William of Montferrat

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"We'll see how sweet they are... the fruits of your labors. You do not free the cities as you believe, but damn them. And in the end, you'll have only yourself to blame. You who speak of good intentions..."

―William of Montferrat

William of Montferrat was the fifth person Al Mualim ordered Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad to assassinate. He was located in the rich district of Acre, Ayyubid Dynasty.

Biography

Death

William of Montferrat was assassinated within his personal quarters, located in the King's Citadel, shortly after a visit from King Richard, which gave Altaïr the opportunity he needed to get close enough for a kill. With William enraged and distracted over Richard's less than pleasant visit, the Assassin managed to stealthily penetrate the lord's citadel fortress, and quickly put an end to his life.

After observing William's and Richard's heated discussion safely under the cloak of the noble crowd, Altaïr pierced the fortress in search of his target. He finally came to a corner keep, a small fortress within the fortress. From above, Altaïr listened as William belittled his men with razor barbed insults, intended on encouraging them towards better performance, and a stronger sense of duty.

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Altaïr assassinating William with his hidden blade.

Silently and skilfully eliminating archers, Altaïr finally moved into position. Remaining highly in tune with the surrounding environment, Altaïr patiently watched and waited for William to perfectly position himself for his own death. As William continued his speech, he slowly paced toward the scaffold, Altaïr quickly dropped onto it, focused on his target and, before anyone even began to notice the impending danger, leaped towards William, his Hidden Blade extended. Even as William realized the presence of the descending Assassin, it was too late, for he was already being forced onto his back, with his throat punctured severely by the Assassin's steel blade.

Characteristics and personality

Although not a giant of a man, William of Montferrat was nevertheless set in the belief that might makes right, and he spent countless hours training and berating his men, to prepare them for the "coming war." Oddly enough, few of his soldiers had actually joined King Richard's march to the Arsuf Plains, leading people to wonder what "war" he was talking about.

William constantly demanded the best from his men, and was both quick to point out flaws, and reluctant to give praise. He was often shouting, and rarely sounded happy. At the time before his assassination, he was expecting a visit from King Richard himself, and although the king had placed him in charge of Acre on his behalf, William was waiting for the meeting with a mixture of trepidation and annoyance.

Final words

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William's demise

Altaïr: Rest now. Your schemes are at an end.

William: What do you know of my work?

Altaïr: I know that you were going to murder Richard and claim Acre for your son, Conrad.

William (laughing): For Conrad?! My son is an arse, unfit to lead his host, let alone a kingdom! And Richard? He also knows no better... blinded as he is by faith in the insubstantial. Acre does not belong to either of them.

Altaïr: Then who?

William: The city belongs to its people!

Altaïr: How can you claim to speak for the citizens?! You stole their food, disciplined them without mercy, forced them into service under you!

William: Everything I did, I did to prepare them for the "New World." Stole their food? No, I took possession, so that when the lean times came, it might be rationed properly. (coughs, choking). Look around: my district is without crime- save those committed by you and your ilk!- and as for the conscription, they were not being trained to fight: they were being taught the merits of order and discipline. These things are hardly evil.

Altaïr: No matter how noble you believe your intentions, these actions are cruel and cannot continue!

William (laughing): We'll see how sweet they are, the fruits of your labors. You do not free the cities as you believe, but rather damn them! And in the end, you'll have only yourself to blame... you, who speak of good intentions.

"William of Montferrat sought to kill King Richard. I had assumed he meant to do this for his son, Conrad, but it seems I was in error. His wish was for the people to inherit the land, free from the whims of petty tyrants. A 'new world' he called it. What is the meaning of these cryptic words? I shall have to ask Al Mualim..."

―Altaïr (Memory Log)

Historical Materials

William was actually the fifth named of Montferrat, and he was additionally known as "William the Old," to differentiate him from his eldest son. Aside from his death in 1191, he differs in published reports from the man Altaïr met in Acre.

Described as "medium, compact, with a round ruddy face and hair so fair as to be almost white," he was, according to Italian chronicler Acerbo Morena, eloquent, intelligent, good-humored, generous, but not extravagant. He was captured during the Battle of Hattin in 1187, and used as a pawn during the siege of Tyre, where his second son Conrad refused to barter for him even as Saladin threatened William with death. He was late into his sixties, and possibly living in Tyre, when he died.

Behind the scenes

Jade Raymond, producer of the game, revealed that originally they planned to have Conrad of Montferrat in the game. Their research indicated that he wasn't killed in 1191, but William, Conrad's father, was located in Acre in the same period. In order to maintain the historical accuracy of the project, William was inserted into the game instead.

Trivia

• William's stronghold, and the area where his assassination in Assassin's Creed takes place is reused in Assassin's Creed II in Desmond's bleeding effect sequence. When Altaïr is chasing Maria, the tower in which the sequence ends is the very same one above William's quarters.
  • However, a couple of elements of the tower have changed between the events of the two games. The small circular balcony that surrounded the midpoint of the tower has disappeared. Also, the Leap of Faith post has changed position and shape; from pointing southeast and being a single wooden beam, to pointing directly toward the center of the fortress and being a triangle of three beams.
• The choice of William as a target for Altaïr was probably inspired by the fact that, historically, his son, Conrad, was murdered by the Assassins in Tyre. In reality, William would have been an old man during the events of the game.
• According to history, William of Montferrat was actually a very generous man, and often complimented his men, as well as held his soldiers in high regard.
• A glitch may occur in-game if you allow William to chase you to the upper walls of citadel. From there, it is possible to climb on top of the battlements and push him off into the sea below when he climbs after you. A message will then notify you that you have failed the mission, since your target has "escaped."
• William is Italian. He and his family come from the Piedmont region in northern Italy.

Gallery

• Altaïr observing William and Richard from the crowd.
  Altaïr observing William and Richard from the crowd.
• William of Montferrat talking to one of his guards.
  William of Montferrat talking to one of his guards.

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