Parisian Brotherhood of Assassins
The French Assassins were the Brotherhood of Assassins located in France. They were most notable for the involvement in the public disbanding of the Templar Order, and later worked to prevent the Templars from infiltrating the Royal Court.
History
Destruction of the Templars
Early in the 14th century, the Assassins manipulated King Philip IV of France, in order to destroy the Templars. With the help of Pope Clement V, who was sympathetic to the Assassin cause, the Templars were branded as heretics, and their stronghold attacked by the King's forces in 1307. The Grand Master of the Templars, Jacques de Molay, was captured during the attack and put to death by fire, along with sixty other Templars. However, unbeknownst to the Assassins, nine Templar leaders had gone underground and continued their work in secrecy, despite the public disbanding of their Order.
Working with the Italian Brotherhood
In the early 16th century, King Louis XII left Paris and quarreled with Ferdinand II over the ownership of Naples, leaving his foreign ministers in charge. However, the King was unaware of their ties to the Borgia, and it allowed them to target the religious reformist Desiderius Erasmus.
To escape the plague, Erasmus planned to hire a carriage out of town, though the Templars disguised themselves as travelers and offered him a ride. With Erasmus' life in danger, the French Assassins and a team of Ezio Auditore da Firenze's Italian apprentices tracked them down, and with coordinated shots, killed all of the guards. After rescuing Erasmus, he told them that the Templars were holding another Assassin captive.
Following this, the Assassins tried to find their Brother, who had been captured by the men working for the Borgia. A group of Italian Assassins sent from Rome by Ezio were able to receive information from corrupted ministers about the Assassin's whereabouts, and tracked down Archbishop Georges d'Amboise, before interrogating him. He revealed the names of the ministers associated with the Templars, whom the Assassins later disposed of.
After that, the Italian Assassins rescued the French Assassin from the manor he was held in, but he eventually succumbed to his wounds. However, he informed his Brothers that he had only revealed false information to his torturers. He also warned his rescuers to be wary of the Orsini family, who had ties to the Templars.[1][2]
In 1511, King Louis XII acted on Marseille's threats of secession motivated by the French Assassins, and ordered his army to banish all Assassins from the city. Aided by Ottoman Assassins sent from Constantinople by Ezio Auditore, the combined Assassin force hindered the army's efforts, though without violence.[3]
American and French Revolutions
During France's involvement in the American Revolutionary War, the Assassin William de Saint-Prix was sent to aid the Thirteen Colonies.[4] During the French Revolution, the Assassins aimed to prevent needless deaths, but otherwise wanted to avoid involving themselves, believing the people had the right to make their own mistakes and learn from them. However, they became concerned that an outside force was influencing the revolution.[5]
Members
Allies:
- Rose Bertin
- Napoleon Bonaparte
- Jean-François Champollion
- Clement V
- Georges Danton
- Thomas-Alexandre Dumas
- Antoine Lavoisier
- Marie Anne Lenormand
- Louis XVI of France
- Théroigne de Méricourt
- Joachim Murat
- Philip IV of France
- Donatien Alphonse François, Marquis de Sade
References