The Assassins' Origins

The origin of the word "Assassin" began as early as 1050 during the time of the Crusaders. The original Assassins, or "Hashshashins" were not actually that interested in the Crusaders. They were a breakaway religious military group, or fedayeen, that inflicted more damage on their own Muslim world than on the Crusaders.

In the year of 1070 to 1080 the clever and resourceful Hassan-i Sabbah was sent as a missionary to study in Cairo. During this time he was said to have become more involved with a sect which became known as the Nizari Ismaili. On leaving Cairo he based his headquarters in the Alamut Castle in Persia and in the mountainous countryside surrounding it. The Nizari gathered momentum in the 12th century and they even became powerful enough to have their own currency.

The Hashshashins became famous for creating a skilled killer; they were crafty and clever, and I admire them for their stealth and cunning. They were ruthless in what they wanted and how they went about achieving their ambitions. Politically speaking they were also know throughout Persian oral tradition as helping to avoid bloodbaths with a single stroke.

The Nizari Hashshashins became particularly famous during the Crusades of the 11th century. The Crusaders looked up to them in complete awe, while the Muslims were actually terrified of them. Therefore most study and written evidence comes from what the Nizari enemies have written and as historians we must bear this in mind, as it means that they be very biased.

The legends and the myths from the Crusaders, which fuelled recent video games and comic book stories, enhanced the aura of the fearsome Assassins that we know and admire today. Marco Polo believed that the Old Man in the Mountain gave his passionate followers a drugged potion to help them on their deadly missions. The nickname Hashshashin originally came from the word 'Hashish' and therefore it widely believed that it is this drug, which was responsible for their missionary zeal. I think they would have been very reckless to have taken drugs before a mission. I believe that because Marco Polo would not have witnessed this himself, not being an Assassin, that there is cause to disbelieve this theory and he may have helped spread this rumour himself. One possible reason for this being that it made him look more adventurous back home in Venice.

Towards the end of the 11th century the Crusaders were in their element; they also had developed a group of warrior monks who were fighters to the death, in the form of the Templars and similar off-shoots. However, they were no rival to the deadly Hashshashins. In the year 1092, these assassins carried out a very famous assaination on the Vizier Nizam al-Mulk, a powerful Sejuik official. The Nizari responsible was in camouflage as a monk. The Nizari Assassins hated many of the Sejuik from the Turkish countries. The Nizari disapproved of their own Religion, Islam, much more so than the Crusaders whom they just saw as a irritant. The assassins were more of a religious sect that acted extremely to get extreme answers, much like today's fundamentalists.

One can look at the Assassins from many perspectives, we may think of them as ruthless and brutal, however back in the 10th century that was the normal modus operandi. And when one looks at it from a Western perspective, we also had Warrior monks which is strange in itself as monks were meant to be a source of comfort and prayer, and here they were, fighting "heathens" with iron in their fists. What really happens in the name of faith!

I think the Assassins were more interested in the political world as their's was a lot more advanced and interesting and they wanted to control it by using soft power through assination. They achieved it successfully and became respected for it, especially the Old Man in the Mountain, Hassan.

The beginning of the end for the Nazri Hashshashins was in the form of Ghengis Khan when destroyed their main fortress. Subsequently, the Mongols went on to destroy the assassins in a sereis of attacks that were as fast as lightening. The Hashshashins were taken completely by surprise with how fast the Mongols moved with their cavalry and therefore utterly outmanoeuvred.

The Hashshashins legacy lives on even to this day and it still plays a key role in our society. For instance we have "political assassins" and Secret intelligence agencies, and so now they could even be said to have the blessing of big governments.

I think that the Assassin played a key role in the Holy land and during the Crusades. I believe that they created their own religion that was a off-shot of Islam, and that they used drugs in order to carry out their mission. (Viking Berserkers also used the same drug before they went into battle. It was a tried and tested theory.)

I believe this has been a huge chunk of history that needs more attention and research from historians. Overall, they were unique and awesome group of people. They defiantly need to have there own museum.

I love the Assassin game called Assassin Creed one can learn history from there perspective. Anyone looking to research the Assassin any further I highly recommend the game and history magazines for further insight.