In Assassin's Creed, it can be difficult to tell where history ends and fantasy begins. Figures from history textbooks often brush up against your playable assassin—sometimes with deadly consequences. AC changes history in some places and sticks to it in others, depending on what makes for a better story.
While the Order of Assassins was a real religious brotherhood in the Levant, they were officially destroyed by the Mongols in 1275. That means that none of the order lived long enough to meet Leonardo da Vinci, Benjamin Franklin, or Queen Victoria. However, the goal of these games isn't to be historically accurate, it's to be entertaining, with some accuracy thrown in as a bonus.
All this is to say that there are a lot of real people featured in the Assassin's Creed series. With 14 main games and numerous spin-offs spanning millennia and continents, diving into the real history behind the games can be daunting for anyone interested. Let's laser-focus on some fan favorites from recent games
Alkibiades
François-André Vincent on Wikimedia
Released in 2018, Assassin's Creed Odyssey takes place during the Peloponnesian War. This bitter conflict between Athens and Sparta lasted from 431 to 404 BCE, though the game only focuses on the first decade. The earliest game chronologically (confusingly, in the case of AC:Origins), the player plays both sides of the conflict.
In addition to the historian Herodotus and Leonidas (of 300 fame), the Eagle Bearer also has several notable encounters with one of Ancient Greece's most...memorable figures: Alkibiades. A statesman, a general, and Socrates' boy-toy, Alkibiades was about as outrageous in real life as he is in the game. Like the player character, he was known to switch allegiance to whichever side had the upper hand.
Something of a trickster, Alkibiades was known as much for his amorous escapades as for his skills as an orator. A compelling public speaker, Alkibiades never shied away from using trickery or negotiations in battle where others would use siege warfare. In this way, he's portrayed pretty accurately in-game!
Ivarr The Boneless
RagdayKolovrat (RagdayKolovrat instagram) (Ragday wikipedia) on Wikimedia
Let's jump forward a few years, both in-game, and in reality, to the release of Assassin's Creed Valhalla in 2020. As you can probably guess from the name, this game is set during the Viking expansion into the British Isles from 872-878 CE. The game was well-received by critics and fans alike—who doesn't love Vikings?
Although Alfred the Great and Ragnar Lothbrok aren't exactly shrinking violets, either in the game or in real life, they pale in comparison to the character who has what must be the coolest name in all of history: Ivar the Boneless! Technically, his name was Ivarr Ragnarsson. In-game his nickname comes not from brittle bone disease as some believe, but from an ability to move so fluidly it was as though he were boneless.
In Viking sagas Ivarr was the head of a "Great Heathen Army" set out to conquer England and avenge his father's gruesome fate. After installing a puppet ruler in Northumbria, Ivarr laid siege to Nottingham, then moved north to sack Dumbarton. Much of Ivarr's life is shrouded in legend so, while his depiction in Valhalla may be a bit more unhinged than reality, it doesn't veer too far from the sagas.
