10 Best Historical Figures in Assassin's Creed Games
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VOICE OVER: Kirsten Ria Squibb
WRITTEN BY: Caitlin Johnson
Who says you can't learn anything from a video game? In this video we're looking at characters from the Assassin's Creed franchise who existed in real life! Our list includes Charles Dickens “Assassin's Creed Syndicate” (2015), Caesar & Cleopatra “Assassin's Creed Origins” (2017), Benjamin Franklin “Assassin's Creed III” (2012) & “Assassin's Creed Rogue” (2014), Leonardo da Vinci “Assassin's Creed II” (2009) & “Assassin's Creed Brotherhood” (2010) and more!
Script written by Caitlin Johnson
Welcome to MojoPlays! Today, we’re looking at the 10 best historical figures in “Assassin’s Creed” games. Who says you can’t learn anything from a video game?
Fair warning, there are going to be some minor spoilers ahead for “Valhalla”.
One of the most famous English kings, Alfred the Great is so named because of his efforts fending off many Viking invasions, encouraging widespread literacy, and unifying the country’s warring kingdoms; he became the first monarch of all of England. In typical Ubisoft form though, Alfred takes on a more villainous role than history generally affords him; now, he’s the sinister enemy of the Raven Clan and the most important Templar in England. In fact, it eventually comes out that Alfred is the father of the Templar Order as it exists by the time of the Crusades. So much for being “great”.
The Tyrant himself, it wouldn’t be a game about the French Revolution without him. A hugely influential figure in French history, it was under Robespierre’s leadership that the First French Republic’s Reign of Terror began, and King Louis XVI was executed. Arno and Élise finally make Robespierre’s acquaintance at the height of the Thermidorian Reaction. Famously, as Robespierre was violently ousted, he was shot non-lethally in the face; in “Unity”, it’s Élise herself who does this while trying to find the location of the game’s main villain. And Robespierre wasn’t the only leader of France to be encountered during “Unity”; Arno also bumps into a young Napoleon Bonaparte.
The Ottoman Empire’s longest-reigning Sultan, Ezio encounters a young, idealistic Suleiman during his time in medieval Turkey. The highly educated prince gets involved with the Assassins many years before he’d eventually become Suleiman the Magnificent, given that name because of his widespread reforms and military victories. He and Ezio’s interests briefly align, and it is even Suleiman who helps Ezio finally make it across the Black Sea to Cappadocia and saves his life more than once. Of all the royals and monarchs you brush shoulders with during these games, Suleiman is one of the few who’s actually likable and remains a key ally throughout.
These two legendary female pirates sailed together on the high seas in the company of Calico Jack, who’s much less memorable though he does also appear in “Black Flag”. Bonny and Read famously dressed up as men during their time at sea, and in keeping with this, when you first encounter Read she’s in disguise. Of all the pirates Kenway befriends, these two are some of the most colorful, though he also ends up running into Blackbeard – perhaps the most famous pirate of all time. Read, Blackbeard, and Kenway are all masterminds behind freeing Nassau from the Royal Navy. Wining and dining the most notorious pirates in history is definitely a fun way to spend your time.
Of course, the Victorian era’s most famous author showed up in “Syndicate” and almost immediately met the Frye twins. He enlists their help in some of the whole series’ best side missions, where you join him as an investigator for the Ghost Club. At Dickens’ behest, you’ll debunk a haunted house, a ghostly carriage, and even unravel the mystery behind the monstrous Spring-Heeled Jack. The best part is that this is historically accurate; Charles Dickens really did join the Ghost Club and spent time proving paranormal occurrences were hoaxes. But if that Charles isn’t to your liking, you can also help Charles Darwin out a few times when he’s the victim of some unflattering caricatures.
“AC” fans will know him as Al Mualim, while historians better recognize this figure as Rashid ad-Din Sinan. There are plenty of key differences between the Al Mualim in the game and in reality - like how the real guy never found an ancient artifact capable of bending people to his will - but also some similarities. Sinan was the leader of the Order of Assassins that really did operate out of Masyaf during the Crusades. He’s a major character in the first game, initially being Altaïr’s teacher and leader, and eventually becoming the main villain when his machinations on the Apple of Eden were made clear.
There are many famous, Roman Emperors, but Julius Caesar remains the most recognizable. His long-running affair with Cleopatra VII, herself one of Egypt’s most notorious rulers, is played out in its entirety during “Assassin’s Creed Origins”, as Aya works directly under Cleopatra to oust her brother from Egypt’s throne. And “Origins’s” story goes on for so long that we get to play through Caesar’s death on the Ides of March when he was stabbed in broad daylight by his closest allies. The game goes deep into the political intrigue behind the end of Caesar’s life and how Rome came to control Egypt, spending lots of time with these major historical figures.
You’ll meet a lot of bizarre people in your odyssey across the Greek world, but the Athenian politician Alkibiades is a cut above the rest. You first encounter him at a party Pericles is hosting, getting up to no good with half a dozen people in a back room. But he keeps returning and gets funnier every time, asking for your help with a series of unusual side missions that turn out to be elaborate schemes to help his friends. And where Alkibiades goes, it seems Socrates is never far behind, always with another riddle to get on your nerves.
You run into all the founding fathers in “Assassin’s Creed III” sooner or later, helping George Washington and other key revolutionary figures in their war against the British. But the most fun character to spend a few missions helping is, by far, Benjamin Franklin, who spends the game inventing useful devices and giving Haytham some choice advice where it comes to “older women”. He’s back again in the tyrannical, “King Washington” timeline, and even shows his face in both “Rogue” and “Unity”, encountering Shay and Arno and accidentally helping Shay to kill Arno’s father.
Quite possibly the greatest inventor in human history, Leonardo da Vinci is one of the best characters to ever appear in “Assassin’s Creed”. Ezio first meets Leonardo before he leaves Florence and gives him a few new tools – he even loans Ezio the use of his flying machine at one point. By the time “Brotherhood” rolls around, Leonardo has been forced to design war machines for Cesare Borgia – including an early tank and a machine gun; he asks Ezio to sneak into the top-secret compounds and destroy both the machines and the blueprints. He’s a great character and his friendship with Ezio is great each time Leonardo returns.
10 Best Historical Figures in Assassin’s Creed Games
Welcome to MojoPlays! Today, we’re looking at the 10 best historical figures in “Assassin’s Creed” games. Who says you can’t learn anything from a video game?
Fair warning, there are going to be some minor spoilers ahead for “Valhalla”.
Alfred the Great
“Assassin’s Creed Valhalla” (2020)
One of the most famous English kings, Alfred the Great is so named because of his efforts fending off many Viking invasions, encouraging widespread literacy, and unifying the country’s warring kingdoms; he became the first monarch of all of England. In typical Ubisoft form though, Alfred takes on a more villainous role than history generally affords him; now, he’s the sinister enemy of the Raven Clan and the most important Templar in England. In fact, it eventually comes out that Alfred is the father of the Templar Order as it exists by the time of the Crusades. So much for being “great”.
Robespierre
“Assassin’s Creed Unity” (2014)
The Tyrant himself, it wouldn’t be a game about the French Revolution without him. A hugely influential figure in French history, it was under Robespierre’s leadership that the First French Republic’s Reign of Terror began, and King Louis XVI was executed. Arno and Élise finally make Robespierre’s acquaintance at the height of the Thermidorian Reaction. Famously, as Robespierre was violently ousted, he was shot non-lethally in the face; in “Unity”, it’s Élise herself who does this while trying to find the location of the game’s main villain. And Robespierre wasn’t the only leader of France to be encountered during “Unity”; Arno also bumps into a young Napoleon Bonaparte.
Suleiman I
“Assassin’s Creed Revelations” (2011)
The Ottoman Empire’s longest-reigning Sultan, Ezio encounters a young, idealistic Suleiman during his time in medieval Turkey. The highly educated prince gets involved with the Assassins many years before he’d eventually become Suleiman the Magnificent, given that name because of his widespread reforms and military victories. He and Ezio’s interests briefly align, and it is even Suleiman who helps Ezio finally make it across the Black Sea to Cappadocia and saves his life more than once. Of all the royals and monarchs you brush shoulders with during these games, Suleiman is one of the few who’s actually likable and remains a key ally throughout.
Anne Bonny & Mary Read
“Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag” (2013)
These two legendary female pirates sailed together on the high seas in the company of Calico Jack, who’s much less memorable though he does also appear in “Black Flag”. Bonny and Read famously dressed up as men during their time at sea, and in keeping with this, when you first encounter Read she’s in disguise. Of all the pirates Kenway befriends, these two are some of the most colorful, though he also ends up running into Blackbeard – perhaps the most famous pirate of all time. Read, Blackbeard, and Kenway are all masterminds behind freeing Nassau from the Royal Navy. Wining and dining the most notorious pirates in history is definitely a fun way to spend your time.
Charles Dickens
“Assassin’s Creed Syndicate” (2015)
Of course, the Victorian era’s most famous author showed up in “Syndicate” and almost immediately met the Frye twins. He enlists their help in some of the whole series’ best side missions, where you join him as an investigator for the Ghost Club. At Dickens’ behest, you’ll debunk a haunted house, a ghostly carriage, and even unravel the mystery behind the monstrous Spring-Heeled Jack. The best part is that this is historically accurate; Charles Dickens really did join the Ghost Club and spent time proving paranormal occurrences were hoaxes. But if that Charles isn’t to your liking, you can also help Charles Darwin out a few times when he’s the victim of some unflattering caricatures.
Al Mualim
“Assassin’s Creed” (2007)
“AC” fans will know him as Al Mualim, while historians better recognize this figure as Rashid ad-Din Sinan. There are plenty of key differences between the Al Mualim in the game and in reality - like how the real guy never found an ancient artifact capable of bending people to his will - but also some similarities. Sinan was the leader of the Order of Assassins that really did operate out of Masyaf during the Crusades. He’s a major character in the first game, initially being Altaïr’s teacher and leader, and eventually becoming the main villain when his machinations on the Apple of Eden were made clear.
Caesar & Cleopatra
“Assassin’s Creed Origins” (2017)
There are many famous, Roman Emperors, but Julius Caesar remains the most recognizable. His long-running affair with Cleopatra VII, herself one of Egypt’s most notorious rulers, is played out in its entirety during “Assassin’s Creed Origins”, as Aya works directly under Cleopatra to oust her brother from Egypt’s throne. And “Origins’s” story goes on for so long that we get to play through Caesar’s death on the Ides of March when he was stabbed in broad daylight by his closest allies. The game goes deep into the political intrigue behind the end of Caesar’s life and how Rome came to control Egypt, spending lots of time with these major historical figures.
Alkibiades
“Assassin’s Creed Odyssey” (2018)
You’ll meet a lot of bizarre people in your odyssey across the Greek world, but the Athenian politician Alkibiades is a cut above the rest. You first encounter him at a party Pericles is hosting, getting up to no good with half a dozen people in a back room. But he keeps returning and gets funnier every time, asking for your help with a series of unusual side missions that turn out to be elaborate schemes to help his friends. And where Alkibiades goes, it seems Socrates is never far behind, always with another riddle to get on your nerves.
Benjamin Franklin
“Assassin’s Creed III” (2012) & “Assassin’s Creed Rogue” (2014)
You run into all the founding fathers in “Assassin’s Creed III” sooner or later, helping George Washington and other key revolutionary figures in their war against the British. But the most fun character to spend a few missions helping is, by far, Benjamin Franklin, who spends the game inventing useful devices and giving Haytham some choice advice where it comes to “older women”. He’s back again in the tyrannical, “King Washington” timeline, and even shows his face in both “Rogue” and “Unity”, encountering Shay and Arno and accidentally helping Shay to kill Arno’s father.
Leonardo da Vinci
“Assassin’s Creed II” (2009) & “Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood” (2010)
Quite possibly the greatest inventor in human history, Leonardo da Vinci is one of the best characters to ever appear in “Assassin’s Creed”. Ezio first meets Leonardo before he leaves Florence and gives him a few new tools – he even loans Ezio the use of his flying machine at one point. By the time “Brotherhood” rolls around, Leonardo has been forced to design war machines for Cesare Borgia – including an early tank and a machine gun; he asks Ezio to sneak into the top-secret compounds and destroy both the machines and the blueprints. He’s a great character and his friendship with Ezio is great each time Leonardo returns.
