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m there, it's been assassified, creedified... erm, codexified? Whatever you wanna call it, it's been done... also got rid of some stupid trivia points.
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{{Era|AC2|Assassins|Ren}}
{{Era|AC2|Assassins|Ren}}
{{Character Infobox
{{Character Infobox
|name = Giovanni Auditore  
|name = Giovanni Auditore  
|image = Zw-giovanniauditore.png
|image = Zw-giovanniauditore.png
|imgdesc = Giovanni Auditore in the Animus Database.
|imgdesc = Giovanni Auditore in the Animus Database.
|home = [[Florence|Firenze]], Repubblica Fiorentina
|home = [[Florence|Firenze]], Repubblica Fiorentina
|birth = 1436
|birth = 1436<ref name="Assassin's Creed II">''[[Assassin's Creed II]]''</ref>
|death = 1476
|death = 1476<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />
|period = Italian Renaissance (15th century)
|period = Italian Renaissance (15th century)
|faction = [[House of Auditore|Auditore family]]<br>[[Assassins]]<br>[[House of Medici|Medici family]]
|faction = [[House of Auditore|Auditore family]]<br>[[Assassins]]<br>[[House of Medici|Medici family]]
Line 16: Line 14:
}}
}}


{{quote|I am Giovanni Auditore, and like my ancestors before me, I am an Assassin.|''[[Assassin's Creed: Lineage]]'''s headline
{{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 a banker working for the [[House of Medici|Medici]], 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.
'''Giovanni Auditore '''(1436 - 1476) was the husband of [[Maria Auditore]], father of [[Ezio Auditore da Firenze|Ezio Auditore]], [[Federico Auditore]], [[Petruccio Auditore]] and [[Claudia Auditore]]. He was a nobleman, working as a banker for the [[House of Medici|Medici]], but was truly an [[Assassin]]. He was raised and trained along with his brother [[Mario Auditore|Mario]] as an Assassin, and has been aware of the [[Templars|Templar Order]] for almost all of his life. He also knew of Ezio's ability: [[Eagle Vision]]. He was a descendant of [[Altair]] and an ancestor of [[Desmond Miles]]. He secretly trained his son, Federico, of the ways of an Assassin, even before the beginning of ''Lineage'', though Federico was unaware of it.
 
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.


Giovanni is the main character of the ''Assassin's Creed'' world-based short film: ''[[Assassin's Creed: Lineage|Assassin's Creed: Lineage,]]'' where he is portrayed by [[Romano Orzari]].
==Biography==
==Biography==
===''[[Assassin's Creed: Lineage]]''===
===Early years===
[[File:Giovanniassassin.png|thumb|left|Giovanni Auditore, during his work as an Assassin.]]
{{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}}
Giovanni Auditore was a 15th-century Florentine nobleman and banker, son of Ilario Auditore and descended from [[Altair]]. He served the powerful [[Lorenzo de' Medici]] and justice, until 1476, where a conspiracy plot to overthrow Lorenzo and the Medici family from their position occurred. One night, unbeknownst to his children, Giovanni prepares to execute a mission for Lorenzo. In his secret chamber, hidden behind the hearth of the fireplace, Giovanni donned his Assassin's outfit and weapons, including an upgraded [[Hidden Blade]]. Before he leaves, he peeked in on his family having dinner, smiling as he makes eye contact with his wife, Maria. His teenage son, Ezio, spots the exchange, but says nothing. Giovanni pressed a panel on the fireplace mantel, which lowers the active hearth, revealing the chamber's entrance. From the chamber, he exited through a long, dark passage way, eventually emerging onto the rooftops.
The second son 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<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />.
 
With time, Giovanni left the [[Auditore Villa|family Villa]] and joined his father 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, Giovanni 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, the first son &ndash; [[Federico Auditore da Firenze|Federico]] &ndash; 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, Giovanni 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. Giovanni 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 [[Milan]] was to be assassinated by the Templars, and Giovanni was quickly sent to prevent this. Giovanni arrived to late to save the Duke however, but 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 the apparent leader, and found a collection of coins stamped with the seal of [[Venice]] <ref name="Assassin's Creed: Lineage" />.


He intercepted [[Rodrigo Borgia]] and three of his men. Rodrigo fled, but Giovanni managed to capture one of his men. He brought him to Lorenzo, and the prisoner revealed, through torture, that the Duke of Milan, [[Galeazzo Maria Sforza]], was to be assassinated in the church during the feast of Santo Stefano. Giovanni headed to Milan, but arrives too late, as he saw through the crowds the assassination of Sforza. Despite his efforts to capture at least one of the murderers for interrogation, the killers were all dispatched by Giovanni and Sforza's vengeful guards. After his mission, Giovanni went back home to see his family, and then meditated on the death of Sforza and its consequences.
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, Giovanni overpowered and pinned down the courier with his [[hidden blade]] to the man’s throat. Refusing to answer Giovanni’s 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" />.


Observing the [[wikipedia:Ducat|Ducat]] he looted from one of Sforza's murderers, he understood that his next quest will lead him to [[Venice]]. He immediately goes to the floating city, and infiltrates the [[Palazzo Ducale]]. There, he spies on the conversation between the Barbarigo cousins. A messenger left the room he was watching, and was charged by [[Marco Barbarigo|Marco]] to deliver the message to [[Rome]]. Giovanni tails him by the rooftops and once he arrived in a quiet place, he attempted but failed to preform an air assassination, leading him into combat against him. After a brutal fight, Giovanni managed to take the advantage. On top, and holding his Hidden Blade under the man's chin, he threatened to kill the messenger if he does not reveal his masters' plot. The man refused, preferring to keep his secrets until death. He unexpectedly grabbed onto Giovanni's wrist with both hands and drove the weapon into his own throat. Giovanni curses the messenger as a fool and takes the letter he was carrying. He then brought it to Lorenzo, but the letter was encrypted, and [[Uberto Alberti]] suggests Giovanni to take some rest while he gives it to Father [[Antonio Maffei|Maffei]] to be decoded .
That night, Giovanni was summoned to meet with Lorenzo and Alberti. Before leaving, Maria reminded Giovanni 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 claims that Maffei was 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" />.


Once the letter was decoded, Uberto told Maffei to keep quiet about the success of the letter's decoding, and sent him to Giovanni and Lorenzo. It is night in Florence; Giovanni tenderly kissed his wife Maria before leaving his home, under the peeping of their son Ezio. Ezio asks him what a "banker" was doing so late at night out of his home. Giovanni replies with it being a ''"business call."'' Ezio insists that he wants to go with him, but Giovanni refuses, saying that he is already helping him ''"more than he knows."'' Uberto pretends they weren't able to decode the letter, his tone blaming Maffei, and suggests to deliver an exact copy of the letter in order to find the leaders of the conspiracy. Giovanni accepts the mission, as he knows where it must be delivered. Having been told by Lorenzo to find the conspirators and to show no mercy, Giovanni then leaves Florence for Rome.
In Rome, Giovanni delivers 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 Giovanni'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, Giovanni prevailed, although a knife thrown by Rodrio Borgia did wound him, allow the Templar the oppertunity to escape<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Lineage" />.


Once he arrived in Rome, Giovanni gives the letter to a man. From there, it travels from hand to hand, until arriving at its final destination: in the hands of Rodrigo Borgia. Rodrigo brings the message to Pope Sixtus IV at the Vatican and tries to persuade Sixtus to give military support for a scheme to remove [http://assassinscreed.wikia.com/wiki/Lorenzo_Medici Lorenzo de' Medici]. While not agreeing at first, he eventually accepts. Satisfied, Rodrigo leaves him and walks in the streets of Rome, followed closely by Giovanni. He eventually notices his presence and manages to draw him into a church. Rodrigo proposes him to join his [[Knights Templar|side]], but Giovanni refuses. Rodrigo then leaves him to his men. Giovanni wins the intense combat despite his [[Hidden Blade]] becoming broken off the gauntlet, but he gets hit in the chest by a [[Throwing Knives|throwing knife]] from the escaping Rodrigo, which injures him badly. He is able to make his way back home to Florence, where his wife treats his wound. She notes that the blade almost reached his heart. Giovanni is worried; he fears that the murder of Sforza was just the beginning of a conspiracy that will strike Florence. Federico, the eldest son, suddenly warns his parents of the arrival of Father Maffei, with armed guards. Giovanni prefers to leave discreetly and tells his son to buy him some time. He lastly adds to Federico that, as the oldest, it is his responsibility to protect the family in his absence. Federico is clearly disconcerted that the lives of his mother and siblings are on his shoulders, but accepts. He goes down to answer the door and Giovanni manages to escape the house by the chamber's secret passage. While walking around the dark streets of Florence, he sees his son Ezio flirting with a girl. He smiles with fondness at the sight, and manages to disappear before his son can spot him.
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" />.


<blockquote>''{{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's monologue in the end of Lineage}}''</blockquote>
[[File:QuickTimePlayer 2009-09-25 20-14-39-52.png|thumb|right|200px|Giovanni and his son, 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 &ndash; [[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. Giovanni 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" />.


===''[[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 Giovanni 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" />.
{{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}}
Giovanni Auditore is first seen in ''Assassin's Creed II'' at Ezio's birth sequence in the [[Animus]] (1.0), in which he holds Ezio in his arms and remarks that he is a born fighter. After [[Desmond Miles|Desmond]] enters the [[Animus 2.0]], Giovanni is seen once again at the Auditore's house, in which he scolds Ezio for his behavior, but then says he is proud that Ezio reminds him of himself when he was younger. Giovanni then gives Ezio the quest "Paperboy." When Ezio completes the quest he returns to Giovanni, only to find him in a meeting with Uberto Alberti. Giovanni then tells Ezio that his mother and sister are looking for him. After that he gives Ezio the quest "Special Delivery." Soon after completing the quest, city guards take Giovanni and his sons, Federico and Petruccio, to prison, under the accusal of treason. Ezio, who fortunately wasn't captured, ventured to his father's cell window for answers of their imprisonment, but Giovanni instead tasks his son to find the hidden room inside his office (which hides his Assassin equipment) and take everything that he finds. Then he tells him that the chest also contains documents that need to be delivered to Uberto. The next morning, Ezio arrives at the [[Palazzo della Signoria]] where the execution takes place, with [[Uberto Alberti]] declares Giovanni, Federico and Petruccio guilty of treason. They are then executed, becoming victims of a conspiracy. Giovanni's execution drove Ezio into the life of a self-trained Assassin, and Maria into silence.


In ''[[Assassin's Creed: Renaissance]]'', Ezio eventually goes back for the bodies of his father and brothers. He gives them a proper funeral by cremating them, and setting them adrift in boats down the river.
==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 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 Giovanni 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==
==Gallery==
Line 48: Line 60:
File:Giovanni lineage 1.png|Giovanni in the Assassin robe.
File:Giovanni lineage 1.png|Giovanni in the Assassin robe.
File:Giovanniac2ingame.jpg|Giovanni behind his desk, talking to Ezio
File:Giovanniac2ingame.jpg|Giovanni behind his desk, talking to Ezio
File:QuickTimePlayer 2009-09-25 20-14-39-52.png|Giovanni (center) moments before being executed with his sons
</gallery></center>
</gallery></center>


==Trivia==
==Trivia==
*It should be noted that Giovanni was not actually born in Florence, but in Monteriggioni. And as such, his name would simply be Giovanni Auditore.
*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'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. It is believed however, that he began training his eldest son Federico in secret, but couldn't actually get far enough to teach him any intermediate Assassin skills.
*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.
*Before he was captured, he said to Ezio that "there [were] some things [they] need to discuss." It is possible that he saw his death coming and wished to tell Ezio about being an assassin.
*Giovanni knew about Ezio's Eagle vision, although it is unknown if he too possessed the skill
*Giovanni knew about Ezio's Eagle vision, and it is most likely that he too possessed the gift, like his brother [[Mario Auditore]].
*Giovanni uses a sword and a short blade as well as Ezio. He also has a small knife/dagger on his boot
*Giovanni is never seen wearing any actual Armor.
*Giovanni was carrying two throwing knives only in the first episode in Assassin's Creed Lineage. In the second episode he had four knives with him.
*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 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.
*If you go by the dates in the database Giovanni died when he was 40 years old, the same age Ezio turns into after he completes his revenge in 1499.
*Giovanni died at the age of forty, the same age Ezio turned when he confronted Rodrigo Borgia in Rome.
*Interestingly, in [[Uberto Alberti|Uberto Alberti's]] and [[Rodrigo Borgia|Rodrigo Borgia's]] database videos, you may see Giovanni, Federico and Petruccio hanging in the right side, all in different clothes.
 
 


==Notes and references==
{{reflist}}
{{ACII}}
{{ACII}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Auditore, Giovanni}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Auditore, Giovanni}}

Revision as of 05:17, 27 August 2010


"I am Giovanni Auditore, and like my ancestors before me, I am an Assassin."
―Giovanni Auditore[src]

Giovanni Auditore (1436 - 1476) was Florentine noble and head of the Auditore family in Florence. A nobleman a banker working for the Medici, Giovanni's true nature as an Assassin was known only to a few. Raised and trained along with his brother Mario from birth to be an Assassin, Giovanni had been aware of the Templar Order for almost all of his life.

The husband of Maria Auditore, and father to Federico, Ezio, Claudia and 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

"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[src]

The second son of Ilario Auditore, Giovanni was born in Monteriggioni, in 1436, two years after his elder brother Mario. From an early age, both Giovanni and his brother were taught to be Assassins, although Giovanni was also tutored in banking and other subjects[1].

With time, Giovanni left the family Villa and joined his father in Florence, where he was serving as Gonfaloniere to Cosimo de' Medici. As such, Giovanni joined the Medici banking family and adopted the title of da Firenze. Sometime later, Giovanni 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 de' Mozzi, whom he revealed himself to be an Assassin to. After four years, the first son – Federico – was born, followed by Ezio in 1459, Claudia in 1461, and Petruccio in 1463[1].

At some point during this time, Giovanni 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. Giovanni handed the third guard over to the Uberto Alberti, the Gonfaloniere, for questioning[2].

Giovanni Auditore, in his Assassin garb

In pursuit of Rodrigo Borgia

Through torture, the guard revealed that Galeazzo Maria Sforza, the Duke of Milan was to be assassinated by the Templars, and Giovanni was quickly sent to prevent this. Giovanni arrived to late to save the Duke however, but 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 the apparent leader, and found a collection of coins stamped with the seal of Venice [2].

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, Giovanni overpowered and pinned down the courier with his hidden blade to the man’s throat. Refusing to answer Giovanni’s 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[2].

That night, Giovanni was summoned to meet with Lorenzo and Alberti. Before leaving, Maria reminded Giovanni 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 at night so often; Giovanni promised that he would speak with him soon, and then left. Arriving at the meeting, Alberti falsely claims that Maffei was 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[2].

In Rome, Giovanni delivers 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 Giovanni'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, Giovanni prevailed, although a knife thrown by Rodrio Borgia did wound him, allow the Templar the oppertunity to escape[2].

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[2].

File:QuickTimePlayer 2009-09-25 20-14-39-52.png
Giovanni and his son, moments before their 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, 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. Giovanni 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[1].

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 Giovanni 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 sentenced to death. A horrified Ezio, watching from below cried out that Uberto was lying, but was unable to prevent his father's hanging[1].

Legacy

"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[src]

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 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 Giovanni 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[1].

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[3].

Gallery

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

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 Assassin's Creed II
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 Assassin's Creed: Lineage
  3. ↑ Assassin's Creed: Renaissance

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Claudia • Ezio • Federico • Giovanni • Maria • Mario • Petruccio | Domenico • Isabetta • Renato
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