Siege of Viana

"Roma, Italia, España, they will all be mine!"

―Cesare's claim as he fights Ezio, a claim falsified by Ezio's later actions.

The Siege of Viana was a military conflict between the Kingdom of Navarre, whose forces were led by King John III of Navarre and Cesare Borgia commanding the Navarre army, and the Earldom of Lerin, under the command of Luis de Beaumont.

Inevitable matters

"It was the manner in which he said it. "Chains will not hold me.""

―Ezio to Leonardo about Cesare's arrest.

In 1503, Pope Alexander VI, Grand Master of the Templar Order, died of poison courtesy of his son Cesare Borgia. With his death, Rome was fully liberated from the Borgia's influential control. Subsequently following the murder of his father, Cesare was arrested by the newly appointed Pope, Julius II. In 1504, Cesare was exiled to Spain and imprisoned at the Castle of La Mota, Medina del Campo, for several years.

However, in 1506, Cesare escaped with the help of the Count of the city, who provided him with a rope. He dropped 70 meters to the ground, landing on top of a servant who had accompanied him, breaking his fall. Despite several fractured bones, Cesare was able to escape dressed in merchant clothes, and later joined his brother-in-law, King John III of Navarre, and to his luck, was granted command of the Navarrese army.

Following Cesare's arrest and exile to Spain, Ezio Auditore - now Il Mentore of the Assassin Order - was considering the possibility of Cesare's future threat. This he discussed at length with his closest friend, Leonardo da Vinci, at the Assassin stronghold of Tiber Island. Ezio worried about the manner in which Cesare had claimed that chains would not imprison him for long, as well as his vow not to die by the hands of man. Leonardo then encouraged Ezio to use the Apple, in order to see what would eventually become of Cesare.

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Ezio and Leonardo, discussing whether or not to use the Apple.

Ezio proceeded to do so despite his initial protest and, upon gleaning information from the Piece of Eden, immediately left Rome. As Ezio made his decision to leave, Leonardo questioned Ezio about the newly restored Order, to which Ezio replied by saying "I built this Brotherhood to last, with or without me." As he departed, Ezio encouraged Leonardo to accept his gift of a large amount of money, to supplement the artist's miniscule salary, and guaranteed that the two would see each other again.

Viana under siege

Reunion

Ezio's first assassination attempt on Cesare.

"Kill him! Kill the Assassin! Tear the maldito bastardo (damned bastard) to pieces!"

―Cesare commanding his guards to kill Ezio before fleeing.

By March of 1507, Ezio finally tracked Cesare down to Viana. However, by the time of his arrival, the siege on the town and castle was already well underway. As the Navarre and Viana infantry clashed on the battlefield, and the cannons destroyed the town and surrounding countryside, Ezio wasted no time and immediately charged into the fray.

Soon, he located Cesare alongside his men in the midst of the battle, fighting the Viana infantry. Without hesitation, Ezio lunged towards Cesare with his blade at the ready. However, Cesare was able to hold off the Assassin's attack, demanding to know how Ezio had discovered him. Ezio quickly claimed that the Apple Cesare had stolen from Mario Auditore had led him there.

Despite Cesare holding off Ezio's killing blow, Ezio eventually gained the upperhand and overpowered Cesare, striking him across the throat. However, Cesare's armor protected him, and he managed to push Ezio aside. As he fled, he commanded his soldiers to attack, though Ezio fended them off with little effort. As he attempted to pursue Cesare, however, 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 mounted a nearby horse and pursued his nemesis.

Countryside chaos

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Ezio on the Viana battlefront.

"He once ruled all of Roma. I heard an Assassin killed his supporters. Great rulers rise and fall like leaves in the wind."

―A Viana guard talking about Cesare's downfall.

Riding through the Viana warzone on horseback, Ezio charged through the battlefield in an attempt to reach the ruins of what was once an olive field, however, cannon balls eventually killed his horse, forcing him to travel by foot. As Ezio made his way through the outskirts of the city, the chaos only grew worse, with the Navarre siege towers evidently closing in on the town. As Ezio drew closer to the crumbling town, making his way past the bodies of slaughtered soldiers, he eventually arrived at the olive field ruins, where an infantry of Viana soldiers had set up camp.

Ezio fighting off the Viana infantry.

Stealthily killing any patrolling soldiers and dispatching any who challenged him, Ezio also overheard the soldiers speaking of Cesare's downfall, and the Assassin responsible. Upon reaching the peak of the hill, Ezio caught sight of Cesare, accompanied by several guards, entering the besieged town. As he did so, a woman rushed to Cesare's side, seeking assistance in looking for her injured son, but she was promptly killed and discarded by the Spanish General's men, with Cesare continuing to the city fortress.

Onward assault

Cesare preparing for his final battle with Ezio.

Ezio: "Cesare! The walls surround you. There is nowhere to run."

Cesare: "Come then, Ezio!"

—Ezio and Cesare, before their final battle.

Following some distance behind, Ezio continued onwards to the town, while the Navarre infantry reinforced their assault, attacking the city guards and torturing the civilians. Ezio made his way up a small slope and along the rooftops, avoiding the chaos below and dealing only with those that got in his way. Upon reaching the town square, he intervened in the battle, and fought off both the Navarre and Viana infantry before proceeding to climb a burning siege tower, in hope of proceeding onto the castle battlements.

As he climbed the interior of the burning siege machine - which had sustained heavy damage from cannon fire - Ezio was forced to perform a Leap of Faith off the top once he had reached it, due to the tower crumbling under its own weight. Landing safely, he began to search for an alternative route onto the walls. He arrived at the foot of the castle, and was immediately attacked by several waves of soldiers from both sides of the conflict. Despite being outnumbered, Ezio managed to successfully fend them off, and then discovered another siege tower that had managed to breach the castle walls.

Ezio performing a leap of faith from the burning siege tower.

Before proceeding, Ezio noticed Cesare and his men battling across the ramparts, indicating that it would only be a matter of time before the Navarre forces could secure victory, and secure a major hand in Cesare's re-taking of Rome. Successfully climbing the tower and defending himself from the attacking soldiers, Ezio ran across the battlements to face Cesare directly.

Final confrontation

Ezio battling Cesare with the hidden blade.

Cesare: "You cannot kill me. No man can murder me!"

Ezio: "Then I leave you in the hands of Fate!"

—Cesare's final words to Ezio before his death

Ezio finally reached Cesare, calling out for his attention and warning him that there was nowhere to run. After killing his attackers, Cesare immediatey challenged the Assassin to a final duel.

As the siege raged all around them, the two men battled face-to-face for the first and last time. Cesare skillfully attacked Ezio with his sword and pistol, dodging his incoming blows and countering his attacks, while also periodically calling in waves of Navarre soldiers to reinforce him. Despite this, Ezio's own speed and skill were enough to defeat the soldiers and overpower Cesare by breaking off the pieces of his armor that protected him from a direct stab from the hidden blade.

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Cesare seconds before being thrown from the Castel walls.

After a lengthy battle, Ezio eventually managed to pin Cesare down beneath him with his hidden blade at the Templar's throat. Cesare then claimed that the throne was his right, to which Ezio responded that a leader could not merely take what he wished, and that a true one "empowers the people he leads." Cesare then declared that he would lead mankind into a new world, but Ezio rebuked him, wishing that no one would ever remember the name of Cesare Borgia.

Enraged and knowing his death was inevitable, Cesare repeatedly shouted that no mortal man could kill him, thus Ezio then declared he would leave Cesare in the "hands of fate" and threw him off the castle wall to his death. Subsequently, the siege concluded, and Cesare's body was buried in a marble tomb beneath the altar of the Church of Santa Maria with the inscription: "Here lies in little earth one who was feared by all, who held peace and war in his hand."

Aftermath

After the death of Cesare, Ezio then returned to Rome and was reunited with the other Assassins. Ultimately deciding that the Apple was too dangerous for the hands of man, Ezio sealed the Apple away in a Vault beneath the Santa Maria Aracoeli, near the Colosseum.

Source

• Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood