11.20 assassins creed notes & hw PDF

Preview

Summary

Anne F. Broadbridge PhD
...

Description

11.20 



Marco Polo o Venetian businessman and traveler o 1270s Reading 1: The Old Man of the Mountain: Author: Marco Polo, Italian Merchant and Traveler o What is the valley like? Why is it this way? Modeled after paradise  Fruit garden, aromas, paintings, art  Lovely skilled ladies o Sing, dance, play music, skilled in arts of love  Honey, milk, wine, water flow through palace  To resemble Paraside o How does the Old Man of the Mountain interact with the brave young men?  Drugs young men, carried into garden. Wake up and spend 5 days in paradise, drugged again and taken out. Would do anything to get back into paradise. o What is the effect on the young men of the Old Man’s behavior?  Willing to do the old man’s bidding in all things  Including/Especially killing people Example of o Historical source that requires extreme caution o Kernel of truth: young men, assassins, did exist, did kill people o But: garden, ladies, opium o As far as we can tell were wishful fantasies of a man in prison o If you encounter similar ideas about assassins: WRONG based on sources like Marco Polo Reality o Assasins represent a new version of Shiite Islam o They grow out of Fatimid Ismaili state  Branch out from the Fatimids  Form their own sect Fatimids in Egypt o We left off with caliph al-Hakim 







o o

 People thought he was God  One night he just disappeared 1021: al-Hakim died/went into Occultation His heirs were all weak – generals took over  Fatimid Caliphs became figureheads, military men in charge  Just like the BUYIDS taking over the ABBASIDS  And the TURKS  And the SELJUKS













Hasan Sabah o Iranian Ismaili who trains in Egypt as a missionary  Really liked the heir to the throne, Nizar o When Hasan goes to work as a missionary, he goes off to work in Nizar’s name Alamut (the Eagle’s Nest) o 1090: Hasan turns attention to Seljuk fortress of Alamut  On top of mountain o Converts the local villagers to Ismaili Shiism o Sneaks into Alamut disguised as a (Sunni) teacher o Converts the garrison (soldiers) to Ismaili Shiism o Forces out the Seljuk governor and takes over This allows Hasan to: o Establish secret state of the Assassins inside Seljuk state o Lasts for 166 years (1090-1256) o From Alamut: Hasan sends out missionaries, Assassins o Seljuks send many armies to kill him, but they all fail o You can see why Seljuks set up madrasas to fight Fatimid missionaries Things go wrong o Fatimid caliph dies (1094) o Generals put weak son, Ahmad, on the throne  Not Nizar, the heir o Hasan Sabah breaks all ties with Cairo  Tells Persian Ismailis that he represents Nizar  Nizar is in Occultation o Nizaris split off completely from the Fatimids… forever Assassins as organization o Secret society within Nizari branch of Ismailis o Used assassination for political means o From them: English words Assassin, Assassination  Comes from Ar. Hashashin, Hashish-eaters o Crusaders believed Assassins used hashish before killing people  Hard to judge if true or false o Assassins called themselves: People of the Inner Truth Actual Assassinations o Daring and public (maximum attention) o Murderers were young men – up to 20 o Method: Assassins disguised selves as Sufis  Came physically close to victim  Murdered victim with knife o Then cut down by horrified bodyguards



o If kept alive: tortured, revealed nothing; executed Reading 2: The List: Author: Rashid al-Din, Vizier for the Mongols o What kinds of people are victims of the Assassins? People in positions of power  Generals/commanders  Governors  Eunuchs – had high level government jobs  Lieutenants  Nizam al-Mulk and 2 sons  Ministers  Juris consults (legal experts)  Magistrate (judges)  Fatimid caliphs  Imams  Abbasids caliphs  King of Georgia  Crusaders  Sultans What are they doing? o Wanted to topple existing governments and establish own state First Victim o 1092: Nizam al-Mulk o During Ramadan o Broke fast with Seljuk Sultan o On way back to his own quarters.. An Assassin disguised as a Sufi stabbed him o He knew it was coming 

 

...