Assassin's Creed or Reality?

               ASSASSIN!!! The word itself inspires fear but non could do so more harshly than the Nizari Ismailis known as the Assassins whose reputation forced their enemies to wear body armor in even the most intimate of settings. The Nizari Ismailis were a sect that branched off of the Shiite muslims. Our modern day word assassin was born from the word hashshashin meaning person of no worth or hash smoker.

               

               Hassan-I-Sabah founded the Nizari Ismailis in 1090 following the teachings of two controversial figures, an eighth century imam named Ismail and an twelfth imam named Nizar. During his travels through the Middle East Sabah acquired the ill attention of a powerful and wealthy Turkish vizier Nizam-al-Mulk forcing Sabah to go on the run. During this period he came across the fortress at Alamut in northern Syria. Sabah took control of the fortress by using a tactic that became an infamous Assassin trademark. During the course of two years Sabah inserted his followers into the fortress undercover, after which Sabah smuggled himself into the fortress and offered to buy the fortress from the Seljuk official, realizing he was outnumbered he agreed to transfer ownership to Sabah. After obtaining the fortress at Alamut, Sabah wasted no time in expanding the influence of the Assassins along with the operational reach. Sabah had his old enemy Nizam-al-Mulk murdered and continued to push further into Persia sparking a war of several years against an army led by the son of Nizam-al-Mulk. Ending in 1109 when the death of a Sultan caused the recall of his army.

               

                The next major enemies of the Assassins were Nur ad-Din and the infamous Saladin, although Rashid al-Din was able to keep the crusaders at bay by making offerings to them. Nur ad-Din and Saladin viewed the Shiite views on Muslim faith as blasphemous causing both Sunni tribes to attack the Assassins. Following the death of Nur ad-Din Saladin became the biggest threat to the Assassins laying siege to the Castle at Masyaf. After many failed attempts on the life of Saladin, he broke off the attack on Masyaf for unknown reasons but within Assassin folklore the story is that the leader of the Assassins Sinan sent a messenger to the court of Saladin, where Saladin witnessed this messenger ask two of his strongest body guards if they would kill for Sinan nodding they unsheathed their swords, causing Saladin to fear for his life.

               

               After the assassination of the king of Jerusalem Conrad de Montferrat Sinan died months later and Saladin following in death briefly after that, instantly throwing the region into destabilization which the Mongol Horde led by Genghis Khan capitalized on chaos causing the Assassins to scatter. This defeat was so devastating that it caused the Assassins to switch from Shiite to Sunni, and in 1260 they joined forces with the Marmelukes driving out the Mongol invaders. But this victory was short lived as the Marmelukes betrayed the Assassins fearing their return to their former power and swiftly captured the remaining Assassin strongholds.

               

               There are a few parallels between the Nizari Ismailis and the Brotherhood from the Assassin's Creed franchise. The use of hash before missions, the drinking of drugged wine in the ceremony of ascension to Assassin from acolyte. The deepest running comparison being the restriction of only targeting political or military figures.

-Lucky