Giovanni Auditore da Firenze
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- "I am Giovanni Auditore, and like my ancestors before me, I am an Assassin."
- ―Assassin's Creed: Lineage's headline
Giovanni Auditore (1436 - 1476) was the husband of Maria Auditore, father of Ezio Auditore, Federico Auditore, Petruccio Auditore and Claudia Auditore. He was a nobleman, working as a banker for the Medici, but was truly an Assassin. He was raised and trained along with his brother Mario as an Assassin, and has been aware of the Templar Order for almost all of his life. He also knew of Ezio's ability: Eagle Vision. He was a descendant of Altair and an ancestor of Desmond Miles. He secretly trained his son, Federico, of the ways of an Assassin, even before the beginning of Lineage, though Federico was unaware of it.
Giovanni is the main character of the Assassin's Creed world-based short film: Assassin's Creed: Lineage, where he is portrayed by Romano Orzari.
Biography
Assassin's Creed: Lineage
Giovanni Auditore was a 15th-century Florentine nobleman, son of Ilario Auditore and descended from Altair. He served the powerful Lorenzo de' Medici and justice, however in 1476, a conspiracy plot to overthrow Lorenzo and the Medici family from their position. One night, hiding from his children, Giovanni was about to execute a mission for Lorenzo. In his secret chamber, hidden behind the hearth of the fireplace, Giovanni donned his Assassin's outfit and weapons, including an updated Hidden Blade. Before he leaves, he peeked in on his family having dinner, smiling as he makes eye contact with his wife, Maria. His teenage son, Ezio, spots the exchange, but says nothing. Giovanni pressed a pressure panel on the fireplace mantel, which lowers the active hearth, revealing the chamber's entrance. From the chamber he exited through a long, dark passage way, emerging onto the rooftops.
He intercepted Rodrigo Borgia and three of his men. Rodrigo fleed but Giovanni managed to capture one of his men. He brought him to Lorenzo, and the prisoner reveald through torture that the Duke of Milan, Galeazzo Maria Sforza, was to be assassinated in the church during the feast of Santo Stefano. Giovanni headed to Milan, but arrives too late as he saw through the crowds the assassination of Sforza. Despite his efforts to capture at least one of the murderers for interrogation, the killers were all dispatched by Giovanni and Sforza's vengeful guards. After his mission, Giovanni went back home to see his family, and then meditated on the death of Sforza and its consequences.
Observing the Ducat he looted from one of Sforza's murderers, he understood that his next quest will lead him to Venice. He immediately goes to the floating city, and infiltrates the Palazzo Ducale. There, he spies the conversation between the Barbarigo cousins. A messenger left the room he was watching, and was charged by Marco to deliver the message to Rome. Giovanni tails him by the rooftops and once he arrived in a quiet place, he attempted to preform an air assassination,which failed, leading him to enter in combat against him. After a brutal fight, Giovanni managed to take the advantage. On top, and holding his Hidden Blade under the man's chin, he threatened to kill the messenger if he does not reveal his masters' plot. The man refused, preferring to keep his secrets until death. He unexpectedly grabed onto Giovanni's wrist with both hands and drove the weapon into his own throat. Giovanni curses the messenger as a fool and takes the letter he was carrying. He then brought it to Lorenzo, but the letter was encrypted, and Uberto Alberti suggests Giovanni to take some rest while he gives it to Father Maffei to be decoded .
Once the letter was decoded, Uberto told Maffei to keep quiet about the success of the letter's decoding, and sent him to bring Giovanni and Lorenzo. It is night in Florence; Giovanni tenderly kissed his wife Maria before leaving his home, under the peeping of their son Ezio. Ezio asks him what a "banker" was) doing so late at night out of his home. Giovanni replies with it being a "business call". Ezio insists that he wants to go with him, but Giovanni refuses as he affirms he is already helping him "more than he knows". Uberto pretends they weren't able to decode the letter, his tone blaming Maffei, and suggests to deliver an exact copy of the letter in order to find the leaders of the conspiracy. Giovanni accepts the mission as he knows where it must be delivered. Having been told by Lorenzo to find the conspirators and to show no mercy, Giovanni then leaves Florence for Rome.
Once he arrived in Rome, Giovanni gives the letter to a man. Then, it travels from hand to hand until arriving into its final destination: in the hands of Rodrigo Borgia. Rodrigo brings the message to Pope Sixtus IV at the Vatican and tries to persuade Sixtus to give military support for a scheme to remove Lorenzo de' Medici, while not agreeing at first, he eventually accepts. Satisfied, Rodrigo leaves him and walks in the streets of Rome while being followed by Giovanni. He eventually notices his presence and manages to draw him into a church. Rodrigo proposes him to join his side, but Giovanni refuses. Rodrigo then leaves him to his men. Giovanni wins the intense combat where his Hidden Blade is broken from the gauntlet, but he gets hit in the chest by a throwing knife from the escaping Rodrigo which injures him badly. He is able to make his way back home to Florence, where his wife treats his wound. She notes that the blade almost reached his heart. Giovanni is worried; he fears that the murder of Sforza was just the beginning of a conspiracy that will strike Florence. Federico, the eldest son suddenly warns his parents of the arrival of Father Maffei, with armed guards. Giovanni prefers to leave discreetly and tells his son to buy him some time. He lastly adds to Federico that as the oldest, it is his responsibility to protect the family in his absence. Federico is clearly disconcerted that the lives of his mother and siblings are on his shoulders, but accepts this. He goes down to answer the door. Giovanni manages to escape the house by the chamber's secret passage. While walking around the dark streets of Florence, he sees his son Ezio flirting with a girl. He smiles with fondness at the sight, and manages to disappear before his son could spot him.
- "My dear sons, dark skies are rising over Florence and time is running low. The enemy is closer than I thought. Now, the final battle is about to unfold. Every man is mortal, every life bounds to an end but certain things will never change. Federico and Ezio, my sons, always remember: WE are the Auditore da Firenze and WE are Assassins."
- ― Giovanni's monologue in the end of Lineage
Assassin's Creed II
- "Tu sei un Auditore. Sei un combattente. Perciò Combatti! (You are an Auditore. You are a fighter. So fight!)"
- ―Giovanni Auditore speaking to Ezio at his birth
Giovanni Auditore is first seen in Assassin's Creed II at Ezio's birth sequence in the Animus (1.0), in which he holds Ezio in his arms and remarks that he is a born fighter. After Desmond enters the Animus 2.0, Giovanni is seen once again at the Auditore's house, in which he scolds Ezio for his behavior but then says he is proud that Ezio reminds him of himself when he was younger. Giovanni then gives Ezio the quest "Paperboy". When Ezio completes the quest he returns to Giovanni, only to find him in a meeting with Uberto Alberti. Giovanni then tells Ezio that his mother and sister are looking for him. After that he gives Ezio the quest "Special Delivery". Soon after completing the quest, city guards take Giovanni and his sons, Federico and Petruccio, to prison, being accused of treason. Ezio, who fortunately wasn't captured, ventured to his father's cell window and learns that they are being detained in for answers of their imprisonment, but Giovanni instead tasks his son to find the hidden room inside his office (which hides his Assassin equipment) and take everything that he finds. Then he tells him that the chest contain documents that need to be delivered to Uberto. The next morning, Ezio arrives at where the execution takes place, Uberto Alberti declares Giovanni, Federico and Petruccio guilty of treason,and has them exeuted, becoming victims of a conspiracy. His execution drove Ezio into the life of a self-trained Assassin and Maria into silence.
In Assassin's Creed: Renaissance, Ezio eventually goes back for the bodies of his father and brothers. He gives them a proper funeral by cremating them, and setting them adrift in boats down the river.
Gallery
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Giovanni in his usual clothes. -
Giovanni in the Assassin robe.
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Giovanni behind his desk, talking to Ezio
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Giovanni (center) moments before being executed with his sons
Trivia
- It should be noted that Giovanni was not actually born in Florence, but in Monteriggioni. And as such his name would simply be Giovanni Auditore.
- Giovanni's ring finger remains intact due to improvements to the "Hidden blade" and changes to the tactics and traditions of the Assassin order made by Altaïr after the events of the first game.
- Giovanni died before telling Ezio (as well as his youngest son, Petruccio and his daughter Claudia) of their assassin heritage which disappointed his brother, Mario. It is believed however, that he began training his eldest son Federico in secret, but couldn't actually get far enough to teach him any intermediate Assassin skills.
- Before he was captured he said to Ezio that "there [were] some things [they] need to discuss". It is possible that he saw his death coming and wished to tell Ezio about being an assassin.
- Giovanni knew about Ezio's Eagle vision, and is most likely that he possessed the gift like his brother Mario Auditore.
- Giovanni uses a sword and a short blade as well as Ezio. He also has a small knife/dagger on his boot
- Giovanni is never seen wearing actual Armor.
- Giovanni was carrrying two throwing knives only in the first episode in Assassin's Creed Lineage. In the second episode he had four knives with him.
- Giovanni leaves his assassin outfit behind for Ezio to find, however in the short-film 'Assassin's Creed: Lineage', it does not have the 'Eagle's beak' on the hood; it is also missing several other details.
- If you go by the dates in the database Giovanni died when he was 40 years old, the same age Ezio turns into after he completes his revenge in 1499.
- Intrestingly when you look up Rodrigo's database video you find Giovanni hanging in the right side and in different clothes.
- Since Giovanni had 2 short blades in the Lineage video and Ezio only got the hidden blade and sword, it's possible that he took at least one when he was captured and taken to prison.