Isaac Comnenus

Isaac Comnenus (c. 1155 – c. 1191) was the self-proclaimed Emperor of Cyprus from 1185 to 1191 and a minor member of the contemporary Byzantine imperial family. Comnenus was also secretly a member of the Templar Order, and was tasked with safeguarding the hidden Templar Archive in Limassol from discovery.

During the Third Crusade, Comnenus began a war with King Richard I, leader of the Crusader army, though Cyprus was swiftly conquered.

With Cyprus in his claim, King Richard sold it to the Templars under the rule of Grand Master Armand Bouchart. Bouchart, angered by Comnenus' actions which had nearly exposed the Archive, forced the Templars to prevent this by purchasing the land already under their control, ultimately imprisoning and executing Comenus for his failures.

Personality and traits

Isaac was bemoaned both by Bouchart and his former subjects for his perceived lack of foresight, incompetence, weakness of character and corruption. The Assassin Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad remarked that Isaac was susceptible to bribery, and Bouchart referred to him as "witless Emperor Comnenus", and also mentioned how Isaac's idiocy had almost compromised the secrecy of the Archive.

Trivia

• Historically, whilst imprisoned by the Armenian King in the 1180s, the Templars inexplicably contributed to his ransom.
• Historically, he died after being poisoned in 1196.

Reference

• Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines