Facebook Twitter Instagram
    Thursday, January 26
    Trending
    • Animated Map of the 2022 Russian Invasion of Ukraine (through January 26th, 2023)
    • This Day in History on January 26th
    • History Short: Who is the Octomom?
    • This Day in History on January 25th
    • History Short: The Rise and Fall of Sir Walter Raleigh
    • Headline: The Doomsday Clock Has Moved Closer to Midnight Than Ever Before!
    • Headlines: 2023 Oscar Nominations Released!
    • This Day in History on January 24th
    History and Headlines
    • Arts & Entertainment
      • Cinema & TV
      • Games
      • Literature
      • Music
      • Sports
      • Video Games
    • Bizarre Bulletin
      • Misconceptions
      • The Bizarre
      • The Paranormal
      • The Unexplained
    • Lifestyle
      • Animals/Pets
      • Fashion
      • Food
      • Health/Medicine
      • Home Improvement
      • Horoscopes
      • Travel
    • Science & Tech
      • Inventions
      • Nature
      • Vehicles
    • Society
      • Business and Economics
      • Crime
      • Military
      • Politics
      • Religion
      • Society
    • About
      • Welcome to Our Site!
      • This Day in History
      • Table of Contents: A History of the World
      • Online History Textbooks
      • A Guide to Some of Our Favorite Scholars and Educators
      • Advance Screenings and Movie Reviews Archive
      • Schedule of Video Adaptations of Our Articles
    • Friends
      • Armchair History TV
      • Fact Fiend
      • RealClearHistory
      • Simply Charly
      • TopTenz
      • ​Unique Interpretations
    History and Headlines
    You are at:Home»April»April 28»April 28, 1192: What Was the Order of Assassins? (Third Crusade)
    April 28

    April 28, 1192: What Was the Order of Assassins? (Third Crusade)

    Major DanBy Major DanApril 28, 2018Updated:June 17, 2022No Comments4 Mins Read
    Email Facebook LinkedIn Pinterest Reddit Telegram Tumblr Twitter VKontakte WhatsApp

    A Brief History

    On April 28, 1192, the Christian King of Jerusalem, Conrad of Montferrat, perhaps better known as Conrad I, was murdered by an Islamic organization called the Order of Assassins, or the Hashshashins. A nobleman from Northern Italy, Conrad was one of the chief architects of the Third Crusade (1189-1192) and had only served as the elected King of Jerusalem for mere days before being assassinated.

    Digging Deeper

    Conrad was murdered while walking back to his home from a visit to Bishop Phillip of Dreux, Bishop of Beauvais, stabbed in the back and side by 2 assassins even though Conrad was accompanied by bodyguards. Those body guards killed one of the assassins and captured the other, not surprisingly torturing the surviving murderer to learn of who had put the hit team up to the murder. Under torture, the assassin named King Richard I of England, who was the benefactor of King Guy of Jerusalem, Conrad’s predecessor whom Conrad had usurped while Guy was held captive by the “Saracen” Saladin. (Saracen was a term used by Christians that evolved as a catch-all moniker of Muslims fighting against the Crusaders.) When Guy was released by Saladin, he returned to reclaim his throne in Jerusalem but was foiled by Conrad’s refusal to step aside.

    Imaginary portrait of Conrad, c. 1843, by François-Édouard Picot for the Salles des Croisades at Versailles

    The Assassins were an Islamic sect of mostly unknown origin, probably formed in what is now Iran in the 11th Century about the time of or just before the First Crusade. The Assassins were followers of Hassan-i Sabbah (c.1050-1124), the order’s first Grandmaster. Sabbah was apparently a popular and charismatic religious leader that had fairly widespread support throughout much of the Islamic world, especially among the Shia branch of Islam. The Assassins were formed to further the desires of Sabbah and enforce his agenda, while taking vengeance against enemies of Sabbah. It is the revenge aspect of the Assassins that we remember best today, and the very name of the Order has come to mean murderer.

    Hassan-e Sabbah

    Sabbah and his Assassins fought against the Crusader Christians in a subtle, covert fashion, “assassinating” Christian leaders, both lay and clerical, throughout the Middle East. Politicians and Generals could not be safe anywhere, though the Assassins generally did not bother with or harm regular Christian people. Intended victims of the Assassins were not limited to Christians, as the Order also targeted Islamic enemies of the Ismaili branch of Islam that their Order adhered to.

    Much like the fictional James Bond style of modern assassin, the Assassins were cold and calculating, patiently stalking their victims before striking. The Assassins were expected to be literate and intelligent enough to learn the language and ways of their victims to better facilitate their murderous operations. The psychological effect of the assassinations was such that many murders not perpetrated by the sect were attributed to the Assassins.

    The Order of Assassins also played a more traditional military role and was finally obliterated by the Mongol Invasion of the 13th Century, which weakened the sect enough that other Islamic sects were able to defeat the remaining Assassin strongholds.

    The Order of Assassins is acknowledged today in many cultural references, including books, movies and video games such as Assassin’s Creed (which also spawned a feature film in 2016, also titled Assassin’s Creed.)

    This is the cover art for Assassin’s Creed. The cover art copyright is believed to belong to Ubisoft.

    Question for students (and subscribers): What other video games, role playing games, movies, and books are you aware of that reference the Order of the Assassins? Please share your favorite cultural references with our other readers in the comments section below this article.

    If you liked this article and would like to receive notification of new articles, please feel welcome to subscribe to History and Headlines by liking us on Facebook and becoming one of our patrons!

    Your readership is much appreciated!

    Historical Evidence

    For more information, please see…

    Hodgson, Marshall. The Secret Order of Assassins: The Struggle of the Early Nizari Ismai’lis Against the Islamic World. University of Pennsylvania Press, 2005.

    Wilson, Colin. Order of Assassins: The Psychology of Murder. Diversion Books, 2015.

    You can also watch a video version of this article on YouTube.

    Share. Email Facebook LinkedIn Pinterest Reddit Telegram Twitter Tumblr
    Previous ArticleNovember 27, 1095: Pope Urban II Calls for a Crusade
    Next Article September 24, 1272: What was the Real Last Crusade? (No Indiana Jones This Time!)
    Major Dan

    Major Dan is a retired veteran of the United States Marine Corps. He served during the Cold War and has traveled to many countries around the world. Prior to his military service, he graduated from Cleveland State University, having majored in sociology. Following his military service, he worked as a police officer eventually earning the rank of captain prior to his retirement.

    Related Posts

    Animated Map of the 2022 Russian Invasion of Ukraine (through January 26th, 2023)

    January 26, 2023

    History Short: The Rise and Fall of Sir Walter Raleigh

    January 25, 2023

    Headline: The Doomsday Clock Has Moved Closer to Midnight Than Ever Before!

    January 24, 2023
    Follow Us!
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
    • Patreon
    Sign Up For Our Newsletter!
    Most Recent

    Animated Map of the 2022 Russian Invasion of Ukraine (through January 26th, 2023)

    January 26, 2023

    This Day in History on January 26th

    January 26, 2023

    History Short: Who is the Octomom?

    January 26, 2023

    This Day in History on January 25th

    January 25, 2023

    History Short: The Rise and Fall of Sir Walter Raleigh

    January 25, 2023
    This Day in History Video

    Advertisements




    Amazon Affiliate Disclosure Statement

    As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases via links in the “Historical Evidence” sections of articles.

    About HistoryAndHeadlines.com

    Thanks for visiting History and Headlines!  This site exists primarily for educational purposes and is intended as a resource for Dr. Zar’s students.  Articles are mostly written by either Dr. Zar or his dad (Major Dan).  To any guest readers, please keep that in mind when commenting on articles.   Thank you!

    We try to present our students with historical topics that are both diverse and a bit out of the ordinary.  Our motto is “We try until we succeed!”

    Contact us at admin@historyandheadlines.com

    Guidelines and Policies for Images used on This Site, as well as for Guest and Sponsored Articles, and Other Terms of Use

    Privacy Statement

    © 2022 History and Headlines

    All-Time Most Commented

    July 28, 1866: 18 Year Old Girl Wins Commission to Sculpt Statue of Lincoln (A Truly Great American Woman)

    July 28, 2014

    December 24, 1865: Birth of the Ku Klux Klan

    December 24, 2015

    December 25, 1868: President Johnson Pardons all Confederate Veterans

    December 25, 2015

    February 5, 1909: First Plastic Invented was called Bakelite!

    February 5, 2014

    November 23, 1876: “Boss” Tweed Turned Over to Authorities

    November 23, 2013
    Recommended Book
    © 2023 ThemeSphere. Designed by ThemeSphere.

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

    We are using cookies to give you the best experience on our website.

    You can find out more about which cookies we are using or switch them off in settings.

    History and Headlines
    Powered by  GDPR Cookie Compliance
    Privacy Overview

    This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.

    Strictly Necessary Cookies

    Strictly Necessary Cookie should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings.

    If you disable this cookie, we will not be able to save your preferences. This means that every time you visit this website you will need to enable or disable cookies again.