Ahmet

"He is a sincere man. But this Templar fantasy of his is dangerous. It flies in the face of reality."

- Suleiman I on his uncle, after learning of his true affiliations.

Şehzade Ahmet (1465 - 1513) was an Ottoman prince (Shehzade) and the oldest surviving son of Bayezid II. He was also the elder brother of Selim I and uncle of Suleiman I "the Magnificent".

Tired of the feuds that divide men, Ahmet joined the Templar Order, eventually becoming the leader of the Byzantine Templars, while simultaneously having been chosen as the heir of his father, the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire.

Believing that control over the Ottoman Empire was guaranteed to be in his hands, Ahmet started an expedition to find the Masyaf Keys needed to open the library of Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad in Masyaf. Here, he believed he would find the location of the "Grand Temple" and intended to use the power hidden there to further the Templar cause.

Eventually, after having been opposed by the Ottoman Assassins and Ezio Auditore da Firenze, the leader and Mentor of the Italian Assassins, Ahmet saw his efforts thwarted by the Assassins, and ultimately his father chose his brother Selim as his heir. Upon marching to Constantinople, Selim encountered Ahmet and swiftly killed him.

Early life
Born as the eldest living son of the Ottoman Sultan Bayezid II in 1465, Ahmet was to be his father's heir since his childhood. With Ahmet sharing his distaste for war and an affection for knowledge with his father, many believed him to be the most reasonable choice.

Ahmet was eventually assigned to govern the Anatolian city of Amasya, as all Ottoman princes were assigned to govern cities in the Empire. As time progressed, he continued to impress, and looked more and more like a successful candidate for the crown prince, especially when the grand vizier Hadim Ali Pasha began to support him.

Joining the Byzantine Templars
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. Led by Manuel Palaiologos, the Byzantine Templars caught the eye of Ahmet. Tired of the division between mankind and agreeing that all the people should be united under one ruler, Ahmet joined the ranks of the Byzantine Empire. However, this act caused great internal conflict for Ahmet, as he was still an Ottoman prince, and acting for either the Ottomans or the Byzantines would mean turning his back on his other affiliation.

Ahmet, much younger and more charismatic than the elderly Manuel Palaiologos, slowly slipped into the position of leader of the Byzantine Templars, with Manuel becoming his second-in-command. At the same time, Bayezid and Selim had engaged in a conflict, as Selim was making efforts to gain the Ottoman throne for himself.

Gaining power in the Empire
"I will open that library, and I will find the Grand Temple. And with the power that is hidden there, I will destroy the superstitions that keep men divided."

- Ahmet about his plans to find the library.

In 1511, Ahmet initiated several plans to further his influence in the Ottoman Empire. Primarily, the Templars had come into the possession of the journal, "The Secret Crusade" by the explorer and Assassin Niccolò Polo, from which they learned of the existence of the library of Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad - the late Mentor of the Syrian Assassins - located in Masyaf, Syria. Believing that the library would direct the Templars to an ancient First Civilization location called the "Grand Temple", Ahmet entrusted Manuel Palaiologos with the Masyaf expedition and the search for the keys needed to open the library, while Ahmet focused his attention on matters in Constantinople. In the heart of the Ottoman Empire, Ahmet initiated a plot to have the Templars abduct Ahmet's own nephew, Suleiman, during the latter's celebration for his pilgrimage. If this were to be successful, Ahmet would rescue him from the Byzantines, and be heralded a hero. Ahmet himself attended the celebration in Topkapı Palace, while Templars disguised as guests were tasked with abducting the young Shehzadem Suleiman.

However, to Ahmet's displeasure, the Templar infiltrators were killed by the Ottoman Assassins, disguised as Italian minstrels, on orders of their leader Yusuf Tazim and Ezio Auditore, the leader of the Italian Assassins, who was able to identify the Templars using his Eagle Sense. Following the failed plot, Ahmet accused the Janissary captain Tarik Barleti of a conspiracy against him, as the Janissaries were tasked with Suleiman's protection, using the Janissaries' distaste of Ahmet in his own advantage.

Some time later, Tarik was murdered in the Janissary camp, and it was commonly believed that Ahmet was the one responsible for his death. Finding his nephew Suleiman in Topkapı Palace to inform him of the event, he noticed Suleiman was meeting with the Assassin Ezio Auditore - introduced to Ahmet as "Marcello" by Suleiman - and grew suspicious of the man.

Death
In March 1512, Ahmet personally traveled to Cappadocia, where Manuel Palaiologos was hiding and forming an army together with the Turkmen renegade Shahkulu. Arriving there, Ahmet met with Ezio Auditore himself, who had just killed Manuel and taken the Masyaf Key from him. Revealing himself to be the leader of the Byzantine Templars, Ahmet threatened to capture Ezio's love interest Sofia Sartor, after Ezio claimed to not know of the other Masyaf Keys. Ahmet left his subordinates to take care of Ezio, while he returned to Constantinople to order Sofia's capture.

The capture, resulting in the death of the Ottoman Assassin leader Yusuf Tazim, infuriated the Assassins, causing them to form an all-out assault on the arsenal within Constantinople, where Ahmet was temporarily hiding. Offering to spare Sofia's life in exchange for the Masyaf Keys, Ahmet arranged a meeting with Ezio near Galata Tower.

Meeting with Ezio on the rampart connected to Galata Tower soon afterwards, Ahmet was given the keys and directed Ezio to Sofia atop Galata Tower, after some mutual hostility from both men. Unbeknownst to Ezio, the woman atop the Galata Tower was not the real Sofia, and Ahmet had ordered Sofia to be killed in a square not too far from the tower. Ahmet, finally having all Keys in his possession, triumphantly hurried off to Masyaf.

As Ahmet and his entourage left Constantinople, driving several horse wagons, they were followed by Ezio and Sofia, who had been rescued from Ahmet's men. Leaving his men to take care of Ezio and Sofia, a chase ensued between them. Ezio was able to dispatch the other wagons, before Ahmet smashed Ezio's cart, causing Ezio to fall off. Ezio was able to hold on to the cart by using his parachute, and Sofia kept control of the wagon, following Ahmet.

After more unsuccessful attempts from the Templars to shake Ezio and Sofia, Ahmet obliterated Sofia's cart, thinking he had finally lost them. As Ahmet proceeded onwards, he was lunged at by Ezio, who safely landed with his parachute. This resulted in both men free-falling off a cliff, and the two engaged in melee combat whilst in mid-air. With another one of Ezio's parachutes, they safely landed to the ground.

As they both wondered what happened next, Ahmet's brother Selim and the Sultan's army joined them. Selim revealed that their father had abdicated the throne and chosen Selim as his heir. Selim proceeded to strangle Ahmet, before throwing him off a cliff to his death.

Personality and characteristics
"You are weak, Ahmet. Pensive in times of war and restless in times of peace. You lack passion for the traditions of the ghazi (holy warriors), yet you speak of fraternity in the company of infidels. You would make a decent philosopher, Ahmet, but you will be a poor Sultan."

- Tarik, giving his opinion on Ahmet's character.

Ahmet, being a member of the most powerful family and rulers of Constantinople, was a proud and arrogant man. The fact that he had counted on his father's support of him becoming the next Sultan only made this worse, as he felt there was no doubt to his father's choice. However, Ahmet constantly kept an eye on his relations with the public, as he realized the importance of their support. Therefore, he was easily upset by events as Tarik Barleti's death, which he immediately regarded as an assault on his public image.

However, a great deal of the citizens of Constantinople preferred Ahmet's brother, Selim, to become the Sultan. They argued that Ahmet was a weak men, who had difficulties with making important choices when it came to war, and who would become restless in times of peace.

As leader of the Byzantine Templars, Ahmet was an intelligent and cunning man. Due to his age and charm, he was able to rule over men who would not easily accept someone else as their superior, such as Manuel Palaiologos. Ahmet managed to set up a scheme to get his hands on the Masyaf Keys, while maintaining his good public image.