Liberation of Rome

The Liberation of Rome took place during the Italian Renaissance, in which the city of Rome was freed from the rule of the Borgia by the Assassins, and was brought rather belatedly into the Renaissance.

In 1500, following the events of the Siege of Monteriggioni, the Master Assassin Ezio Auditore began his journey to Rome, seeking revenge for the attack on his home. However, he passed out half way there due to the injuries he had sustained during Cesare Borgia's attack, and was thus brought to Rome by Niccolò Machiavelli. After he had recovered with the aid of a doctor and a young woman, Ezio began his mission to avenge his uncle and the destroyed Monteriggioni.

Upon Ezio's arrival in Rome, the city, under the ruling influence of the Borgia, had become decrepit, decaying under oppression and corruption. The people were starving and fearing for their lives; Ezio sought to hearten the people and allow them to believe again. His mission in Rome was not simply about destroying the Templars, but was more importantly a quest to bring the ideas and beliefs of the Renaissance into Rome.

Fall of Tyranny
"The liberation of Roma has begun."

- Ezio Auditore

In order to fulfill his quest to free the people of Rome from their oppressors, Ezio first re-established relationships with the respective city guilds of the Roman underground: the Thieves, Courtesans, and Mercenaries. At the same time, he also recruited many distressed Roman citizens as Assassin Apprentices, and set them to several tasks to help in freeing their fellow townsmen.

Ezio then proceeded to destroy twelve Borgia Towers, all of which were propagating the Borgia influence across Rome. As he did, he also restored various shops and famous Roman landmarks, successfully giving the people the will and initiative to think for themselves, and to fight for their own rights.

As the Borgia's influence was weakened day by day, military presence in the districts became diminished, and crime rates began to drop. To further bring down the Borgia, each of the Templar agents under the command of Cesare Borgia were hunted down by Ezio and his Brotherhood, resulting in the Templars losing crucial power in the city.

Additionally, the Followers of Romulus, who were commanded by Cesare and their Papal overlords, were also brought down by Ezio. To stop these false pagans from terrorizing the people of Rome, he infiltrated their lairs and killed their leaders.

The Banker
"Agostino Chigi is the Pope's money-lender, but Cesare does business with someone else."

- La Volpe informs Ezio of Cesare's personal banker.



Shortly after rescuing Caterina Sforza from the Castel Sant'Angelo, Ezio realized that, in order to completely remove the Borgia's influence, he would need to cut off Cesare’s funds. La Volpe determined that Cesare’s funds came from one known as "the Banker." Claudia Auditore confirmed this, and spoke of a senator, Egidio Troche, who owed the Banker money.

Ezio set out to find the senator, and eventually came across him being harassed by the Banker's debt collectors. Ezio killed the collectors and led Egidio to safety. After offering to provide the money Egidio owed, Ezio followed him to the place where the money was to be collected, the Pantheon.

Once there, Ezio assassinated the guard who was counting the money and impersonated him by wearing his armor. He delivered the money to the Banker’s henchmen, who were to bring it to the Banker himself. Ezio followed the carrier into the party the Banker was holding, and sat on a nearby bench. When the Banker walked by, Ezio pounced on and assassinated him. With the first of Cesare’s three generals gone, Cesare was deprived of his funds.

Skirmish with the Baron
"Whatever the French may think, Cesare intends to be king."

- Bartolomeo discussing the Baron and Cesare.



Ezio soon found out that Cesare had persuaded King Louis of France to lend him an entire army to aid in his conquests. This army, which was under the command of the Baron de Valois, was currently engaged in close conflict with the Assassin and condottiero, Bartolomeo d'Alviano.

Ezio, with Bartolomeo's aid, came up with a plan to assassinate the general of the French forces and leave them in disarray. However, during the battle, Bartolomeo’s wife, Pantasilea, was kidnapped by the Baron.

Seemingly left with no other alternative, Bartolomeo began to prepare for surrender. However, Ezio stopped him, and offered a plan which would allow them to safely rescue Pantasilea: Ezio and his mercenaries would disguise themselves as French soldiers pretending to escort a "surrendering" Bartolomeo, and enter the French camp without arousing suspicion.

The plan was successful, and once inside, Ezio signaled for the mercenaries to begin the attack. However, the Baron retreated deeper into the camp with Pantasilea as a hostage. Ezio nevertheless was able to approach undetected, and assassinate the Baron. With the second of Cesare’s three generals gone, his military troops were in disarray.

The Templar Assassin
"Micheletto. The best killer in Roma. No one escapes him."

- La Volpe describes Micheletto.



Cesare's power was now weak with his troops and funds in shambles, thus Ezio felt that it was time to move in for the kill. However, in order to enter the heavily guarded Castel Sant'Angelo, he would need to be able to slip in undetected. For this, La Volpe suggested retrieving the key that had been given to Pietro Rossi, Lucrezia Borgia's current lover.

However, in doing so, Ezio uncovered a plot to assassinate the actor. Cesare had found out about Pietro's relationship with his sister, and thus had sent his butcher, Micheletto Corella, to kill Pietro during his performance at the Passion Play to be held at the Colosseo.

Ezio realized that if Pietro was assassinated, he would never be able to reach Cesare, thus he set out to save Pietro. Disguising himself and his recruits as actors, he managed to get on stage and neutralize Micheletto, although Micheletto told Ezio that he had already poisoned the wine Pietro had drank during the play.

Ezio was forced to bring Pietro to a nearby doctor, whose medicine cured Pietro. Ezio demanded the key from Pietro, to which the actor obliged.

As he made to leave, however, Ezio saw one of the thieves who had been at the Villa Auditore during Cesare's attack. The man fled when confronted, and Ezio gave chase. Upon catching the man, Ezio discovered that he was the one who had been spying on them for the Borgia. The man killed himself upon the Assassin's hidden blade, uttering "Long live the Borgia!" as he did.

Ezio hurried raced back to Tiber Island to prevent La Volpe from killing Machiavelli, who he had long suspected was the traitor. Once he had successfully proven Machiavelli's innocence, a meeting of the Assassins was called. Claudia Auditore was initiated into the Order, and Ezio was declared the Grand Master.

With Micheletto neutralized, Ezio now had a way to enter the Castel Sant’Angelo, locate the stolen Apple of Eden, and assassinate Cesare. This final act would truly liberate Rome.

The Freedom of Rome
"Join me and I will take back Roma!"

- Cesare making a desperate bid for support.

Ezio once again infiltrated the Castel with the help of the key to the side door he had obtained. Once inside, he made his way towards the Papal apartments, and eventually arrived at a window that led into the Pope’s chambers.

There, he then witnessed a conversation between Cesare and his father, in which Cesare furiously demanded as to where his funds and troops had gone. Rodrigo informed him that it had been the Assassins' doing, but refused to offer Cesare any monetary aid or compensation.

Cesare stated that if Rodrigo would not give him money, he would use the Apple of Eden to get what he wanted. Rodrigo told him that he had hidden the Apple, prompting Cesare to demand its location. Their conversation was interrupted by Lucrezia, who ran into the room claiming that Rodrigo planned to poison Cesare with the apple that he had just taken a bite out of.

Cesare spat out what he had been eating and furiously rammed the remaining apple down his father's throat. Lucrezia pleaded for him to stop by telling him that she knew where the Apple of Eden was. Cesare immediately attacked Lucrezia and demanded that she tell him.

Ezio, meanwhile, made his way to the open window, but by the time he had gotten in, Cesare had departed in search of his objective. Lucrezia then gave the location to Ezio as well, and he raced to get to the courtyard in front of Basilica di San Pietro before Cesare.

He arrived there in time and, locating the Apple with Eagle Vision, reclaimed it for the Assassins. Upon his narrow escape, he began to use the Apple to kill the remnants of Cesare's army, leaving him with next to nothing.

In September, 1503, Cesare met with his few remaining Templar loyalists at the gates to Rome, in order to await his army that he had recalled from the battlefield to aid him. Instead, Cesare was ambushed by the Assassins, and his men were killed, though he himself safely sealed himself outside the city walls in order to escape them.

The army that arrived for him, however, was not his own, but that of Fabio Orsini, who had been warranted to arrest Cesare upon the order the new Pope, Julius II. At this, Rome was fully liberated from the influential rule of the Borgia and the Templars.

Assassins
"It was the manner in which he said it. "Chains will not hold me.""

- Ezio, regarding Cesare's escape, 1503.

Shortly following Cesare's fall from power, Ezio was worried that he still remained a threat despite his arrest, and was encouraged by his closest friend Leonardo da Vinci to use the Apple and see what would eventually become of him. Despite his initial protests, Ezio decided that he could not risk Cesare's return, and used the Apple to see what the future held. Ezio then immediately left Rome for Spain, seeking to prevent Cesare from winning the Siege of Viana.

Templars
"This is not your city anymore!"

- Ezio to Cesare after driving him out of Rome.

Having most of their important members dead or driven out of Rome, the Templars lost control of the city. After a new Assassin affiliated Pope was elected, Pope Julius II, the Templars lost all hope of ever seizing control of Rome ever again.

Cesare Borgia
"No! This is not how it ends! Chains will not hold me! I will not die by the hands of man!"

- Cesare's claims during his arrest, 1503.

In 1504, Cesare was exiled to Spain and imprisoned at the Castillo de la Mota. However, he was in luck, as the Count of the city provided him with a rope to aid him in an escape attempt. Cesare dropped seventy feet from the prison wall, fracturing several bones, but was saved after he landed on the servant that accompanied him.

Leaving the injured servant behind, he escaped the area dressed in a merchant's garb, and joined his brother-in-law, King John III of Navarre. In 1507, King John ordered Cesare to lead his 10,000 men to Viana to reclaim Viana Castle from the Count of Lerin. Cesare planned to win the battle to regain the support of the French, and eventually take back Rome.

Rome
After Rodrigo's death and Cesare's fall from power, Rome went through a massive change. All the shops had re-opened, the factions were re-established, and the citizens underwent a change from bandits and beggars, to artists and merchants. The Papal Guards were no longer corrupt, and the prosperity and light of the Renaissance had finally been brought into Rome.