Knights Templar

Knight Grand Cross (or Dame Grand Cross) is the most senior grade of seven British orders of chivalry, three of which are obsolete. Knights and Dames Grand Cross rank after Baronets and Baronetesses and the senior orders of England, Scotland and Ireland (the Order of the Garter, the Order of the Thistle and the obsolete Order of St. Patrick respectively), and before the Order of the Companions of Honour, interspersed with the Order of Merit, Baronets, the Order of the Crown of India.

Current orders that award the rank of Knight (or Dame) Grand Cross (not counting obsolete orders):

• Order of the Bath (GCB)
• Order of St Michael and St George (GCMG)
• Royal Victorian Order (GCVO)
• Order of the British Empire (GBE)

over a period of approximately 196 year there were 25 Grand masters of the Knights Templar. They are as follows:

* Hugh de Payens (1118-1136) * Robert de Craon (1136-1146) * Everard des Barres (1146-1149) * Bernard de Tremelay (1149-1153) * André de Montbard (1153-1156) * Bertrand de Blanchefort (1156-1169) * Philippe de Milly (1169-1171) * Odo de St Amand (1171-1179) * Arnaud de Toroge (1179-1184) * Gérard de Ridefort (1185-1189) * Robert de Sablé (1191-1193) * Gilbert Horal (1193-1200) * Phillipe de Plessis (1201-1208) * Guillaume de Chartres (1209-1219) * Pedro de Montaigu (1219-1230) * Armand de Périgord (1232-1244) * Richard de Bures (1245-1247) * Guillaume de Sonnac (1247-1250) * Renaud de Vichiers (1250-1256) * Thomas Bérard (1256-1273) * Guillaume de Beaujeu (1273-1291) * Thibaud Gaudin (1291-1292) * Jacques de Molay (1292-1314)

The position of Grand Master in the Templar Order was for life. Here is the list of Templar Grand Masters: 1118-1136AD Hughes de Payens

1136-1146 Robert de Craon

1146-1149 Everard des Barres

1149-1153 Bernard de Tremelay

1153-1156 Andre de Montbard

1156-1169 Bertrand de Blanchefort

1169-1171 Philippe de Milly

1171-1179 Odo de St Amand

1179-1184 Arnaud de Toroge

1185-1189 Gerard de Ridefort

1191-1193 Robert de Sable

1193-1200 Gilbert Horal

1201-1208 Phillipe de Plessis

1209-1219 Guillaume de Chartres

1219-1230 Pedro de Montaigu

1232-1244 Armand de Perigord

1245-1247 Richard de Bures

1247-1250 Guillaume de Sonnac

1250-1256 Renaud de Vichiers

1256-1273 Thomas Berard

1273-1291 Guillaume de Beaujeu

1291-1292 Thibaud Gaudin

1292-1314 Jacques de Molay

The Assassin Order, also known at various times as the Assassin Brotherhood; Liberalis Circulum (Circle of Liberals), during the Roman Republic and Empire; or Hashshashin, during the High Middle Ages, was an organized order of assassins and sworn enemies of the Templars, against whom they fought a continuous, recondite war throughout the entirety of recorded human history.

Whereas the Templars sought the power to save humanity from itself by controlling free will, the Assassin Order fought to ensure the survival of free will, as it allowed for the progression of new ideas and the growth of individuality.

The Assassins, if not the Order itself, had existed since at least 456 BCE, throughout the Roman Empire, the Middle Ages, the Renaissance, the Industrial Revolution and into the Modern era.

During the Middle Ages, the Templars had become a public knightly order under the name "Knights Templar". In the year 1090, control of the Assassins fell to Hassan-i Sabbāh, who in turn also changed the Assassin Order into a public organization. Under his command, public assassinations occurred much more often and the people were encouraged to stand up to their oppressors, realizing that they were not on their own.

During the 1170s, the Assassins were at odds with the Saracens. In 1174, thirteen Assassins were sent to the Sultan Saladin's camp close to Damascus and were successful in infiltrating his tent, but were detected; one was killed by a Saracen general and the others were killed upon trying to escape.

In 1176, Saladin led a siege on the Assassins' fortress of Masyaf. After the location of Saladin's tent was revealed by the Assassin spy Ahmad Sofian, Umar Ibn-La'Ahad was sent to infiltrate the tent and leave a feather and a dagger with a threatening message attached to it. Umar evaded the chalk and cinders that were strewed around the tent and successfully left the objects, but was detected by the Sultan himself. Umar had to kill a noble to make his escape, and the Assassins managed to make a truce with the Saracens; though Umar's life had to be taken in the process.

In 1189, the Assassins were betrayed by a man named Haras, who captured Al Mualim and three other Assassins, and allowed the Crusaders into Masyaf's village. While other Assassins had lost hope, Altaïr regrouped them and fought back. Subsequently, he climbed into the fortress and killed Haras, who wanted to know where Al Mualim had hidden the Apple of Eden; following this, Altaïr was promoted to the rank of Master Assassin.

The next year, the Assassins began to hunt for the Chalice, an object rumored to be so powerful that it could end the Crusades. Al Mualim wanted to keep it out of Templar hands, so he sent Altaïr, his most trusted Assassin, to recover it.

Altaïr killed several Templars, while attempting to find the Temple of Sand, where the Chalice was located. He finally found the Temple but realised that the Templar leader, Basilisk, had taken it away. Basilisk revealed to him that the Chalice was a woman, not an object, and then left Altaïr to die. However, Altaïr escaped and hunted Basilisk, uncovering the Templar plan to poison the water supply of Acre.

After foiling this plot, Altaïr went to Jerusalem to find the Chalice, which he successfully did and recognised her to be Adha, a former acquaintance of his. On Adha's instruction, Altaïr killed Harash, a traitor to the Assassin Brotherhood. From there, Altaïr planned to run away with Adha and leave his life as an Assassin behind, though Basilisk captured her. Subsequently, Altaïr killed Basilisk, but failed to find Adha; many years later Altaïr found her dead, and hunted her murderers.

Al Mualim and the Assassins in the fortress of Masyaf

By 1191, the Assassins were still in a secret battle with the Templars and their leader, Robert de Sable. It was during the Third Crusade that the Assassins learned of a Templar interest in an ancient artifact, hidden within the catacombs of Solomon's Temple. It was decided to liberate the treasure from them, and the mission was a success, although a costly one. With the death of one Assassin, the severe injury of another, and the arrival of the Templar army at the gates of Masyaf, the Assassins were nearly overwhelmed by the following battle. However, by crushing most of the Templar army under a concealed onslaught of rolling logs, they were able to drive the Templars from the fortress and village below.

Following the assault, the Assassin blamed for the loss of life that day - Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad - was severely reprimanded, being reduced to a novice and tasked with removing nine influential individuals who plagued the Holy Land with their corrupt rule. As Altaïr made his way down the list made up of both Crusader and Saracen individuals, he was greatly unsettled by the realization that their goal to bring peace to the people of the Holy Land was just, as he felt that his victims were "misguided perhaps, but pure in motive." This was a view shared by Al Mualim, who agreed with their goals, but felt that their attitude of "the end justifies the means" undermined the good they sought to ensure. As his mission progressed, Altaïr sought to know what bound his victims together, and the discovery that they were all Templars only served to reinforce the Assassin's determination to bring an end to the Templar plot.

By Fall of 1191, the Assassins were victorious over their Templar enemies. Robert de Sable, Grand Master of the Templar Order, was dead, however the treachery of one of their own had also hit the Assassin Order hard. Al Mualim, secretly a former member of a coalition of tenTemplar leaders, was revealed to be a traitor, and was killed by the very man he had sent to eliminate his fellow Templar conspirators. With Al Mualim dead, Altaïr took over asMentor of the Levantine Order, leading the Assassins in their attempts to rebuild their strength after the costly conflict.

Altaïr writing the Codex

With full control over the Assassins, Altaïr immediately set out on a one-man quest to liberate the island of Cyprus from the Templars, who had recently bought it from King Richard I. After successfully having done so, killing the Templar Grand Master Armand Bouchartand discovering the Templar Archive in the process, Altaïr continued to write the Codex: a book detailing the secrets he had managed to uncover from the Apple of Eden, which he had began writing during his journey to Cyprus. In the end, those secrets had a profound effect on the Order, as new assassination techniques and world secrets had been uncovered.

In 1209, Altaïr began to send his Assassins to various cities spread throughout the world, after he was made aware of their existence by the Apple of Eden.

Eventually, it was decided that the Piece of Eden was too great a threat to keep in Masyaf, and the decision was made to store it on the island of Cyprus, in the Limassol archives. However, Altaïr had started this rumor to keep away curious eyes. In actuality, he held on to the Apple until the end of his life, taking it with him to his library, though he did hand over the Codex and the keys to his library to the Italians Niccolò and Maffeo Polo.

In the year 1217, Altaïr set out with his wife Maria and son Darim to kill Genghis Khan, leaving Malik Al-Sayf as the Order's temporary leader. The Khan had made a rapid westward advance with his army and Altaïr suspected that he possessed a Piece of Eden. On their journey, the family met up with the Mongolian Assassin Qulan Gal, and the three Assassins worked together to end the threat. Ultimately, Darim and Qulan succeeded in killing the Khan in 1227.

On his return to Masyaf, Altaïr found that his rival Abbas Sofian had taken over the Order, imprisoning Malik, and killing Altaïr's younger son, Sef. Shortly after Altaïr's arrival, Malik was killed as well. Abbas then attempted to take the Apple from Altaïr, causing Altaïr and Darim to leave Masyaf, while Maria was also killed at the hands of Swami, Abbas' lackey. Enraged at her loss, and in desperation to leave, both Altaïr and his son killed several Assassins along the way.

After the escape, Altaïr became obsessed with the Apple, driving Darim and Sef's family away. The Apple led him to the Memory Seals, and taught him how to make several advanced gadgets.

Around 1247, Altaïr returned to Masyaf and found it in disrepair. He rallied several Assassins who were loyal to him, and turned several of Abbas' henchmen to his side. Finally, they assaulted the fortress, making sure not to harm anyone other than the Assassins who had defied the Creed. Following this, Altaïr finally shot Abbas with the Hidden Gun, marking the first usage of the weapon.

The Mongol threat continued advancing west however, and Altaïr decided for the Assassins to abandon their fortresses and to go underground, continuing their activities in secret. He trained and initiated the travelers Niccolò and Maffeo Polo into the Order in the year 1257, before escorting them out of the city. He then tasked them to set up guilds around the world as they traveled.

Darim was one of the last Assassins to leave Masyaf; Altaïr stayed in his library with the Apple, and died there with the final Memory Seal in his hand.

Italian Renaissance variation of the Assassins' emblem

During the Late Middle Ages, the Order continued to thrive, despite being forced to adopt an even more secretive and isolated existence. When the Renaissance - a cultural movement - started in Italy, the Assassin Order primarily focused themselves in Italy, where the headquarters of the Templar Order were also located.

In the early 14th century, the Assassins manipulated the French king, Philip le Bel to try and destroy the Templars. They made the Church brand the Templars heretics, turning their own weapon against them, with the intention of finishing off the Templars. They managed to have the Templar Grand Master, Jacques de Molayburned at the stake, however, his nine most trusted men had escaped after he had passed on the knowledge of the ancients, and their Order continued to survive.