Created page with "{{JD test |name = Templars |image = Knights.png |imgdesc = Emblem of the Knights Templar |hideo = |founder = Cain |leader = Grand Master…"
| studio = [[Ubisoft]] (Digital Arts and [[wikipedia:Ubisoft Montreal|Montreal]])<br/>Sony Pictures
|reorganised = 1191
| distributor =
|collapsed =
| released = 2014
|hidea =
| runtime =
|notable = *[[Cesare Borgia]]
| country = [[wikipedia:France|France]]<br>[[wikipedia:Canada|Canada]]
*[[Rodrigo Borgia]]
| language = [[wikipedia:English language|English]]
*[[Armand Bouchart]]
| budget =
*[[Al Mualim]]
| gross =
*[[Robert de Sable]]
| preceded_by =
*[[Warren Vidic]]
| followed_by = [[Assassin's Creed II (film)]]
|}}
{{quote|May the [[Father of Understanding]] guide us.|Templar motto}}
The '''Templars''', also known as the '''Knights Templar''' during the Middle Ages, are a corporate giant formed during the pre-history. The Templars sought to create a perfect world, although the means by which they sought to do so were questionable. Because of this, they were the sworn enemies of the [[Assassins|Assassin Order]], who believe that Man should not be controlled by a higher power and are subject to free will, even if it means a flawed humanity. With these contrasting ideologies, the two groups have fought over the course of thousands of years for the control and fate of humanity.
==Ideals and goals==
The military order of the Templars was founded publicly in 1129 to counter the greatly increasing threat against the Holy Land by the [[Saracens]], and to protect the city of [[File:Ac-templar-knight.jpg|thumb|A Templar during the Third Crusade.]][[Jerusalem]].<ref name=HC>The History Channel, ''Decoding the Past: The Templar Code'', 7 November 2005, video documentary written by Marcy Marzuni</ref> Over time, the Templars began to believe it within their power to unite the world in peace.<ref name="Assassin's Creed">''[[Assassin's Creed]]''</ref>
Their system of belief changed greatly upon the discovery of the [[Pieces of Eden]]; the realization of the non-existence of God led the Order to become atheistic, although they publicly maintained the pretense of following the Christian ways so as to not lose the support of the Church.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II">''[[Assassin's Creed II]]''</ref>
Realizing the power that the Pieces of Eden held over man, the Templars began to seek out the artifacts. In 1191, [[Robert de Sable]], then the Grand Master of the Order, personally sought the fabled ''Apple of Eden'', buried in the catacombs beneath [[Solomon's Temple|Solomon's Temple]].<ref name="Assassin's Creed" /> The theft of the piece of Eden by the Order of Assassins brought the two great powers into a sustained conflict with one another, ending with the death of [[Armand Bouchart]] in [[Limassol]].<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines">''[[Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines]]''</ref> Despite this setback, the Order maintained its belief in creating a world of peace through manipulation of the Pieces of Eden.
By their reasoning, with no afterlife or ultimate punishment or reward after death, there was no reason to oblige notions of morality or ethics: the end always justified the means, no matter how heinous those means were. They thought that only this life was important, rather than preparing for a non-existent next life. With so many lower class people kept in line by the promise of an afterlife, and so many upper class men blissfully ignoring such ideals, the Templars vowed to make a better world; one of lasting peace, no matter what the cost.<ref name="Assassin's Creed" />
As time progressed, the Templars' interest in the Pieces of Eden became more about seeking the power and domination that the artifacts offered. Their goals changed as they sought to control and unify the entire world using the Pieces of Eden to create a "New World Order".<ref name="Assassin's Creed" /><ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />
==History==
====Third Crusade====
''This section of the article deals specifically with the Knights Templar faction's activities during the Third Crusade. If you were looking for information on the specific enemy type in Assassin's Creed, see their article under [[Crusaders#Templar_Knight|Crusaders]].''
[[File:Assassins-creed-altair-1.jpg|thumb|A Knight Templar battles with Altaïr.]]
Founded in Jerusalem in 1129, the Knights Templar sought a world at peace with itself. By 1191, they had come to the realization that such peace could only be maintained through use of the [[Pieces of Eden]], and made it their quest to gather as many as they could.<ref name="Assassin's Creed" /> That same year, after the theft of the ''Apple of Eden'' by the assassins [[Malik A-Sayf]] and [[Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad]] from the Templars, the Brotherhood entered into a brief period of sustained conflict with their Assassin enemies. Over the course of the year, ten Templar leaders from both [[Crusader]] and [[Saracen]] backgrounds fell to the blades of the assassin Altaïr, who was serving penance for breaking the three tenets during the theft. The deaths included not only the Grand Master of the Order, but also [[Al Mualim]], leader of the Order of Assassins in Syria and the only Templar not willing to share the power of the Apple with his nine brothers.<ref name="Assassin's Creed" />
With their leadership effectively wiped out by a single assassin, the Brotherhood retreated to the island of [[Cyprus]] under the command of a new Grand Master, [[Armand Bouchart]]. Pursued by Altaïr, the Templars were wiped out once again, although the treasures of the [[Templar Archive]] in Limassol were spirited away before they could be found.<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines" /> The death of Armand forced the Order to consider its position carefully, and by 1312 the Order had officially disbanded. In reality, the Order continued to thrive, adopting a much more secretive position in world affairs. That meant retreating into the shadows, as said in Altaïr's fabled [[Codex]].
====Renaissance====
By the late 15<sup>th</sup> Century, the Brotherhood had regained a position of strength on the world stage, spreading deep into the Church and nobility of [[Italy]]. Under the command of [[Rodrigo Borgia]], the Templars sought to unify northern Italy under their command, and regain the Apple of Eden which they knew to be buried in Cyprus.<ref name="Assassin's Creed" /> Targeting [[Lorenzo de' Medici]], the de facto ruler of [[Florence]], the Templars found themselves confronted by the Assassin [[Giovanni Auditore da Firenze]], who whilst not knowing of their Templar allegiances, was rapidly piecing together the clues. Following two near fatal encounters with Giovanni himself, Borgia arranged for the trial and execution of Giovanni and his three sons – [[Federico Auditore da Firenze|Federico]], [[Petruccio Auditore|Petruccio]] and [[Ezio Auditore da Firenze|Ezio]] – for the crimes of High Treason against the city of Florence. Corrupting the city official [[Uberto Alberti]], the city guards arrested Giovanni and two of his sons, narrowly missing their chance to capture the third, Ezio, who had been delivering and collecting letters for his father.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />
Realizing too late the treachery of Uberto Alberti, whom his father had considered a friend,<ref name="Assassin's Creed:Lineage">''[[Assassin's Creed: Lineage]]''</ref> Ezio appeared at the execution of his family, watching in horror as his father and brothers were hanged; he narrowly escaped the same fate himself. Unconcerned with the remaining Auditore, the Templars continued in their mission to assume control of the cities of northern Italy. In 1478, the Templar affiliated [[House of Pazzi]] made their push for control. In what would become known as the [[Pazzi conspiracy]], the family struck against the Medici during Mass, killing [[Giuliano de' Medici]] and critically wounding Lorenzo, who was saved only by the timely intervention of Ezio Auditore, the son who had been allowed to escape. Lorenzo's survival and the arrival of Ezio spelt doom for the Pazzi family, who were left to their fate by Rodrigo Borgia. [[Vieri de' Pazzi|Vieri]], [[Francesco de' Pazzi|Francesco]] and [[Jacopo de' Pazzi]] were all slain by the lone assassin whilst[[File:Renaissance_Templar_Carlo_Grimaldi.jpg|thumb|right|240px|Ezio strikes at Carlo Grimaldi, a Renaissance Templar Leader.]] the Templars acknowledged their defeat in Florence, instead turning their attention to the city of [[Venice]].<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />
Utilizing the [[House of Barbarigo]], the Templars assumed control of Venice briefly in 1486, before they were once again overthrown by the lone Assassin. The distraction of controlling the city had been beneficial to the Templars however, as it had distracted the Assassins from noticing the preparations being made for the retrieval of the Piece of Eden from Cyprus. Two years later, in 1488, the Templar expedition returned to Venice with ''the Apple'' in hand. Bringing it to Borgia, an undercover Ezio engaged the Templar Grand Master and, with the assistance of his fellow Assassins, forced the Templars out of the city once more.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" /> With the Apple in the hands of the Assassins, the Brotherhood approached the [[House of Orsi|Orsi]] [[House of Orsi|brothers]] – [[Ludovico Orsi|Ludovico]] and [[Checco Orsi|Checco]] – to obtain a map detailing the location of the Codex pages from the wife of the Templar [[Girolamo Riario]] – [[Caterina Sforza]]. Invading [[Forlì]], the Orsi brothers demanded the map, and ''the Apple'' in exchange for the lives of Sforza's children. The brothers were rebuked, and assaulted the [[Rocca di Ravaldino]]. Together with the city guards, the Assassins Ezio Auditore and [[Niccolò Machiavelli]] held off the assault, although a second succeeded in claiming ''the Apple'' briefly.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II: Battle of Forlì">''[[Battle of Forlì (DLC)|Assassin's Creed II: Battle of Forlì]]''</ref>
Despite the loss of ''the Apple'', [[Rodrigo Borgia]] was ultimately unfazed, and in 1492 became Pope [[w:Alexander VI|Alexander VI]] in order to gain access to the Papal staff, another of the Pieces of Eden. In 1499 Borgia was once again confronted by the assassin Ezio, this time within the [[Sistine Chapel]] itself.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" /> The Templar's defeat, however, was not permanent, as Rodrigo's son, [[Cesare Borgia]], besieged Monteriggioni to regain the Apple of Eden and attempted to kill Ezio. Four years later Ezio went to the heart of the Templars itself, namely Rome, to strike back at the Templars and retrieve the Apple.
===Modern Times===
By the 19<sup>th</sup> century, the Templars gained a significant amount of power and influence within the [[Russia]]n Empire; with a number of the Tsar, including [[Alexander II of Russia|Alexander II]] and his son [[Alexander III of Russia|Alexander III]], being Templars themselves<ref name="Assassin's Creed: The Fall">''[[Assassin's Creed: The Fall]]''</ref>. In the Tsars' possession; [[the Staff|the Staff of Eden]], granting the autocratic rulers great power over their citizens. In 1908 however, their control over the Russian Empire was greatly diminished with the destruction of the Staff in [[Tunguska explosion|Tunguska]], thanks in part to the combined efforts of [[Nikola Tesla]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" /> and the Assassins [[Nikolai Orelov]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed: The Fall" />.
Infiltrating and establishing countless corporate entities, by the 20<sup>th</sup> Century the Templars had positioned themselves within several world-defining positions, controlling whole nations and improving the planet's technological level significantly. The Templars also worked to stifle world progress however; [[Adolf Hitler]] used a Piece of Eden to rise to power in Germany, and subsequently started a [[wikipedia:World War II|world-wide conflict]]. He was "fought" by his Templar contemporaries [[Winston Churchill]], [[Joseph Stalin]], and [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]], who under the guise of the Allied nations ultimately won the conflict, despite itshaving been planned all along, and orchestrated the peace that would follow.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />
[[File:Abstergo_Desmond_Captivity.png|thumb|right|220px|Desmond held captive by Abstergo Industries.]]
By the early [[Timeline|21<sup>st</sup> Century]], the Templar fronted [[Abstergo Industries]] had expanded into a global entity, far larger and more powerful than most companies that had come before it.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" /> For the most part this was not treated as suspicious, although there were those within the general population who viewed the company with suspicion<ref name="Assassin's Creed" />, believing it to be "too large" a company.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />
During this time, the Templars had access to a number of Pieces of Eden, however, the actions of the assassins, coupled with the [[DIA Satellite Accident]] forced the Templars into stepping up the [[Animus]]-project, in the hope of finding another Piece capable of controlling the minds of humanity. By the September of 2012, sixteen test subjects had been "retired" before the company succeeded with the seventeenth – [[Desmond Miles]], the descendant of both [[Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad]], and [[Ezio Auditore da Firenze]].<ref name="Assassin's Creed" /><ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />
Captured, for seven days Miles was forced to relieve the memories of his ancestor Altaïr in order to reach one specific memory the Templars were seeking. The memory registered the moment his ancestor found a holographic map containing the locations of all Pieces of Eden scattered across the world. With the information they had long sought in hand, the Templars set about gathering the remaining Pieces to ensure "absolute peace", although they soon found themselves in a race against the Assassin Order to obtain the Pieces first<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />. They planned to send a satellite with a Piece mounted on it into orbit, with the launch scheduled on [[Cryptic Messages|December 21, 2012]].<ref name="Assassin's Creed" />
== The Historical Templars ==
[[File:Templar4.jpg|thumb|Depiction of Templars]]
{{quote|Non nobis Domine, non nobis, sed Nomini Tuo da Gloriam<br>(''Latin for "Not to us God, not to us, but to Your Name Give Glory"'')|Historical motto of the Templars
}}
}}
''Ordre du Temple'' in French, the Knights Templar are amongst the most famous of the Western Christian military orders involved in the war. They are well known by the distinctive white mantles with a red cross. Officially endorsed by the Roman Catholic Church around 1129, the Order became a favored charity throughout Christianity, and grew rapidly in membership. Despite losing their interests in Outremer, they still had financial holdings in Europe, but King Philip IV of France deceived Pope Clement V into disbanding the Knights Templar, to serve his own agenda. The Order`s Knights either fled, were executed, or absorbed into other orders like the Knights Hospitalier. The Portuguese branch changed their names to Knights of Christ.
'''''Assassin's Creed''''' is a proposed, feature-length film being developed by [[Ubisoft]] and [[Wikipedia:Sony Pictures Entertainment|Sony Pictures Entertainment]] and is based on the award-winning games of the [[Assassin's Creed Series]].<ref name="Controversy">''[http://www.gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2011/11/06/assassin-s-creed-film-sparks-hollywood-controversy.aspx Assassin’s Creed Film Sparks Hollywood Controversy]''</ref>
They were among the most skilled fighters at the time, which is reflected in the game. Their ruthlessness against non-Catholics was also infamous; this also is reflected in the game.
The real, full name of the Knights Templars: "Poor Knights of Christ and the Temple of Solomon in Jerusalem" or ''"Pauperes commilitones Christi templique Salomonici Hierosalemitanis" ''in Latin.
== See Also ==
Thd terms and conditions surrounding the agreement between Ubisoft and Sony have been seen by Hollywood insiders as "incredulous", with Ubisoft getting the final say on budget, principal cast, script, release date and more.<ref name="Controversy" /> One even went so far as to say that "The whole Ubisoft/Sony deal is a waste of ink, paper and time. The level of control Sony gave up means, effectively, that Assassin’s Creed will never – and I mean never – get made."<ref name="NYMag">''[[[http://nymag.com/daily/entertainment/2011/11/assassins_creed_movie_sony_ubi.html NYMag - Assassin's Creed movie]''</ref>
*[[List of Templar Locations|List of Templar Locations in ''Assassin's Creed'']]
==Appearances==
The level of control being afforded to Ubisoft has divided critics of both games and films, with many noting that whilst Hollywood insiders consider Sony's move to have killed the film before it's even begun, gamers consider the move to be beneficial to the franchise's future, as in recent years game-adaptations have tended to be of poor quality.
*''[[Assassin's Creed: Altaïr's Chronicles]]''
*''[[Assassin's Creed]]''
*''[[Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines]]''
*''[[Assassin's Creed II]]''
*''[[Assassin's Creed: Renaissance]]''
*''[[Assassin's Creed II: Discovery]]''
*''[[Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood]]''
*''[[Assassin's Creed: The Fall]]''
==Notes and references==
==Notes and references==
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Revision as of 17:34, 7 November 2011
I wanted to ask you something. Which is... what's your name? This article title is conjecture. Although the article subject is canon, no official name for it has been given.
Thd terms and conditions surrounding the agreement between Ubisoft and Sony have been seen by Hollywood insiders as "incredulous", with Ubisoft getting the final say on budget, principal cast, script, release date and more.[1] One even went so far as to say that "The whole Ubisoft/Sony deal is a waste of ink, paper and time. The level of control Sony gave up means, effectively, that Assassin’s Creed will never – and I mean never – get made."[2]
The level of control being afforded to Ubisoft has divided critics of both games and films, with many noting that whilst Hollywood insiders consider Sony's move to have killed the film before it's even begun, gamers consider the move to be beneficial to the franchise's future, as in recent years game-adaptations have tended to be of poor quality.
