Siege of Viana

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Cesare: "How did you find me!?"

Ezio: "The Apple you stole from Mario Auditore led me here."

—Ezio and Cesare, 1507

In 1503 Rodrigo Borgia, Grand Master of the Knights Templar died of poison courtesy of his son Cesare Borgia, and with his death Rome was fully liberated from the Borgia rule. Soon after his fathers death Cesare Borgia, commander of the Papal Army, was arrested by the new Pope, Julius II. In 1504 Cesare was exiled to Spain and imprisoned at the Castle of La Mota, Medina del Campo, from which he escaped and joined his brother-in-law King John III of Navarre.

The Siege of Viana

After Cesare's arrest and exile to Spain, Ezio Auditore - who had remained in Rome - was discussing the possibility of Cesare still being a threat with his closest friend Leonardo da Vinci at the Assassin stronghold of Tiber Island. Ezio believed that Cesare remained a threat even after his arrest, and worried about Cesare's previous claims that chains would not hold him. Leonardo then encouraged Ezio to use the Apple to see into the future. Ezio did so despite his own initial protest and, upon gleaning information from the Piece of Eden, immediately left Rome for Viana, Spain.

By the time Ezio arrived at Viana, the siege had already begun. As the soldiers fought each other on the battlefield, and cannons destroyed the nearby castle, town and countryside, Ezio wasted no time in charging into the fray. Ezio soon found Cesare alongside his men on the battlefield, and without hesitation, he lunged towards Cesare with his Hidden Blade at the ready. Cesare attempted to hold off the Assassin's attack, but Ezio was able to overpower him, and struck him across the throat. However, Cesare's armor protected him, and he fled, calling for his soldiers to kill Ezio. As he fended off the attack and tried to follow Cesare, Ezio was stunned by a wave of cannon balls that impacted the battlefield all around him.

After regaining consciousness amidst several corpses of enemy soldiers, Ezio began to pursue Cesare by riding through the Viana warzone on horseback, trying to reach what was once an olive field. Eventually, however, cannonballs killed his horse, forcing him to travel on foot. As Ezio drew closer to the besieged town, he finally spotted Cesare, who was accompanied by some guards. A woman approached Cesare, seeking help in looking for her injured son, however she was promptly killed and discarded, with Cesare continuing on towards the city fortress.

Following some distance behind, Ezio made his way through the city and reached a seige tower, which he attempted to climb in order to reach the top of the city walls. However, as he neared the top, the tower sustained heavy damage from cannon fire, and collapsed, forcing him to make a Leap of Faith and search for an alternative route.

Finding another siege tower, he successfully climbed it and made his way across the battlements, where he finally confronted Cesare. Cesare faced him head on, taunting him into battle.

Confronting Cesare

As the siege raged all around them, the two men battled for the first and last time. Cesare attacked Ezio with his sword and pistol, while also periodically calling in groups of soldiers to aid him. Despite this, Ezio was able to defeat all of the soldiers and overpower Cesare by breaking off pieces of his armor with the Hidden Blade. He eventually pinned Cesare down and told him that a true leader empowers the people he leads. Cesare, enraged and fearing for his life, repeatedly shouted that no mortal man could kill him, thus Ezio then decided to leave Cesare in the "hands of fate" and threw him off the castle wall.

thumb|350px|right|Siege of Viana and Cesare's death.

Aftermath

After Cesare's death, Ezio returned to Rome and reunited with the other Assassins. Ultimately deciding that the Apple was too dangerous for the hands of man, Ezio would later seal the Apple away in a Vault beneath the Santa Maria Aracoeli.

Gallery

• 
  Cesare Borgia in Viana, Spain.
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  Ezio Auditore in Viana, Spain.
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  Cesare Borgia grabbing Ezio Auditore's arm as he tries to assassinate him.
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  Ezio charging towards Cesare, through the Viana warzone.
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  An unconscious Ezio amoung the dead bodies of the Viana battlefield.
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  Ezio standing alone in Viana.

Trivia

• In the story trailer for Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood, Ezio and Cesare are seen confronting each other alone on the castle wall. However, this scene never happened in the actual game, and was most likely deleted from the finished version of the game.
• Although the Siege of Viana is where Cesare Borgia died in actual history, there is very little recorded information on the event. It is something a historical mystery in terms of the outcome and important specific details, such as the amount of troops involved.