniere. The net day however, Giovanni was shocked to find Uberto and Rodrigo Borgia together, with Uberto denying ever receiving the evidence; he was subsequently [[Auditore Execution|sentenced to death]]. A horrified Ezio, watching from below cried out that Uberto was lying, but was unable to prevent his father's hanging<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />.

==Legacy==
{{quote|My dear sons, dark skies are rising over Florence and time is running low. The enemy is closer than I thought. Now, the final battle is about to unfold. Every man is mortal, every life bounds to an end but certain things will never change. Federico and Ezio, my sons, always remember: WE are the Auditore da Firenze and WE are Assassins.|Giovanni Auditore da Firenze|Assassin's Creed: Lineage}}
Despite his death, Giovanni's actions would have lasting consequences for his surviving son: Ezio Auditore.

Having predicted a turn of events similar to what ultimatly happened, Giovanni had arranged for his live-in servent [[Annetta]] to take his wife and daughter to her sister's establishment, where they would be safe. There, Annetta's sister [[Paola]], a [[courtesan]] Giovanni had previously represented in court, and introduced into the Assassin's Order, provided Ezio with some basic training in blending, and gave him the skills necessary to execute his revenge on Uberto Alberti before he left the city. When Ezio arrived in Monteriggioni, his uncle Mario was shocked to discover that his brother had never told Ezio of his assassin heritage, or that Giovanni himself had indeed been an assassin. Despite this, Ezio soon vowed to take up all his fathers work, which included locating what remained of [[the Codex]], and to avenge his death with the blood of Rodrigo Borgia and his Templar lackeys<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />.

Eventually, Ezio returned to Florence and provided the body of his father with a proper funeral; he was cremated, alongside his two sons, and set adrift down the river in a small boat<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Renaissance">''[[Assassin's Creed: Renaissance]]''</ref>.

==Gallery==

<center><gallery>
File:Giovannilineage2.png|Giovanni in his usual clothes.
File:Giovanni lineage 1.png|Giovanni in the Assassin robe.
File:Giovanniac2ingame.jpg|Giovanni behind his desk, talking to Ezio
</gallery></center>

==Trivia==
*Giovanni's ring finger remains intact due to improvements to the "Hidden blade," in effect to the changes of the Assassin Order's tactics and traditions, made by Altaïr after the events of the first game.
*Giovanni died before telling Ezio (as well as his youngest son, Petruccio and his daughter Claudia) of their assassin heritage which disappointed his brother, Mario. However, he had began training his eldest son, Federico, but couldn't actually get far enough to teach him any intermediate Assassin skills.
*Giovanni knew about Ezio's Eagle vision, although it is unknown if he too possessed the skill.
*Giovanni leaves his assassin outfit behind for Ezio to find, however in the short-film '[[Assassin's Creed: Lineage]]', it lacks the 'Eagle's beak' on the hood, as well as several other details.
*Giovanni died at the age of forty, the same age Ezio turned when he confronted Rodrigo Borgia in Rome.

==Notes and references==
{{reflist}}
{{ACII}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Auditore, Giovanni}}
[[Category:Characters]]
[[Category:Assassin's Creed: Lineage Characters]]
[[Category:Assassin's Creed II Characters|Auditore da Firenze, Giovanni]]
[[Category:Assassins|Auditore da Firenze, Giovanni]]
[[Category:Descendant of Altaïr]]

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Giovanni Auditore da Firenze