Ahmet

"He is a sincere man. But this Templar fantasy of his is dangerous. It flies in the face of reality. The world is a tapestry of many colors and patterns. A just leader would celebrate this, not seek to unravel it."

―Suleiman I on Ahmet, 1512.

Ahmet (Turkish: Şehzade Ahmet; 1466 – 1512), born Ahmet bin Bayezid, was an Ottoman Şehzade (Prince) and the eldest survived son of Sultan Bayezid II. He was also the older brother of Selim I and Korkut, and the uncle of Suleiman I.

Tired of the feuds that divided men, Ahmet joined the Templar Order, eventually becoming the Grand Master of the Byzantine Rite. After learning about the secret library of Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad in Masyaf, he started an expedition to retrieve the Masyaf Keys needed to unlock the library. There, he believed he would find the location of the Grand Temple, and intended to use the power hidden within the temple to further the Order's cause.

However, Ahmet's mission was complicated by a feud with his brother Selim, who challenged his claim to the Ottoman throne after their father had named Ahmet the heir apparent. The Templars in Constantinople also faced opposition from the Ottoman Assassins who, with the aid of the Italian Mentor Ezio Auditore da Firenze, found most of the Masyaf Keys and drove the Byzantines out of the city.

In a desperate last effort to acquire the keys, Ahmet kidnapped Sofia Sartor, a book shop owner that Ezio had become close to, in order to force the Mentor to surrender the artifacts. However, his plan ultimately failed, and Ahmet was executed shortly after by Selim, who had succeeded their father as Sultan.

Biography

Early life

The eldest survived son of Sultan Bayezid II, Ahmet was born in 1465 in Amasya and was chosen as his father's heir from a young age. With Ahmet sharing Bayezid's distaste for war and affection for knowledge, many believed him to be the most reasonable choice to succeed his father as Sultan.

Joining the Templars

Ezio: "You disappoint me, Ahmet. Why the Templars?"

Ahmet: "Because I am tired of all these pointless blood feuds that pit father against son, brother against brother. To achieve true peace, mankind must think and move as one body, with one master mind."

—Ahmet discussing his reasons for following the Templar ideology, 1512.

Ahmet was first exposed to the Templar ideology while exchanging letters with his exiled uncle Cem, who was a member of the Order. Their philosophy appealed to Ahmet as he was tired of the divisions within mankind and agreed that all the people should be united under one ruler. In their correspondence, Cem informed him of the existence of Niccolò Polo's journal detailing the library of Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad hidden in Masyaf.

In 1509, an earthquake struck Constantinople and Bayezid moved his court to Edirne. In the Sultan's absence, the Byzantine Rite – a remnant of the fallen Byzantine Empire – led by Manuel Palaiologos entered the city, and strived to revive their fallen empire. Ahmet joined the Templars, though this act caused great internal conflict for him, as he was still an Ottoman prince, and acting for either the Ottomans or the Byzantines would mean turning his back on his other affiliation.

Ahmet, much younger and more charismatic than the elderly Manuel, slowly slipped into the position of Grand Master of the Byzantine Rite, with Manuel becoming his second-in-command. At the same time, Bayezid and Selim had engaged in a conflict, as Selim was making an effort to gain the Ottoman throne for himself.

Gaining power in the Empire

"I will open that library, and I will find the Grand Temple. And with the power that is hidden there, I will destroy the superstitions that keep men divided."

―Ahmet talking about his plan to find Altaïr's library, 1512.

In 1511, Ahmet initiated several plans to further his influence in the Ottoman Empire. One of these was to locate the "Grand Temple" of the First Civilization, which Ahmet believed they could find by accessing the library of Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad. Ahmet placed Manuel Palaiologos in charge of the Masyaf expedition and gave him the journal of Niccolò Polo, which contained instructions to find the five Masyaf Keys needed to open the library. The first key was found by Ahmet's confidant Hasan Pasha in the tunnels beneath Topkapı Palace unearthed by the 1509 earthquake.

Ahmet at Suleiman's banquet

In the heart of the Ottoman Empire, Ahmet initiated a plot to have the Templars abduct his own nephew, Suleiman, during a cultural exhibition. If this were to be successful, Ahmet could "rescue" Suleiman from the Byzantines and be heralded a hero, increasing his legitimacy as Bayezid's heir. Ahmet himself attended the celebration at Topkapı Palace, while Templars disguised as guests were tasked with abducting the young Shehzade Suleiman.

However, to Ahmet's displeasure, the Templar infiltrators were killed by a group of Ottoman Assassins led by Yusuf Tazim, who had entered the party disguised as Italian minstrels and protected Suleiman. Following the failed plot, Ahmet took advantage of the Janissaries' well-known distaste for him and accused the Janissary captain Tarik Barleti of conspiring against him, since the Janissaries were tasked with the royal family's protection.

Suleiman introducing "Marcello" to Ahmet

Some time later, Tarik was murdered in the Janissary camp, and Ahmet was quickly accused of having planned his assassination, damaging his public image. Finding Suleiman at Topkapı Palace, Ahmet informed him of the turn of events before noticing that his nephew was meeting with Ezio Auditore – introduced to Ahmet as "Marcello" by Suleiman. Ezio took his leave not long after, but Ahmet grew suspicious of the man, and of his interactions with his nephew.

Confrontation with Ezio

"I am sorry it had to come to this. Two men who should be friends, quarreling over the keys to a library. We both strive for the same end, Ezio. Only our methods differ. Do you not see that? Peace. Stability. A world where men live without fear. People desire the truth, yes, but even when they have it, they refuse to look. How do we fight this kind of ignorance?"

―Ahmet to Ezio during their confrontation at the Arsenal, 1512.

In March 1512, Ahmet personally traveled to Cappadocia, where Manuel Palaiologos was hiding and forming an army together with the Templar renegade Shahkulu. Ahmet arrived shortly after Ezio had killed Manuel and taken the Masyaf Key from him, giving him an opportunity to confront the Assassin.

Ahmet confronting Ezio in Cappadocia

Revealing himself to be the leader of the Byzantine Rite, Ahmet threatened to capture Ezio's love interest Sofia Sartor, after Ezio claimed to not know of the other Masyaf Keys. Ahmet then left his subordinates to deal with Ezio, while he returned to Constantinople to order Sofia's capture.

The capture, which resulted in the death of Yusuf Tazim, infuriated the Assassins and led them to an all-out assault on the arsenal within Constantinople, where Ahmet was temporarily hiding. Though many of his men were killed during the attack, Ahmet managed to salvage his own life by reminding Ezio that he still held Sofia. Offering to spare her in exchange for the Masyaf Keys, Ahmet arranged a meeting with Ezio near Galata Tower.

Ahmet and his guards met with Ezio on the rampart connected to the Galata Tower soon afterwards, and after some mutual hostility, Ezio handed over the keys before Ahmet directed him to Sofia atop the Galata Tower. Unbeknownst to the Assassin, however, the captured woman atop the tower was a decoy, as Ahmet had ordered Sofia to be strangled in a square not too far from the tower to buy himself time to escape. While Ezio was preoccupied rescuing both the decoy and Sofia, Ahmet, finally having all the keys in his possession, triumphantly hurried off to Masyaf.

Death

Ahmet: "Soldiers! Selim is not your master! You serve the Sultan! You carry out his command alone! Where is he? Where is our Sultan?!"

Selim: "He stands before you, brother. Father made his choice."

—Ahmet and Selim shortly before the former's death, 1512.

Sofia and Ezio pursuing Ahmet

As Ahmet and his entourage left Constantinople by several horse-drawn wagons, they were followed by Ezio and Sofia, who had been rescued from Ahmet's men. Leaving his soldiers to take care of the two, Ahmet rode ahead, and a chase ensued.

Ezio was able to dispatch the other wagons, before Ahmet smashed Ezio's cart, causing the Assassin to fall off. Ezio was able to catch himself by using a parachute, holding onto a rope attached to the wagon as Sofia continued the pursuit of Ahmet.

After several more unsuccessful attempts from the Templars to shake Ezio and Sofia, Ahmet obliterated Sofia's cart, thinking he had finally lost them. As Ahmet proceeded onwards, however, Ezio lunged at him from a nearby ledge and knocked him from his seat. This resulted in both men free-falling off a cliff, and the two engaged in melee combat in mid-air.

As they neared the ground, Ezio deployed another parachute to break the fall, and Ahmet survived by clinging onto him during the descent. As the two opponents faced each other again on solid ground, and wondered what would happen next, Ahmet's brother Selim arrived, accompanied by the Sultan's army.

Selim throwing Ahmet off a cliff

Ahmet, thinking that their father was still the Sultan, attempted to remind the army that they were sworn to serve him, not Selim. However, much to Ahmet's horror, Selim revealed that their father had abdicated the throne, making him the new Sultan.

Selim then proceeded to corner Ahmet against a weakened fence along the cliffside and began to strangle him, having learned of his brother's treachery against the Ottoman Empire. Ignoring Ahmet's pleas for mercy, the fence eventually broke, and Ahmet fell down the cliff to his death.

Personality and traits

"You are weak, Ahmet. Pensive in times of war and restless in times of peace. You lack passion for the traditions of the ghazi (holy warriors), yet you speak of fraternity in the company of infidels. You would make a decent philosopher, Ahmet, but you will be a poor Sultan."

―Tarik Barleti, giving his opinion on Ahmet's character, 1511.

Ahmet, being a member of the Ottoman royal family, was a proud and arrogant man. The fact that he had counted on his father's support of him becoming the next Sultan only made this worse, as he felt no doubt about his father's choice. Though Ahmet was certain that he would become the Sultan, he was also shown to be insecure about it, and constantly paid attention to his relations with the public and the Janissaries, as he realized the equal importance of their support. However, much to Ahmet's bewilderment and unease, he found that the Janissaries held much contempt for him.

Ahmet being angered by Tarik's comments

When conversing with Tarik Barleti on why the Janissaries looked upon him disdainfully, Tarik admitted that they found Ahmet a weak man who was pensive in times of war and restless during peace, and that he undervalued the traditions of their military and had skewed beliefs on fraternity. Tarik also added that Selim would make a "decent philosopher," though a poor Sultan all the same. Despite consenting to an honest opinion, Ahmet received Tarik's assessment poorly, and angrily dismissed him.

That being said, Ahmet did appear to have redeeming qualities. He was shown to value family, and was on good terms with his nephew Suleiman despite the latter being Selim's son. Suleiman in turn described Ahmet as a sincere man and cared for his uncle as well. Ahmet was also shown to lament a time when he was on good terms with his brother, before both had become rivals vying to become Sultan, and did not show outright hostility or hatred whenever he mentioned his brother.

As Grand Master of the Byzantine Templars, Ahmet was an intelligent and cunning man. Like most Templars, Ahmet believed in the Order's goals and was certain that achieving them would bring order and prosperity to the world. Due to his age and charm, he was able to rule over men who would not normally accept another as their superior. Ahmet managed to set up a scheme to get his hands on the Masyaf keys and open the library of Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad, while simultaneously maintaining his good public image.

Ahmet playing chess against his nephew

Unlike many members who simply lusted after power and influence, Ahmet's reasoning for joining the Templars appeared to be partially attributed to the state of his family. On multiple occasions, he expressed disdain for how deeply divided he, his father, and Selim were as a result of their quarreling over the throne. Consequently, his ultimate goal was to put an end to such pointless conflicts by erasing the "superstitions that keep men divided".

In this regard, Ahmet expressed admiration for the Assassins' cause of safeguarding peace, and even admitted that he and Ezio Auditore could have been friends under different circumstances. Recognizing that the Templars' and the Assassins' goals often aligned, Ahmet believed that the only major difference between the two orders was the means they used to achieve said goals, and lamented the measures he had to take to secure the Masyaf Keys. Yet, he remained resolute in his cause, believing his sacrifices would ultimately serve the greater good.

Trivia

• Ahmet is a Turkish variant of the Arabic name Ahmad, meaning "highly praised".
• Historically, Ahmet was executed in 1513 near Bursa after his army was defeated by Selim when the latter learned of Ahmet's treachery.

Gallery

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  Concept art of Ahmet
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  A render of Ahmet
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  Ahmet talking to Tarik and Suleiman
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  Ahmet informing Suleiman of Tarik's death
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  Ahmet speaking to Ezio at the Arsenal
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  Ahmet and his guards meeting with Ezio to acquire the Masyaf Keys
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  Ahmet and Ezio falling from a cliff
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  Ahmet backing away from his brother

Appearances

• Assassin's Creed: Revelations (first appearance)
• Assassin's Creed: Revelations novel
• Assassin's Creed: Recollection