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Patience, brothers. Soon we will reveal the secrets of Assassin's Creed: The Silk Road. This article has been identified as being out of date. Please update the article to reflect recent releases and then remove this template once done. |
The Ottoman Brotherhood of Assassins, also known as the Turkish Assassins, the Constantinople Assassins, or simply the Ottoman Assassins,[4] was the guild of Assassins based in Constantinople under the Byzantine and Ottoman Empires.
For five centuries, the Hidden Ones were active in the Byzantine Empire before disappearing from Constantinople between the 9th and 12th centuries. In 1258, a new guild was established in Constantinople by the traveler brothers Niccolò and Maffeo Polo on the order of the Levantine Mentor Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad to expand the Brotherhood across the world while also hiding the keys to his library.
Under the Byzantines, the Assassins were hunted down and killed throughout the empire. After the Fall of Constantinople in 1453, the Mentor Ishak Pasha established a lasting peace between the guild and the Ottoman Empire, assuring a stronger presence in Constantinople through Assassin Dens. Even after the Ottoman conquest of the Byzantine Empire, the Byzantine Rite of the Templar Order posed a threat to the Ottoman Assassins as they supported the remnants of the fallen Empire.
During the early 16th century, the Italian Mentor Ezio Auditore helped the guild leader Yusuf Tazim to reinforce the Ottoman Assassins by recruiting many citizens of Constantinople and leading operations against the Templars across the Mediterranean Sea. The guild also played a key role in the retrieval of the Masyaf Keys against the Templars.
Like many Assassin guilds in the year 2000, the Ottoman Brotherhood was wiped out during the Great Purge led by the Templar Order.
History[]
Early activity[]
Prior to the founding of the Assassins Guild in the 13th century, the Hidden Ones were known to operate in Constantinople and its surrounding regions as early as the 1st century CE.[1] During the reign of Roman Emperor Constantine I in the 4th century, at least one Hidden One witnessed Constantinople's rise as the new capital of the Roman Empire.[5]
In 860, a Hidden One witnessed the siege of Constantinople by the Rus. He wrote a letter to the Alamut Brotherhood, reporting the event and asking that more Hidden Ones be sent to the city as he feared the Norse would return.[6] A few years later, a Hidden One began to use two Hidden Blades, though this required him to sacrifice both of his ring fingers. One of his brethren informed Rebekah, a Rafiq stationed in Baghdad, about this practice.[7]
In 867, the Master Hidden One Basim Ibn Ishaq and the acolyte Hytham from the Abbasid Caliphate arrived in Constantinople to foil an assassination plot by Emperor Basil I and the Order of the Ancients against the prince Leo. Allying with the Varangian guard and Eagle Clan leader Thyra, the Hidden Ones saved the prince and killed the leader of the Ancients, Isaac.[8]
By 870, Basim was the leader of the Constantinople bureau. That year, he sent his acolyte Ammon to Bulgar on a mission to recover a Shroud of Eden. This mission ultimately proved unsuccessful when Ammon was killed by the viking Sigurd Styrbjornsson, and Basim was subsequently informed by a fellow Hidden One of Ammon's fate.[9] Basim and Hytham would later meet and befriend Sigurd in Constantinople, and left the city to travel to the Viking's home in Norway, hoping to eliminate the members of the Order of the Ancients in the region.[10]
Establishment of the Assassins Guild[]
In 1204, the leader of the Levantine Assassins, Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad, journeyed to Constantinople in the Byzantine Empire hoping to establish a proper Assassins Guild from which the Assassins could operate. However, due to the chaos caused by the ongoing Fourth Crusade, Altaïr was unable to recruit potential Assassins.[11]
In 1257, the tradesmen Niccolò and Maffeo Polo were invited to stay at the Assassins' fortress of Masyaf by Darim Ibn-La'Ahad, Altaïr's son. Being trained into becoming Assassins themselves, Altaïr entrusted them with creating various Assassins Guilds abroad, as well as guarding Altaïr's Codex. When the Mongols eventually attacked, the Polo brothers left Masyaf,[11] also being entrusted with safeguarding the five keys to Altaïr's library underneath Masyaf.[12]
The Polos then traveled back to their home in Constantinople, where they were successful in creating a guild and bringing the Assassin ideals to the Byzantine Empire.[11] However, the Byzantine Empire was not sympathetic with the Assassins: the last Byzantine Emperor, Constantine XI, ordered the capture and execution of Assassins throughout his Empire, but it is unknown if any of his predecessors did the same.[12]
The Byzantine Empire was eventually defeated and usurped by the Ottomans in 1453, resulting in the foundation of the Ottoman Empire. Templar presence in the region became minimal, allowing the Assassin Order to develop.[12]
Growth of the Brotherhood[]
By the later half of the 15th century, the Vizier Ishak Pasha – secretly an Assassin – took a leading role over the Ottoman Brotherhood. He fought and defeated Vlad "the Impaler" Tepes, who was secretly a Templar, and brokered a truce between the Assassins and Ottomans.[12]
During the late 1480s, Ishak Pasha had begun recruiting Ottoman citizens into the Assassin Brotherhood. One of these Ottomans was Yusuf Tazim, whose father also was an Assassin. Following Ishak Pasha's death, leadership of the Ottoman Assassins shifted to Yusuf, who by then had become a Master Assassin.[12]
For unknown reasons, the Ottoman Assassins did not seem not to have any influence in Constantinople in the early 16th century. In 1501, the Italian Mentor Ezio Auditore sent some of his own recruits to help set up a guild in the city.[13] A year later, a group of Ottoman Assassins, including Yusuf, and Venetian Assassins met in Greece to make plans to end the Ottoman–Venetian War, being successful in doing so in 1503.[12]
The Assassins had realized that the Templars were spreading their reach to the New World. To ensure that they could keep their activities in check, the Assassins wanted maps to the Americas. They broke into the workshop of the famous Ottoman admiral and cartographer and Piri Reis, an exceptional Ottoman cartographer, who had been called away for naval duty. They found maps drawn in excellent detail, and found that he had tracked their common enemy to the New World. The Assassins boarded these voyages to follow the Templars.[13]
Meanwhile, the Inquisition in Portugal and Spain caused several men and women to leave the country. This community flourished with scientists, artists and philosophers. Sultan Bayezid II welcomed these refugees, as he knew that they would strengthen his empire. King Ferdinand had planted spies in this community, and made sure they exposed nothing about themselves. However, Italian and Ottoman Assassins were watching for suspicious behavior and caught about a dozen spies, killed them and replaced them with their own men. These Assassins worked to strengthen the guild in Constantinople.[14]
In 1506, after some initial conflict, the Ottoman admiral, geographer and cartographer Piri Reis – tired of the artificial boundaries that separated nations – joined the Assassins as a scholar and technician, eventually becoming a Master Assassin specializing in bomb crafting.[12]
Fight with the Byzantine remnants[]
Yusuf introducing Ezio to the Ottoman Assassins
Following the earthquake in Constantinople in 1509, Templar remnants of the Byzantine Empire returned to the city, hoping to restore their fallen empire. The Assassins became engaged in a direct conflict with the Byzantines in the following years, though they also used the hatred between the Byzantines and Ottomans to their advantage, often purposely creating conflict between these factions.[12]
In 1511, Ezio Auditore, having left Italy, journeyed to the Ottoman Assassins' headquarters in Constantinople with the intention of finding the five keys needed to open Altaïr's library in Masyaf. Greeted by Yusuf Tazim, Ezio was quickly taken in and introduced to various techniques that the Ottoman Assassins used, including bomb crafting and Hookblades.[12]
Though Yusuf still led the Ottoman Assassins, it was Ezio who took a leading role over the Brotherhood against the Byzantine Templars. Recruiting many new Assassins and taking back Constantinople from Byzantine control, Ezio even sent his apprentices to various regions across the Mediterranean, thwarting the Templars' plans and taking over cities from Templar control.[15]
Ezio, Yusuf and other Assassins disguised as minstrels
In late 1511, Yusuf led a group of Assassins to attend a cultural exposition held in Topkapı Palace by the Ottoman Prince Suleiman, knowing that the Templars were going to infiltrate it. Joined by Ezio, the Assassins went disguised as Italian minstrels, with Ezio distracting the guests and discovering the Templar infiltrators using his Eagle Sense. Successfully locating all Templars before they could bring harm to Suleiman, the Ottoman Prince and Ezio became friends and allies in the process.[12]
In early 1512, the Ottoman Assassins aided Ezio Auditore in setting sail for Cappadocia to find the last Masyaf key, as the Janissaries were blocking the port to make sure Ezio did not leave the city. While Ezio destroyed the Great Chain that spanned across the Golden Horn and burned the Ottoman fleet, Yusuf and a group of other Assassins kept the guards at bay. Ezio successfully opened the harbor, and joined Piri Reis on the ship to Cappadocia.[12]
Conflict with Shehzade Ahmet[]
Ahmet confronting Ezio
Before Ezio left, he had asked Yusuf to protect a woman named Sofia Sartor, a bookseller Ezio expressed interest in. Yusuf agreed, and he and several other Assassins took up positions around Sofia's bookstore to ensure her safety. While Ezio was able to eliminate Manuel Palaiologos, who he believed to be the Grand Master of the Byzantine Templars, in Cappadocia, he soon discovered that the true Templar leader was the Ottoman Prince Ahmet, Suleiman's uncle.[12]
Arriving in Cappadocia to confront Ezio, Ahmet explained his plan to use the knowledge inside Altaïr's library to find the Grand Temple, which he believed would grant him the power to end all feuds that divided men. He then asked that Ezio hand him the Masyaf keys and, after the Mentor refused, Ahmet threatened to harm Sofia.[12]
Ezio and Ahmet subsequently raced back to Constantinople, with the latter arriving first and ordering his men to attack Sofia's book shop. Though Yusuf and his Assassins attempted to defend Sofia, they were ultimately killed by the Templars and Sofia was kidnapped. Ezio discovered Yusuf's body upon his return to Constantinople and rallied the remaining Ottoman Assassins to strike back at Ahmet, who was hiding in the city's arsenal.[12]
Ezio rallying the Ottoman Assassins to fight Ahmet
The Assassins led a full-on assault on the arsenal, and numerous Assassins and Templars faced off against each other. Ezio reached Ahmet deep inside the arsenal, but had to spare his life in order to find out Sofia's location. Offering a deal to trade Sofia for the Masyaf keys, Ahmet and the Templars left the arsenal.[12] Before going to the exchange near Galata Tower, Ezio appointed Yusuf's lieutenant Dogan to become the new leader of the Ottoman Assassins.[16]
Suspecting the meeting with Ahmet to be a trap, Ezio had the Assassins take up positions around the perimeter, and they jumped in as soon as Ezio's suspicions became true. Nonetheless, Ezio managed to successfully rescue Sofia, and the two of them chased after Ahmet in the countryside around Constantinople.[12]
After a long chase, Ezio and Ahmet ultimately found themselves falling from a cliff, only to be saved by Ezio using one of his parachutes. Right afterwards, they were joined by Ahmet's brother Selim, Suleiman's father, who had just become Sultan and was on his way back to Constantinople. Selim attacked and strangled Ahmet, and eventually shoved his brother off another cliff to his death. Though the Sultan intended to kill Ezio as well, he spared his life due to his son's respect for the Assassins and banished him from Constantinople instead.[12]
Nonetheless, Ezio and Sofia returned to Constantinople a few months later, with Suleiman's knowledge and Selim's temporary consent. Ezio made preparations to leave and to stabilize the Assassins in the city. Azize, a female Assassin who had taken care of Sofia's bookshop in her absence, was allowed to run the shop full-time and the Brotherhood bought it from Sofia. With Dogan as the leader of the Ottoman Assassins, Ezio knew that the Brotherhood would continue to thrive. Eventually, Ezio left for Rome with Sofia, who had become his fiancée.[16]
Purged[]
The Ottoman Brotherhood was among the Assassin guilds that were wiped out by the Templars in their Great Purge in December 2000.[3]
Origins and appearance[]
Ezio with a group of Ottoman Assassins
By the 16th century, the Ottoman Assassins wore tanned white Assassin robes with an orange chest-plate, and blue pants. In some cases, Assassins also wore Ottoman masks underneath their hoods, and some Assassins always wore their hood down, like Yusuf Tazim, in contrast to common Assassin custom. Each of them were equipped with a Hidden Blade and a Hookblade, which they used for fast and easy climbing and for transporting via ziplines, so they could make their way to their destination fast.[12]
During the time of the Ottoman Empire, people from various countries and regions around Turkey were attracted to the empire, which resulted in the Assassin Brotherhood containing members from various different cultures and ancestries.[12]
Techniques[]
An Ottoman Assassin performing double assassination
The basic techniques of the Ottoman Assassins were similar to those of the Levantine Assassins, their spiritual forebearers. However, the Ottoman Assassins invented their own upgraded version of the Hidden Blade, called the Hookblade, which allowed for faster climbing and faster travel via Constantinople's ziplines.[12]
The Ottoman Assassins were also introduced to various types of bombs, by trade from China. They trained themselves in their usage, and the Master Assassin Piri Reis eventually created more specialized bombs with experience gained in the Ottoman navy.[12]
Members[]
- Byzantine Empire
- Ammon
- Hytham
- Basim Ibn Ishaq (leader; c. 870)
- Ottoman Empire
- Ece Ashkar[17]
- Azize
- Dogan (leader; 1512 – ?)
- Evraniki
- Heyreddin
- Murat Bin Husn
- Irini
- Ishak Pasha (Mentor; c. 1490s)
- Kasim
- Yerman Ragar
- Piri Reis
- Yusuf Tazim (leader; c. 1509 – 1512)
- Vali cel Tradat (betrayed)
- Aleksei Zima
Allies and puppets[]
- Byzantine Empire
- Byzantine-Ottoman Wars
Gallery[]
Appearances[]
- Assassin's Creed: The Secret Crusade (first appearance)
- Assassin's Creed: Revelations – Discover Your Legacy
- Assassin's Creed: Revelations
- Assassin's Creed: Revelations novel
- Assassin's Creed: Recollection
- Assassin's Creed: Memories (indirect mention only)
- Assassin's Creed: Unity
- Assassin's Creed Unity: Abstergo Entertainment – Employee Handbook
- Assassin's Creed: The Official Movie Novelization
- Assassin's Creed: Rebellion
- Assassin's Creed: Valhalla (mentioned only)
- Assassin's Creed: Valhalla – Song of Glory
- Assassin's Creed: The Silk Road
- Assassin's Creed: The Golden City
- Assassin's Creed: Mirage (indirect mention only)
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Assassin's Creed: Valhalla – Database: The Hidden Ones
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: Bloodstone – Book 1
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Assassin's Creed: The Fall – Issue #3
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: The Essential Guide
- ↑ Assassin's Creed Unity: Abstergo Entertainment – Employee Handbook
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: Mirage – Notes from Basim's travels: "Tiding from the West"
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: Mirage – Notes from Basim's travels: "Dual-Wielding"
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: The Golden City
- ↑ Assassin's Creed Valhalla: Song of Glory – Issue #3
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: Valhalla – The Prodigal Prince
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 Assassin's Creed: The Secret Crusade
- ↑ 12.00 12.01 12.02 12.03 12.04 12.05 12.06 12.07 12.08 12.09 12.10 12.11 12.12 12.13 12.14 12.15 12.16 12.17 12.18 12.19 12.20 Assassin's Creed: Revelations
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: Project Legacy – Contracts
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: Revelations – Mediterranean Defense
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 Assassin's Creed: Revelations novel
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: Rebellion
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