Persian Brotherhood of Assassins
The Persian Brotherhood of Assassins[1] was the branch of Assassins that operated in Iran.
The Persian Brotherhood was originally a branch of the Hidden Ones who followed in the footsteps of a similar group of assassins from the region led by the Darius, killer of Xerxes I of Persia. In 1090 CE, the Persian branch reorganized itself as the Assassin Brotherhood.
History
Achaemenid Empire
In 465 BCE, a Persian elite by the name of Artabanus formed a group of freedom fighters oppose the Achaemenid King of Kings Xerxes I, who was supported by the Order of the Ancients, a predecessor group to the Templar Order.[2] His deed became renowned among the later Assassin Brotherhood, for it went down in their history as the earliest recorded usage of the Hidden Blade, their iconic weapon. For this reason, Darius was posthumously honored as one of their predecessors.[1][3]
Assassin state
In 1090, Hassan-i Sabbāh reorganized the Assassin Brotherhood into a public state based in Alamut, a castle in northern Persia.[1][2] In 1162, during the reign of Hassan the Younger, an Assassin later known as Al Mualim was sent to the Levant to expand Assassin influence, establishing another branch autonomous from Alamut.[4]
Under the tenure of Al Mualim's successor Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad, paramount responsibility for the Assassins as a whole rested with him while he led from Masyaf in the Levant.[5][6] As a consequence, when he later dissolved the state to lay the seeds for the various Assassin Guilds around the world, the original Persian branch was retroactively grouped with the Levantine branch as the Levantine Brotherhood.[1]
Timurid dynasty
By the time of the Timurid Empire, the Persian Brotherhood still maintained foothold in Persia. During the 15th century, the Persian Mentor sent one of their assassin recruits Dariâ to Venice to aid in the rebuilding Venetian Brotherhood. [citation needed]
Afsharid dynasty
In 1747, Salah Bey, the captain of guards for Nāder Shāh assassinated the Iranian ruler and hoped to retrieve his Piece of Eden, the Koh-i-Noor diamond. However, the Koh-i-Noor had already been passed off to Ahmad Shāh Durrānī, an Afghan chief, who therefore became the next target of Salah Bey.[7]
Members
- Achaemenid Empire
- Timurid dynasty
- Afsharid dynasty
Allies
Achaemenid Empire
Afsharid dynasty
Appearances
- Assassin's Creed II (mentioned only)
- Assassin's Creed: Rogue (mentioned only)
- Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood of Venice
References
