The 10 Most Historically Accurate Assassinations in Assassin's Creed
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VOICE OVER: Aaron Brown
WRITTEN BY: Caitlin Johnson
Step into the shadows of history with our countdown of the most accurate assassinations in Assassin's Creed! From ancient Egypt to Revolutionary France, we explore how Ubisoft blended fact and fiction to recreate some of history's most infamous deaths. Which historical figure's demise surprised you the most? Our list includes the dramatic fall of Julius Caesar, the mysterious end of Cleopatra, and the brutal fate of the Pazzi conspirators. We'll also dive into lesser-known figures like John Pitcairn and Marco Barbarigo, whose deaths were faithfully recreated in the games. Join us as we separate historical fact from video game fiction!
10 Historically Accurate Assassinations in Assassin’s Creed Games
Welcome to MojoPlays, and today we’re looking at the most historically accurate deaths in “Assassin’s Creed” games.
The Pazzi Conspirators
“Assassin’s Creed II” (2009)Sometimes, “Assassin’s Creed” doesn’t need to take any creative license with historical events, because the real history is so exciting. The Pazzi Conspiracy is one such case. It began when Lorenzo and Giuliano de’ Medici were attacked by the conspirators, something the game reproduces as a mission where Ezio must protect Lorenzo in the aftermath. And in real life, too, the conspirators responsible were ruthlessly hunted down and killed by mobs of Florentines loyal to the Medicis. Ezio doesn’t need to kill all eighty of them, but he does track half a dozen of them across Tuscany. And when Ezio kills Francesco, he hangs his body from the Palazzo della Signoria, which the mobs DID do to the conspirators in real life.
Sibrand
“Assassin’s Creed” (2007)It’s a little difficulty to ascertain the historical accuracy of the first game. Not a lot of written record survives about the biggest figures of the day as they fought for control of the Holy Land. With that said, some are still more correct than others; Robert de Sable, for instance, actually died in 1193, not 1191 as the game depicts – while William of Montferrat died in Lebanon, not Syria. Sibrand, though, DID die in 1191 and in the city of Acre. Unfortunately, like many Crusaders, we don’t know how he died. We actually don’t know his first name, either. But because of that, nobody can prove that he WASN’T assassinated in Acre’s port – not without a time machine, anyway.
Marco Barbarigo
“Assassin’s Creed II” (2009)Though the most bombastic assassination in “Assassin’s Creed II” was flying into the palace to assassinate Carlo Grimaldi, not only did da Vinci’s flying machine almost definitely never work, but Grimaldi wasn’t a real person. However, Ezio’s other Venetian targets, the Barbarigo family, WERE real. In-game, Ezio uses Barbarigo’s brother Agostino to plot Marco’s death so that he can take over as the Doge of Venice – which he did. Ezio is a noble himself working in tandem with other Italian aristocrats to track down Marco at a private party and kill him. However, the dates are a little off; Barbarigo died in August, while in the game his death takes place during Venice’s Carnival, which ends on Mardi Gras.
Robespierre
“Assassin’s Creed Unity” (2014)He’s the only entry on our list not personally assassinated by the player, but he still encounters them during the dramatic coup that ousted him from power. Élise and Arno track him down in the Hotel de Ville with the rebels at the gate, and we see that, in Ubisoft’s version of events, Élise is the one who shoots Robespierre in the jaw and leaves him to the wolves. In real life, he WAS shot in the jaw and nursed the injury all night until his eventual execution the following day. We don’t know exactly how it happened, but most historians believe the story that Robespierre’s injury was actually self-inflicted in a failed attempt to avoid execution.
Cleopatra
“Assassin’s Creed Origins” (2017)Popular myth says that Cleopatra died after being bitten by an asp, a venomous snake native to Egypt. But this isn’t true, and in fact, Cleopatra is generally believed to have taken her own life with poison. Other scholars, however, suspect that she was murdered; as her final resting place has never been discovered, we have no way to know for sure. In “Origins”, Aya, angered at Cleopatra betraying the people of Egypt in favor of Rome, persuades Cleopatra to end it all, or Aya will return and finish the job herself. We don’t see the moment it happens and it’s all implication, but with the context of Cleopatra’s imminent death, it’s clear what Aya means.
Al-Mutawakkil
“Assassin’s Creed Mirage” (2023)In 861, the Caliph al-Mutawakkil was murdered by his own guards as part of a long plot to oust him in favour of his oldest son after he angered the powerful military commanders he’d come to rely on. In “Mirage”, the Caliph is holding an Isu artifact for the Order of the Ancients, and Basim sneaks into the Winter Palace in Anbar to steal it. In the struggle, Nehal assassinates the Caliph and his second and favorite son walks in on the scene. Though no thief was involved with the assassination in real life, the instability that followed the Caliph’s assassination drives much of “Mirage”.
Charles Lee
“Assassin’s Creed III” (2012)After decades of conflict, Connor finally tracks down Charles Lee, the last Templar on his list. He pursues him through Boston as Lee tries to leave and the two engage in an infamous chase, until Lee ultimately escapes and then goes all the way to Philadelphia. If you don’t know the details of how and where Charles Lee actually died, you may have thought that Lee, gravely wounded, going all the way to Philly just for Connor to kill him in a bar was strange. But it’s because Lee, of course, did not die in Boston, but during a visit to Philadelphia, hence the long pursuit. He wasn’t assassinated, though, instead dying of a fever.
Julius Caesar
“Assassin’s Creed Origins” (2017)Before going for Cleopatra, Aya has a different famous face on her list: Julius Caesar. She arrives in Rome after it’s become clear that Caesar is being manipulated by the Order of the Ancients, led by Flavius and Septimius. In disguise, she sneaks into the Roman senate and observes Ceasar making a speech to his fellow Romans. Only when Aya steps out of the shadows and assassinates him do the other senators join in, including Brutus, as we find out that the senators responsible were some of the first members of the Hidden Ones. This is all relatively accurate to how the Ides of March played out in real life.
Bartholomew Roberts
“Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag” (2013)Following Roberts’ brutal betrayal of Edward, he ends up being one of the last targets in the game. Edward pursues him to West Africa again when Roberts flees at the last minute. Edward boards the Jackdaw and begins to chase the Royal Fortune with Roberts on board, eventually getting near enough to enter open conflict. He boards the Royal Fortune and assassinates Roberts, who asks him as his dying wish to bury him at sea to stop the Templars from finding his body. This is all very true; Roberts did die during a sea battle off the coast of Africa, and DID wish to be buried at sea – which he was.
John Pitcairn
“Assassin’s Creed III” (2012)The Battle of Bunker Hill is one of the most infamous missions in the series for its tedious optional objectives, one of which being to air assassinate the British leader, John Pitcairn, without being detected. By carefully manoeuvring through the enemy camp this is relatively simple but requires you to use one specific platforming route to reach Pitcairn on his horse. In real life, Pitcairn did die in battle at Bunker Hill, though he wasn’t stabbed by somebody jumping from a tree. He was shot and killed in the battle’s trenches while leading his men, rather than standing back and sending them to their deaths. But you CAN shoot him if you like – you just won’t get full synchronization if you do.
Let us know in the comments which “Assassin’s Creed” events had you picking up a history book.
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