Manuel Palaiologos

"...I am not the only one with this vision, Assassin. The dream of our Order is universal. Ottoman, Byzantine... these are only labels. Costumes and facades. Beneath these trappings, all Templars are part of the same family."

- Manuel to Ezio Auditore in 1512

Manuel Palaiologos (c. 1455 – March 1512) was an heir to the Byzantine throne at the time of the collapse of the Byzantine Empire. Following its breakdown, he surrendered his claim to the throne in exchange for a comfortable life as an Ottoman subject.

Early life
Manuel was born circa 1455, two years after the Fall of Constantinople, as an heir to the Byzantine throne. He lived with his family in Morea, but they fled in 1460 to Corfu. The family later traveled to Rome, where his father, Thomas Palaiologos, was recognized as the Byzantine Emperor.

Templar Connection
Manuel and his brother later developed a friendship with the Templar Grand Master, Rodrigo Borgia, in the hopes of restoring Byzantine control over Constantinople. However, this came to nothing when Rodrigo lost interest in any kind of eastern uprising against the Ottomans, preferring to devote his time to consolidating his power in Italy.

Life in Constantinople
Under Sultan Bayezid II's rule, Manuel returned to Constantinople, where he received a pension in exchange for his rights to the Byzantine throne. Here he had two sons, Loannes and Andreas, and lived a luxurious life. Eventually he joined the Ottoman Navy and converted to Islam.

In 1509, an earthquake struck Constantinople, at which point Bayezid had disappeared from Constantinople. In his absence, Byzantine Templars - remnants of the fallen Byzantine Empire - easily entered the city, and strived to revive their fallen empire.[1]

In time, the Byzantine Templars led by Manuel Palaiologos caught the eye of Ahmet. Tired of the divisions within mankind and agreeing that all the people should be united under one ruler, Manuel had persuaded Ahmet to join the ranks of the Byzantine Empire.[1]

Ahmet, much younger and more charismatic than Manuel, slowly slipped into the position of leader of the Byzantine Templars, while Manuel - nearly in his sixties - found his niche of playing second-in-command.

In 1511, surviving members of the Byzantine Empire, who were secretly Templars, aimed to remove the Ottomans from power and resurrect their empire. It was unclear to the Assassin Order whether or not Palaiologos was siding with the Templars, and thus Ezio Auditore da Firenze, the Mentor of the Italian Assassins, tasked himself with finding Manuel's true allegiance.

Work in Cappadocia and death
Ezio discovered that Manuel was indeed working for the Templars in Cappadocia, and went to the underground city to locate the Templar. While in Cappadocia, Ezio discovered that the Templars had an army stationed there, and that Manuel's lieutenant, Shahkulu, was torturing Ottoman spies. Ezio assassinated Shahkulu, and then chased after Manuel who fled and called for his guards. However, Ezio caught Manuel later and the two fought, with Ezio eventually killing Manuel.

In his final words, Manuel expressed his desire to be Byzantine emperor, and said he had devised many plans for the position. Ezio responded by saying that his empire was already dead and that Manuel's desire was only a dream. However, Manuel believed that his dream was also that of the Templars' dream, which was of universal order and peace. Manuel gave the Assassin the key he held to Altaïr's library, but told Ezio he would be killed before he even could even get to the secret library.

Last words

 * Manuel: I should have been Constantine's successor, I had so many plans.
 * Ezio: Your dream dies with you, Manuel. Your empire is gone.
 * Manuel: Ah, but I am not the only one with this vision, Assassin. The dream of our Order is universal. Ottoman, Byzantine... these are only labels. Costumes and facades. Beneath these trappings, all Templars are part of the same family.
 * Ezio: Enough prattling, I am here for the Masyaf Key.
 * Manuel: Then take it, Take it and seek your fortune. See if you get within one hundred leagues of that library before one of us finishes you off.