Order of Assassins

The Hashshashin (also Hashishin , Hashashiyyin , or Hashasheen from which the word assassin is thought to originate), was the Persian designation of the Nizari branch of the Ismā'īlī Shia Muslims during the Middle Ages. The Nizari, or Hashshashin, as they were designated by their enemies, split from the Isma'ili Fatimid Empire following a dispute regarding the succession of their spiritual and political leader the Fatimid Caliph of Egypt, Ma'ad al-Mustansir Billah .

The Assassins (from Ḥashshāshīn ) is the name used to refer to the medieval Nizari Ismailis , particularly those of Persia and Syria , by Westerners . Often characterized as a secret order of assassins led by a mysterious "Old Man of the Mountain," the Nizari Ismailis were an Islamic sect that formed in the late 11th century from a split within Ismailism , itself a branch of Shia Islam . In time, the Nizaris began to pose a military threat to Sunni Seljuq authority within the Persian territories by capturing and inhabiting several mountain fortresses under the leadership of Hassan-i Sabbah , who is typically regarded as the founder of the Assassins. While "Assassins" typically refers to the entire medieval Nizari sect, in fact only a class of acolytes known as the fidai actually engaged in assassination work. Lacking their own army, the Nizari relied on these trained warriors to carry out espionage and assassinations. The Nizari were feared by the Crusaders , who referred to them collectively as Assassins. The Crusader stories of the Assassins were further embellished by Marco Polo . 19th-century European orientalist historians such as Joseph von Hammer-Purgstall also referred to the Nizari collectively as Assassins and tended to write works about them based on biased accounts by medieval Sunni Arab authors, which they often took at face value. The name "Assassin" is often said to derive from the Arabic word Hashishin or "users of hashish ", a misnomer thought to have been derogatory and used by their adversaries during the Middle Ages . Originally applied to the Nizari Ismaelis by the Mustali Ismailis during the fall of the decaying Ismaili Fatimid Empire and the separation of the two streams, it is possible that the term hashishiyya or hashishi in Muslim sources was used metaphorically in its abusive sense (i.e. "social outcasts", "low-class rabble", etc.), while the literal interpretation of this term in referring to the Nizaris ( as hashish consuming intoxicated assassins ) may be rooted in the fantasies of medieval Westerners. Long after their near-eradication at the hands of the Mongol Empire , mentions of Assassins were preserved within European sources such as the writings of Marco Polo , where they are depicted as trained killers, responsible for the systematic elimination of opposing figures. Ever since, the word " assassin " has been used to describe a hired or professional killer, paving the way for the related term " assassination ", which denotes any action involving murder of a high-profile target for political reasons. The Ismailis: Their history and doctrines. The Ismailis: Their history and doctrines.

Nizari Shias in the mountains of Persia between about 1090 and 1275 The Assassins (Persian Ḥashashiyan , Arabic Ḥashīshiyya or Ḥashīshiyyīn , singular Ḥashīshī ) were a Nizari Isma'ili sect who lived in the mountains of Persia and in Syria between 1090 and 1275. During that time, they held a strict subterfuge policy throughout the Middle East through the covert murder of first Muslim and later Christian leaders that were considered enemies of their state. The modern term assassination is based on the tactics used by the Assassins. Nizari Isma'ilism formed in the late 11th century after a succession crisis within the Fatimid Caliphate between Nizar ibn al-Mustansir and his half-brother, caliph al-Musta'li . Contemporaneous historians include Arabs ibn al-Qalanisi and Ali ibn al-Athir and the Persian Ata-Malik Juvayni . The first two referred to the Assassins as batiniyya , an epithet widely accepted by Isma'ilis themselves. The Assassins: A Radical Sect in Islam . A History of the Crusades: Volume One, The First Hundred Years, 1969. "The Ismailites and the Assassins" . : CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list ( link ) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list ( link ) CS1 maint: url-status ( link ) D. The Chronicle of Ibn al-Athir for the Crusading Period from al-Kamil fi’l-Ta’rikh. Part 1, 1097-1146 . : |last= has generic name ( help ) Gibb, N. Extracted and translated from the Chronicle of ibn al-Qalānisi . : |last= has generic name ( help ) CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list ( link )

It was the headquarters of the Assassins in the Levant. Edward I, King of England was nearly killed by an Assassin during Lord Edward's Crusade , most likely sent by the Mamluk Sultan Baibars , in order to remove his opposition to a 10-year truce with the Christian states at Jerusalem . He narrowly survived poisoning from the blade of the Assassin. The Order of Assassins or simply the Assassins ( ; ) were a Nizari Isma'ili order that existed between 1090 and 1275 AD, founded by Hasan-i Sabbah . During that time, they lived in the mountains of Persia and the Levant , and held a strict subterfuge policy throughout the Middle East through the covert murder of Muslim and Christian Crusader leaders who were considered enemies of the Isma'ili state. The modern term assassination is believed to stem from the tactics used by the Assassins. Contemporaneous historians include Arabs ibn al-Qalanisi and Ali ibn al-Athir , and the Persian Ata-Malik Juvayni . The first two referred to the Assassins as batiniyya , an epithet widely accepted by Isma'ilis themselves. The Chronicle of Ibn al-Athir for the Crusading Period from al-Kamil fi'l-Ta'rikh. Extracted and translated from the Chronicle of ibn al-Qalānisi .

It was the headquarters of the Assassins in the Levant. Picture taken in 2017 Remains of the Alamut Castle in Qazvin , Iran Hassan al-Sabbah (right) depicted with his followers, in the first edition of The Travels of Marco Polo , c. 1310 The Order of Assassins ( Arabic : حَشّاشِین , romanized : Ḥashshāshīyīn ; Persian : حشاشين , romanized : Ḥaššāšīn ) were a Nizari Isma'ili order that existed between 1090 and 1275 AD, founded by Hasan al-Sabbah . During that time, they lived in the mountain castles in Persia and the Levant , and held a strict subterfuge policy throughout the Middle East , posing a substantial strategic threat to Fatimid , Abbasid , and Seljuk authority, and killing several Christian leaders. Over the course of nearly 200 years, they killed hundreds who were considered leading enemies of the Nizari Isma'ili state . The modern term assassination is believed to stem from the tactics used by the Assassins. Contemporaneous historians include ibn al-Qalanisi , Ali ibn al-Athir , and Ata-Malik Juvayni . The former two referred to the Assassins as batiniyya , an epithet widely accepted by Isma'ilis themselves. The Chronicle of ibn al-Athir for the Crusading Period from al-Kamil fi'l-Ta'rikh. Extracted and translated from the Chronicle of ibn al-Qalānisi .