Byzantine Rite of the Templar Order
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The Byzantine Rite of the Templar Order was the branch of the Templar Order operating in and around the territories of the former Byzantine and then the Ottoman Empires from at least the 15th century.
Though driven out of Constantinople following the Ottomans' conquest of the city, the Byzantine Templars returned in the early 16th century and quickly regained some of their former power as they entered a long-standing conflict with the local Ottoman Assassins. Under the leadership of Prince Ahmet, heir apparent to the Ottoman throne, they also attempted to find the keys to the legendary library of Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad, believing that the library contained information on the location of the Grand Temple, which would allow them to further the Templar cause.
From 1511 to 1512, the Byzantine Templars were gradually eliminated by Ezio Auditore da Firenze, Mentor of the Italian Assassins, who had also traveled to Constantinople in search of the Masyaf Keys. Following the deaths of most of its high-ranking members, the Byzantine Rite was seemingly wiped out and and the Templars lost all of their influence in Constantinople once again.
History
Early history
It is unknown at which precise moment the Byzantine Rite was formed, and its relation to the Byzantine Empire is unclear as well. The last Emperor, Constantine XI, ordered the capture and execution of Assassins throughout his domains, but it is unknown if he was affiliated with or influenced by the Templars.[1]
During the early 16th century, the Byzantine Rite became the foremost Templar Rite in Europe, since the Roman Rite had been defeated by the Italian Assassins. The Byzantine Templars set up their primary headquarters at the underground city of Derinkuyu in Cappadocia; their ultimate aim was to uproot the Ottoman Empire and retake control of their former capital, Constantinople, which the Ottomans had conquered in 1453. For a time, however, they remained relatively quiet.[1]
Search for the Masyaf Keys
Following the earthquake in Constantinople in 1509, Templars reappeared in the city under the Byzantine banner. Due to Sultan Bayezid II's disappearance from the city following the earthquake, the Byzantine Templars could easily integrate into the city and start their plans for taking over the Ottoman Empire, while operating from their headquarters in Derinkuyu.[1] Initially led by Manuel Palaiologos, Constantine XI's nephew and heir to the Byzantine throne, the Templars quickly caught the eye of Prince Ahmet, Bayezid's son and favored successor. Ahmet joined the Order, and his youth and charisma allowed him to slip into the position of leader while Manuel was forced to become a second-in-command.[2]
The Templars somehow recovered "The Secret Crusade", the journal of the Italian explorer and Assassin Niccolò Polo, from which they found out about the existence of the library of Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad in Masyaf and the keys needed to open it. Ahmet placed Manuel in charge of the Masyaf expedition to find the Masyaf Keys hidden across Constantinople, while Ahmet himself continued his plans to secure the Templars' power in the Empire.[1]
By 1511, the Templars had managed to obtain one of the Masyaf Keys from underneath Topkapı Palace, and had taken full occupation of Masyaf. Without the other Keys in their possession, the Templars had resorted to digging their way into the library, with no success.[1]
In early 1511, the Italian Assassin Ezio Auditore da Firenze arrived in Masyaf, also wanting to access Altaïr's library. He was ambushed by Byzantine Templars led by Leandros, and was overpowered and captured. The Templars subsequently led him to Masyaf's watchtower, where he was to be hanged. At the very last moment, he fought back against Leandros, who was tying the noose around Ezio's neck. The Assassin threw the noose around Leandros' neck instead, and jumped down to a scaffolding below. With no sign left of Ezio in the thick snowstorm that was brewing, Leandros instead decided to focus on other matters and was about to leave on a horse cart. Ezio gave chase, and jumped to a rope hanging on Leandros' cart, eventually procuring his own cart to keep up with his pursuit.[1]
Leandros crashed Ezio's cart near Atlas Village in the mountains, and made his way into the village while sending the other Templars to deal with Ezio. However, the wounded Assassin made his way past the guards and into the village's center with some difficulty, coming to the area where Leandros had taken refuge. Leandros, sending more of his men at Ezio, was ultimately confronted and killed by the Assassin on top of the village's watchtower, where Ezio took "The Secret Crusade" from him.[1]
Struggle in Constantinople
In Constantinople, the Templars were still ever present, engaging in heavy combat with the Ottoman Assassins, occupying numerous Assassin Dens throughout the city and searching for the secret locations in the city leading to the Masyaf Keys. The Templars discovered that two of the Masyaf Keys were located in the Yerebatan Cistern and the Forum of the Ox, but Ezio Auditore recovered the artifacts before the Templars could.[1]
Ahmet personally devised a plan to have his nephew Prince Suleiman kidnapped at a feast in the Topkapı Palace, allowing Ahmet to "rescue" him and gain the Ottoman citizens' favor over his brother Selim for the Ottoman throne. However, Yusuf Tazim and the Ottoman Assassins learned of the Templars' plan and plotted to stop their plan. With the help of Ezio, the Assassins—dressed as Italian minstrels—found and killed all of the Templars hidden amongst the party goers. Ahmet, whose Templar affiliation remained a secret, instead accused Tarik Barleti, the captain of the Janissaries, of being unable to stop the 'attack' of the Italian minstrels.[1]
Some time later, Manuel journeyed to Constantinople to purchase guns from the Tarik and the Janissaries for his forces in Cappadocia. Accompanied by the Turkmen renegade and Templar Shahkulu, Manuel inspected the weapons in the city's arsenal and successfully closed the deal before returning to Cappadocia. Tarik was assassinated by Ezio some time later on Suleiman's orders, after the two came to the wrong conclusion that he was in league with the Templars when in reality, he had been spying on the Templars in Cappadocia in order to thwart them. His death was quickly pinned by the Janissaries on Ahmet, damaging his public image.[1]
During his time in Constantinople, Ezio eventually helped the Ottoman Assassins retake control of their dens from the Templars, tipping the scale of power in the city in the Assassins' favor once again. He also recruited a number of Assassin apprentices, whom he subsequently assisted in eliminating some of the remaining Templars in Constantinople, including Vali cel Tradat, Cyril of Rhodes, Damat Ali Pasha, Georgios Kostas, Lysistrata, Mirela Djuric, and Odai Dunqas.[1]
Around this time, the Assassins and Templars started to battle for control of Bursa. The Byzantine Templars kidnapped Bayezid II's third son Korkuta, though he was saved by Assassins sent by Ezio from Constantinople. The Templars eventually started to lose control of Bursa, and the Assassins moved in to take control.[3]
Collapse of Cappadocia
In March 1512, Manuel and Shahkulu returned to Derinkuyu in Cappadocia, where they continued building up the Byzantine army's strength while capturing and executing numerous Ottoman spies secretly sent by Tarik before his death.[1]
Unbeknownst to the Templars, Ezio had trailed them there and subsequently teamed up with one the Ottoman spies, a woman named Dilara, to free her captured comrades. With the help of the spies, Ezio then located Shahkulu, who was in the process of carrying out several public executions. As the sadistic Shahkulu reveled in his murders, Ezio attempted to assassinate him from above, though much to his surprise, the Templar's armor procted him from the strike. Ultimately, Ezio killed Shahkulu after a duel, ending the torture and execution of Ottoman spies in the city.[1]
Shifting his focus to Manuel, Ezio decided to lure him out of hiding by detonating the Templars' ammunition nad armaments storage. As the city quickly descended into chaos, Manuel tried to calm the citizens, only to run away at the sight of Ezio. Chased to a dead end on a jetty, Manuel had no choice but to fight the Assassin, who quickly overpowered and mortally wounded him. Before dying, Manuel gave up his Masyaf Key to his killer, cynically stating that he doubted Ezio would survive long enough to enter Altaïr's library.[1]
At that very moment, Ahmet arrived on the scene by boat, revealing his Templar allegiance to Ezio and threatening to capture his love interest Sofia Sartor if the Assassin did not surrender the Masyaf Keys. Ahmet then left to deliver on his threat while Ezio was forced to find another way out of Derinkuyu, which was becoming filled with smoke from the explosion.[1]
Fall of the Byzantines
Upon returning to Constantinople, Ahmet sent a battalion of Templars to capture Sofia from her book shop. The shop was guarded by Yusuf Tazim and other Assassins, though the Templars emerged victorious, killing Yusuf in the process. Upon discovering Yusuf's lifeless body, Ezio rallied the Assassins against Ahmet and the Templars, who had fortified themselves at the Harbor of Theodosius.[1]
When Ezio reached Ahmet, he furiously demanded for the whereabouts of Sofia, to which the latter reminded him that harming him would cost him the chance to save her. As Ezio let him go, Ahmet lectured that since they both dreamed of world peace, with only their methods differing, it was unreasonable for them to ever have been enemies in the first place. He then asserted his belief that even when people acquire the truth, they are reluctant to acknowledge it. This failed to sway Ezio from his convictions in liberty and diversity, and so without further ado, Ahmet moved on to his real point: an ultimatum demanding that Ezio bring the Masyaf keys to the Galata Tower, lest he have Sofia executed.[1]
On the wall of the Galata Tower, Ahmet and a group of Templars waited for Ezio, who indeed arrived with the keys in exchange for Sofia. However, Ahmet instead had the Assassin Azize[4] dressed in Sofia's clothing with a bag hidden over her head held by the Byzantine soldier, while the real Sofia was being hanged on a nearby plaza. With this success, Ahmet made his leave out of the city with the Masyaf Keys, and started his journey to Masyaf to open the library.[1]
Before he had even left the outskirts of Constantinople, Ahmet and his Templar entourage were tailed by Ezio and Sofia, the latter having been rescued by the Assassin, and a chase on horse carts ensued. Ezio took out the other Templar horse carts, only to be knocked off his own carriage by Ahmet, but he managed to keep himself anchored to the cart with a rope. While Ahmet continued his way forward, with Sofia—now as the driver of Ezio's carriage—in rapid pursuit, Ezio deployed his parachute so as to safely tow behind his cart. After a long chase through the mountains, Ahmet obliterated Sofia's cart. Ezio landed on a nearby hill and from there jumped onto Ahmet's cart, causing the two to fall off a cliff side together.[1]
The two continued to fight one another during their free fall, until at last when they neared too close to the ground, Ezio deployed another parachute to effect a safe landing, with Ahmet managing to hold on to him. They both landed safely, but showed signs of heavy fatigue. At that moment, Selim arrived with his army from battle with his father, and strolled up to Ahmet. At his brother's approach, Ahmet fearfully demanded for the presence of the Sultan, insisting that the Janissaries were to obey only his command, not Selim's. It was then that Selim, revealing that he in fact was now the Sultan, started choking Ahmet before throwing him off a precipice to ensure that there would be no conflicts for succession. With Ahmet's death, the Byzantine Templars were ultimately dissolved.[1]
Members
- Komnenian era
- Byzantine–Ottoman wars
- Ahmet[1] (Grand Master; 1509 - 1512)
- Aleksei Zima[6] (betrayed)
- Anacletos[1]
- Andreas Palaiologos[1]
- Cem[7]
- Cyril of Rhodes[1]
- Damat Ali Pasha[1]
- Dulcamara[1]
- Eveline Guerra[1]
- Fabiola Cavazza[1]
- Georgios Kostas[1]
- Hasan Pasha[7]
Allies and puppets
- Byzantine–Ottoman wars
Appearances
- Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines (first mentioned) (indirect mention only)
- Assassin's Creed: Revelations (first appearance)
- Assassin's Creed: Revelations novel
- Assassin's Creed: Recollection
- Assassin's Creed: Rebellion
References
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.15 1.16 1.17 1.18 1.19 1.20 1.21 1.22 1.23 1.24 1.25 1.26 1.27 1.28 1.29 1.30 1.31 1.32 1.33 1.34 1.35 1.36 1.37 1.38 1.39 1.40 1.41 1.42 1.43 1.44 Assassin's Creed: Revelations
- ↑ Assassin's Creed Encyclopedia
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: Revelations - Mediterranean Defense
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: Revelations novel
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: Rebellion
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Assassin's Creed: Recollection
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