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{{Era|Individuals|Templars}}{{WP-REAL}}
{{Era|Individuals|Templars}}{{WP-REAL}}
{{Update}}
{{Quote|I am impressed, Arbaaz. It's a shame that we find ourselves on such different sides.|Alexander Burnes to Arbaaz Mir, 1841.|Assassin's Creed Chronicles: India|The Escape (India)}}
{{Character Infobox
{{Character Infobox
|name = Alexander Burnes
|name = Alexander Burnes
|native =
|image = ACCI Alexander Burnes.png
|image = ACCI Alexander Burnes.png
|birth = 16 May 1805<br>{{Wiki|Montrose, Angus|Montrose}}, [[Scotland]], [[United Kingdom]]
|birth = 16 May 1805<br>{{Wiki|Montrose, Angus|Montrose}}, [[Scotland]], [[United Kingdom]]
|death = 2 November 1841 (aged 36)<br>[[Kabul]], [[Afghanistan|Emirate of Afghanistan]]
|death = 2 November 1841 {{c|aged 36}}<br>[[Kabul]], [[Afghanistan|Emirate of Afghanistan]]
|active =
|species = [[Human]]
|species = [[Human]]
|database = [[Database: Alexander Burnes|Alexander Burnes]]
|database = [[Database: Alexander Burnes|Alexander Burnes]]
|affiliates = [[British Army]]<br>[[East India Company]]<br>[[Templars]]
|affiliates = [[British Army]]<br>[[East India Company]]<br>[[Templars]]
*[[British Rite of the Templar Order|British Rite]]
*[[British Rite of the Templar Order|British Rite]] {{c|c. 1835 – death}}
}}
}}
'''Sir Alexander Burnes''' (1805 – 1841), also known as '''Bokhara Burnes''', was a [[Scotland|Scottish]] traveller, explorer who took part in {{Wiki|The Great Game}}. He was also a member of the [[Templar Order]], serving as the right-hand man of [[Master Templar]] [[William Sleeman]].
'''Sir Alexander Burnes''' (1805 – 1841), also known as '''Bokhara Burnes''',<ref name="Wiki">{{WP|Alexander Burnes}}</ref> was a [[Scotland|Scottish]] traveller and explorer who took part in {{Wiki|The Great Game}}. He was also secretly a member of [[British Rite of the Templar Order|British Rite]] of the [[Templar Order]], serving as the right-hand man of the [[Master Templar]] [[William Sleeman]].


==Biography==
==Biography==
=== Early career ===
===Early career===
Born in 1805 in {{Wiki|Montrose}}, Scotland, Burnes enlisted in the [[British Army|army]] at the age of 16. Stationed. Burnes was stationed in India for 10 years before he was tasked by King [[William IV of the United Kingdom|William IV]] to bring a present to the founder and Maharaja of the [[Sikh Empire]] [[Ranjit Singh]]. Burnes soon embarked on an expedition to explore Western [[Asia]], including [[Afghanistan]], {{Wiki|Uzbekistan}} and [[Iran|Persia]].
Born in 1805 in {{Wiki|Montrose, Angus|Montrose}}, Burnes enlisted in the [[British Army|army]] at the age of 16. He was stationed in [[India]] for ten years before King [[William IV of the United Kingdom|William IV]] tasked him to bring a present to the founder and first Maharaja of the [[Sikh Empire]], [[Ranjit Singh]]. Burnes soon embarked on an expedition to explore Western [[Asia]], including [[Afghanistan]], {{Wiki|Uzbekistan}}, and [[Iran|Persia]]. During his travels, he wrote ''[https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/49762 Travels Into Bokhara]'', a book that saw him recognized by the {{Wiki|Royal Geographical Society}} and made him a Fellow in its ranks.<ref name="Database">''[[Assassin's Creed Chronicles: India]]'' – [[Database: Alexander Burnes]]</ref>


During his travels, he wrote the ''Travels into Bokhara'', a book that saw him recognized by the {{Wiki|Royal Geographical Society}} and made him a Fellow in its ranks.<ref name="Database">''[[Assassin's Creed Chronicles: India]]'' – [[Database: Alexander Burnes]]</ref>
In 1835, Burnes returned to India, which had underwent various political changes. Around this time, he met the [[England|English]] administrator [[William Sleeman]], who was a member of the Templar Order. Burnes was recruited into the Order, aiding Sleeman in his research of various [[Piece of Eden|Pieces of Eden]], including a [[Staves of Eden|Staff]] once [[Scepter of Alexander the Great|wielded]] by [[Alexander the Great]].<ref name="Database" />


In 1835, Burnes returned to India, which had underwent various political changes. Around this time, he met the [[England|English]] administrator [[William Sleeman]], who was a member of the [[Templar Order]]. Burnes was recruited into the Order, aiding Sleeman in his research of the [[Piece of Eden|Pieces of Eden]], including the [[Alexander's Staff of Eden|staff]] once wielded by [[Alexander the Great]]. After the [[First Anglo-Afghan War]], Burnes became an official political agent for {{Wiki|The Crown}} and was knighted by Queen [[Victoria, Queen of the United Kingdom|Victoria]] in 1838.<ref name="Database" />
After the [[First Anglo-Afghan War]], Burnes became an official political agent for {{Wiki|The Crown}} and was knighted by Queen [[Victoria]] in 1838. In 1841, he became famous for surviving an insurrection that claimed the life of fellow officer William Broadfoot, killing six assailants in the process.<ref name="Database" />


In 1841, he became famous for surviving an insurrection that claimed the life of fellow officer William Broadfoot, killing six assailants in the process.<ref name="Database" />
===Hunt for the Koh-i-Noor===
{{Dialogue|Burnes|It will be an honorable death at your hands, Assassin...|Arbaaz|No. You will have to live knowing an Assassin beat you. The men who stand here now will know you were defeated.|Burnes and Arbaaz Mir following the former's defeat, 1841.|Assassin's Creed Chronicles: India|The Escape (India)}}
That same year, Burnes assisted Sleeman in his hunt for the [[Koh-i-Noor]] diamond, a powerful Piece of Eden which had been stolen two years prior by the [[Assassins]].<ref name="Brahman">''[[Assassin's Creed: Brahman]]''</ref> Using information from the dossier of Sleeman's predecessor [[Francis Cotton]],<ref name="Sleeman Database">''[[Assassin's Creed Chronicles: India]]'' – [[Database: William Sleeman]]</ref> the Templars managed to locate the [[Indian Brotherhood of Assassins|Indian Brotherhood]]'s hideout in [[Amritsar]] and retrieved the Koh-i-Noor, while also brutally kidnapping the Assassin [[Mentor]] [[Hamid (Amritsar)|Hamid]].<ref name="The Quest Begins">''[[Assassin's Creed Chronicles: India]]'' – [[The Quest Begins]]</ref>


=== Hunt for the Koh-i-Noor ===
[[File:ACCI Quest Begins (3).jpg|thumb|250px|left|Burnes and Sleeman discussing the Koh-i-Noor]]
[[File:ACCI Quest Begins (3).jpg|thumb|250x250px|Burnes and Sleeman discussing the Koh-i-Noor]]
Taking Hamid back to the Templar headquarters in the city, Burnes tried to interrogate him to learn what he knew about the Koh-i-Noor. However, he failed to make the Assassin talk, so Sleeman decided to head to an [[Isu]] [[Tosha Khana|temple]] that the Templars had found in Amritsar,<ref name="The Quest Begins" /> where he used a [[Precursor box]] to unravel the diamond's secrets.<ref name="The Enemy Revealed">''[[Assassin's Creed Chronicles: India]]'' – [[The Enemy Revealed]]</ref> After unlocking a [[Isu map|map]] showing the locations of other Isu temples, Sleeman and Burnes led a small army to occupy the [[Herat Citadel]] in Afghanistan, where [[Herat Temple|one]] of the temples was located.<ref name="The Silent Assist">''[[Assassin's Creed Chronicles: India]]'' – [[The Silent Assist]]</ref>  
That same year, Burnes participated alongside Sleeman in the hunt for the [[Koh-i-Noor]] diamond, a powerful Piece of Eden which had been stolen two years prior by the [[Assassins]].<ref>[[Assassin's Creed: Brahman|''Assassin's Creed: Brahman'']]</ref> The Templars managed to locate the [[Indian Brotherhood of Assassins|Indian Brotherhood]]'s hideout in [[Amritsar]] and retrieved the artifact, while also brutally kidnapping the Assassin [[Mentor]], [[Hamid (Amritsar)|Hamid]]. They then took both back to their headquarters, where they tried to interrogate Hamid to learn what he knew about the Koh-i-Noor. After failing to extract any information from the elderly Mentor, the Templars decided to return to a [[Tosha Khana|Precursor temple]] they had found and use a [[Precursor box]] on the diamond to unravel its secrets.<ref name=":0">[[Assassin's Creed Chronicles: India|''Assassin's Creed Chronicles: India'']]</ref>


After unlocking a [[Isu map|map]] showing the locations of other Precursor temples across the globe, Sleeman and Burnes led a battalion of British troops to occupy the [[Herat Citadel]] in [[Afghanistan]], where one of the temples was located. When the Assassin [[Arbaaz Mir]], who was trying to recover the Koh-i-Noor, followed Sleeman into the [[Herat Temple|temple]], he ended up captured by the Templars. They knocked him out and took him to the [[Katasraj Temple]] in [[Punjab]], [[Pakistan]], but as Sleeman had been called to deal with an Afghan uprising, he trusted Burnes to guard both the Assassin and the Koh-i-Noor until his return. <ref name=":0" />
When the Assassin [[Arbaaz Mir]], who was trying to recover the Koh-i-Noor, followed Sleeman into the temple, he ended up captured by the Templars.<ref name="What Lies Beneath">''[[Assassin's Creed Chronicles: India]]'' – [[What Lies Beneath]]</ref> They knocked him unconscious and took him to [[Katasraj Temple|Katasraj]], [[Pakistan]], but as Sleeman had been called to deal with an Afghan uprising, he trusted Burnes to guard both the Assassin and the Koh-i-Noor until his return.<ref name="The Thief Within">''[[Assassin's Creed Chronicles: India]]'' – [[The Thief Within]]</ref>


After Arbaaz awoke, Burnes taunted him with the Templars' knowledge of his personal life, including his relationship with Princess [[Pyara Kaur]], before leaving him to enjoy the Templars' "hospitality." Using a knife he had stolen from Burnes, Arbaaz escaped his bindings and, after retrieving his equipment, made his way to a courtyard where Burnes and several of his men were waiting.<ref name=":0" />
After Arbaaz awoke, Burnes taunted him with the Templars' knowledge of his personal life, including his relationship with Princess [[Pyara Kaur]], before leaving him to enjoy the Templars' "hospitality." Using a knife he had stolen from Burnes, Arbaaz escaped his bindings and, after retrieving his equipment,<ref name="The Thief Within" /> made his way to a courtyard where Burnes and several of his men were waiting.<ref name="The Escape">''[[Assassin's Creed Chronicles: India]]'' – [[The Escape (India)|The Escape]]</ref>
[[File:ACCI Escape (5).jpg|thumb|250x250px|Burnes defeated by Arbaaz|left]]
 
Impressed by the Assassin's skills, Burnes challenged him to a duel, promising to let him live if he won. Indeed, Arbaaz emerged victorious, but rather than take Burnes' life as the latter expected, he decided to let him live with the humiliation of having been bested by an Assassin; however, he still promised to finish the job, should they meet again. Burnes simply replied that they would not and kept his word, allowing Arbaaz to leave with not just his life, but also the Koh-i-Noor and the Precursor box.<ref name=":0" />
[[File:ACCI Escape (5).jpg|thumb|250px|Burnes defeated by Arbaaz]]
Impressed by the Assassin's skills, Burnes challenged him to a duel, promising to let him live if he won. Sure enough, Arbaaz emerged victorious, but rather than take Burnes' life as the Templar had expected, he decided to let him live with the humiliation of having been bested by an Assassin; however, he promised to finish the job, should they meet again. Burnes simply replied that they would not and kept his word, allowing Arbaaz to leave with not just his life, but also the Koh-i-Noor and the Precursor box.<ref name="The Escape" />


===Legacy===
===Legacy===
Later that year, the exploits of Burnes, Sleeman, and the Assassin Arbaaz would later be discussed by Assassins [[Ethan Frye]], Arbaaz and his wife [[Pyara Kaur|Pyara]] and overheard by the young [[Jayadeep Mir]].<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed: Underworld]]'' – Chapter 10</ref>
In 1853, over a decade after Burnes' encounter with Arbaaz, the Templar was brought up in a conversation between the Assassin, his wife Pyara, and [[Ethan Frye]] regarding Arbaaz's exploits, which was secretly overheard by a young [[Jayadeep Mir]].<ref name="Underworld">''[[Assassin's Creed: Underworld]]'' – Chapter 10</ref>


== Behind the scenes ==
==Behind the scenes==
Alexander Burnes is a historical character first mentioned in the 2015 book, ''[[Assassin's Creed: Underworld]]'', before making his first appearance in the 2016 video game ''[[Assassin's Creed Chronicles: India]]''. Although Burnes died in 1841, the same year the game takes place, when he was hacked to death by an Afghan mob, the game does not portray his death nor change its circumstances to fit into the [[Assassin-Templar War]], as has been the case for most other historical figures featured in the series.
Alexander Burnes is a historical character first mentioned in the 2015 novel ''[[Assassin's Creed: Underworld]]'' before appearing in the 2016 video game ''[[Assassin's Creed Chronicles: India]]''. Historically, Burnes died on 2 November 1841, when he was hacked by an Afghan mob during an uprising in [[Kabul]].<ref name="Wiki" /> Coincidentally, the events of ''Chronicles: India'' also take place in 1841, but the game does not address Burnes' fate.  


==Gallery==
==Gallery==
<gallery captionalign="center" spacing="small" position="center" widths="180">
<gallery captionalign="center" position="center" widths="180">
ACC India DB Alexander Burnes.png|Database image of Alexander Burnes
ACCI Alexander Burnes Development Art.jpg|Development concept
ACCI Alexander Burnes Development Art.jpg|Burnes' development art
ACCI Alexander Burnes Concept Sketches 1.jpg|Concept sketches
ACCI Alexander Burnes Concept Sketches 1.jpg|Concept sketches
ACCI Alexander Burnes Concept Sketches 2.jpg|Concept sketches
ACCI Alexander Burnes Concept Sketches 2.jpg|Concept sketches
ACCI Alexander Burnes Colour Variants.jpg|Burnes' color variants
ACCI Alexander Burnes Colour Variants.jpg|Burnes' color variants
ACC India DB Alexander Burnes.png|Burnes' [[database]] image
ACCI Thief Within (3).jpg|Arbaaz headbutting Burnes
ACCI Thief Within (5).jpg|Burnes taunting a captive Arbaaz
ACCI Escape (2).jpg|Burnes challenging Arbaaz to a duel
</gallery>
</gallery>


Latest revision as of 17:02, 18 October 2025

"I am impressed, Arbaaz. It's a shame that we find ourselves on such different sides."
―Alexander Burnes to Arbaaz Mir, 1841.[src]-[m]

Sir Alexander Burnes (1805 – 1841), also known as Bokhara Burnes,[1] was a Scottish traveller and explorer who took part in The Great Game. He was also secretly a member of British Rite of the Templar Order, serving as the right-hand man of the Master Templar William Sleeman.

Biography[edit | edit source]

Early career[edit | edit source]

Born in 1805 in Montrose, Burnes enlisted in the army at the age of 16. He was stationed in India for ten years before King William IV tasked him to bring a present to the founder and first Maharaja of the Sikh Empire, Ranjit Singh. Burnes soon embarked on an expedition to explore Western Asia, including Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, and Persia. During his travels, he wrote Travels Into Bokhara, a book that saw him recognized by the Royal Geographical Society and made him a Fellow in its ranks.[2]

In 1835, Burnes returned to India, which had underwent various political changes. Around this time, he met the English administrator William Sleeman, who was a member of the Templar Order. Burnes was recruited into the Order, aiding Sleeman in his research of various Pieces of Eden, including a Staff once wielded by Alexander the Great.[2]

After the First Anglo-Afghan War, Burnes became an official political agent for The Crown and was knighted by Queen Victoria in 1838. In 1841, he became famous for surviving an insurrection that claimed the life of fellow officer William Broadfoot, killing six assailants in the process.[2]

Hunt for the Koh-i-Noor[edit | edit source]

Burnes: "It will be an honorable death at your hands, Assassin..."
Arbaaz: "No. You will have to live knowing an Assassin beat you. The men who stand here now will know you were defeated."
—Burnes and Arbaaz Mir following the former's defeat, 1841.[src]-[m]

That same year, Burnes assisted Sleeman in his hunt for the Koh-i-Noor diamond, a powerful Piece of Eden which had been stolen two years prior by the Assassins.[3] Using information from the dossier of Sleeman's predecessor Francis Cotton,[4] the Templars managed to locate the Indian Brotherhood's hideout in Amritsar and retrieved the Koh-i-Noor, while also brutally kidnapping the Assassin Mentor Hamid.[5]

Burnes and Sleeman discussing the Koh-i-Noor

Taking Hamid back to the Templar headquarters in the city, Burnes tried to interrogate him to learn what he knew about the Koh-i-Noor. However, he failed to make the Assassin talk, so Sleeman decided to head to an Isu temple that the Templars had found in Amritsar,[5] where he used a Precursor box to unravel the diamond's secrets.[6] After unlocking a map showing the locations of other Isu temples, Sleeman and Burnes led a small army to occupy the Herat Citadel in Afghanistan, where one of the temples was located.[7]

When the Assassin Arbaaz Mir, who was trying to recover the Koh-i-Noor, followed Sleeman into the temple, he ended up captured by the Templars.[8] They knocked him unconscious and took him to Katasraj, Pakistan, but as Sleeman had been called to deal with an Afghan uprising, he trusted Burnes to guard both the Assassin and the Koh-i-Noor until his return.[9]

After Arbaaz awoke, Burnes taunted him with the Templars' knowledge of his personal life, including his relationship with Princess Pyara Kaur, before leaving him to enjoy the Templars' "hospitality." Using a knife he had stolen from Burnes, Arbaaz escaped his bindings and, after retrieving his equipment,[9] made his way to a courtyard where Burnes and several of his men were waiting.[10]

Burnes defeated by Arbaaz

Impressed by the Assassin's skills, Burnes challenged him to a duel, promising to let him live if he won. Sure enough, Arbaaz emerged victorious, but rather than take Burnes' life as the Templar had expected, he decided to let him live with the humiliation of having been bested by an Assassin; however, he promised to finish the job, should they meet again. Burnes simply replied that they would not and kept his word, allowing Arbaaz to leave with not just his life, but also the Koh-i-Noor and the Precursor box.[10]

Legacy[edit | edit source]

In 1853, over a decade after Burnes' encounter with Arbaaz, the Templar was brought up in a conversation between the Assassin, his wife Pyara, and Ethan Frye regarding Arbaaz's exploits, which was secretly overheard by a young Jayadeep Mir.[11]

Behind the scenes[edit | edit source]

Alexander Burnes is a historical character first mentioned in the 2015 novel Assassin's Creed: Underworld before appearing in the 2016 video game Assassin's Creed Chronicles: India. Historically, Burnes died on 2 November 1841, when he was hacked by an Afghan mob during an uprising in Kabul.[1] Coincidentally, the events of Chronicles: India also take place in 1841, but the game does not address Burnes' fate.

Gallery[edit | edit source]

  • Development concept
    Development concept
  • Concept sketches
    Concept sketches
  • Concept sketches
    Concept sketches
  • Burnes' color variants
    Burnes' color variants
  • Burnes' database image
    Burnes' database image
  • Arbaaz headbutting Burnes
    Arbaaz headbutting Burnes
  • Burnes taunting a captive Arbaaz
    Burnes taunting a captive Arbaaz
  • Burnes challenging Arbaaz to a duel
    Burnes challenging Arbaaz to a duel

Appearances[edit | edit source]

References[edit | edit source]

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Alexander Burnes on Wikipedia
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Assassin's Creed Chronicles: India – Database: Alexander Burnes
  3. ↑ Assassin's Creed: Brahman
  4. ↑ Assassin's Creed Chronicles: India – Database: William Sleeman
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Assassin's Creed Chronicles: India – The Quest Begins
  6. ↑ Assassin's Creed Chronicles: India – The Enemy Revealed
  7. ↑ Assassin's Creed Chronicles: India – The Silent Assist
  8. ↑ Assassin's Creed Chronicles: India – What Lies Beneath
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Assassin's Creed Chronicles: India – The Thief Within
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Assassin's Creed Chronicles: India – The Escape
  11. ↑ Assassin's Creed: Underworld – Chapter 10

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