The Shocking History of Assassins

[@ipuya]

I am from iran and so know the story of Hassan Sabbah and the assasins. I have been to the castle of Alamut and indeed it is a very long trek up a VERY narrow path, at some points only wide enough for one person to pass. If you want to read a fascinating story on this you can check out a book called Samarkand by Amin Maalouf. By the way the Fadai is pronounced fadayee (fadayin being the plural).

[@Sassy-b6c]

Thanks for the book recommendation.

[@Jester-Riddle]

Frank Herbert uses much of Arab history in his Dune series ... The Feyadin being the people of the deserts trained in specialist types of warfare against much greater size armies. The Fremen people also had blue eyes from exposure to 'the Spice' which marked them out as being different from other peoples.

[@arash_vaziri]

@@Jester-Riddle Just in case, "Fadayee" means someone who is ready to sacrifice his life. In Persian literature it has two major usage, one is used in love and relationships the other one is mostly related to being so absorbed by a religious belief that one ready to sacrifice his life for that.

[@corticallarvae]

I'm surprised he didn't mention that there was a cloaked imamate for a while before and after this...I have an ismaili friend..

[@corticallarvae]

he is actually getting me in touch with their primary scholar.. to get the whole deal wether the cloaked imamate . there's a strange incident I read about where someone conveyed an interpretation to a group of Lebanese fighters who were supposedly being laid seige to kicked of a modern version of this precise attack strategy which of course they new about I think it's more of hey this absolutely forbidden technique works really well kind of thing.. ill poke around to find out which encroachment . and get back if I can actually confirm this.

[@corneliusvaginus5380]

Seeing Corvo's mask and Ezio's Hood together is something I didn't know I needed in life.... Best Assassin based games out there.

[@fantasyconnect]

@The Salty Constitutionalist Dishonored is by far and away better than any of those games, lol. Ghost of Tsushima is a very awesome Samurai adventure game, but you're not quite an "assassin" in the modern sense of the word. You're just a samurai utilising guerilla tactics to take on large forces single handedly...

[@fantasyconnect]

@The Salty Constitutionalist Also, I wouldn't really say the Shadow games are that great in terms of basic gameplay? They don't have much in the way of stealth or movement mechanics, the nemesis system is what makes those games truly shine.

[@fantasyconnect]

@The Salty Constitutionalist Did I say it was yours big boy?

[@fantasyconnect]

@The Salty Constitutionalist You're actually serious? Fucking hell lol.

[@DZ-1987]

Lovely, an opinion based argument. This will not end well. So, i cannot say i have played the shadow games, for i'm not really into the Lord of the Rings, and no one can fault anyone for not liking something. But factually speaking, if an Assassin is caught before they nail their target, they don't get to restart, they just have to deal with the guards or sod off and try again when the next opportunity arises. Dishonoured contextually, Corvo cannot afford to come back, for every day that passes, the worse the situation gets. Assassin's creed, well... ubisoft, innit. Gameplay wise, i'm sure the shadow games are more fun, but that would be because it isn't strictly a stealth game, is it? Do confirm. Assassin's creed is just forced stealth the game, and many can agree that being forced to be stealthy is far less preferable than choosing to be stealthy. Dishonoured, while it primarily is a stealth game, it can also be an action game, although how you deal with enemies in that game dictates the ending and the situation of the plague, the more people you kill, the more rat hoards show up. It was an impressive thing when people noticed it when Dishonoured originally came out, but with hindsight, it seems rather simple now, dunnit? Yet i rarely see it being done with modern games. Finally, an opinion: Sekiro and Elden Ring, best stealth. Why? Well, i think its because it understood the point of stealth, which is to gain an advantage by being unseen until the final moments. Its an opinion, you cannot argue it. But who is right and who isn't are facts that can be argued. So, do not let your arguments turn into an insult festival, its just unsightly.

[@EyeTech21]

I'm an Iranian and my father was an archeologist which made me learn much about our history but this channel mind boggles me. So accurate, so precise and I learn new things which make me do some research. 10/10

[@mehdi_azmoudeh]

Happy to see a compatriot here!

[@adrian-qr6zk]

@@mehdi_azmoudeh get a room

[@CinaGD]

@@mehdi_azmoudeh are Iranians just everywhere or do I feel that just because I'm one too?

[@mehdi_azmoudeh]

@@CinaGD your name is familiar.. Haven't you been a member of parsgamers forums?

[@CinaGD]

@@mehdi_azmoudeh I don't think so but now I'm curious to know about it

[@misamisaa4547]

Fun fact: there's a book called Alamut by Vladimir Bartol that follows Hassan I Sabbah, some of the first assassins he trained & the girls in the 'paradise'. I had to read it for my final high school exams so I didn't enjoy it until the very end when Hassan's plans started to show results. It's a fascinating book (if you're not forced to read it & do so at 6:30 am outside in the cold while waiting for your drivers license lessons)

[@Eulers_Identity]

me when slovenščina

[@ilia7083]

The stories told by Western visitors are mostly untrue for some reasons. For example, Marko Polo stories sound like true fiction, and there is no way he could have figuired out what was going on in Alamut mountains as it was impossible to go up there. No visitors were allowed :) all is the stories he heard from locals which are legends as they have never been up there as well :) And the stories about the paradise doesn't make sense either. First of all, These things are not allowed in Islam. It is also not historically right based on the mountain itself. People like to make legends to explain stuff they have no answer for, but the answer here is simply faith. Thats all they had, faith in their religion and leader. "Fadayi" which is their nickname, simply means 'people who are willing to sacrifice themselves'. They were just brave men who were really faithful to their leader. :)

[@YaToGamiKuro]

@@ilia7083 sure, these things are not allowed in islam, but it doesnt mean they wont do it just because Islam prohibits them from doing it, same as ISIS vs Islam

[@alisherkuk]

The "paradise" ideas is false. It was spread by the enemies of the Ismailis back then and the Western travellers just wrote it down and that was it. As an Ismaili, I can say with 100% confidence that even today there were will be hundreds of Ismaili man who will be ready to die just like our Fidays back than if we need to protect our community and our religion from threat.

[@Miss-Anne-Thrope]

Yes, but the assassins didn't actually jump to their death but always landed in conveniently placed piles of hay and stayed there until their enemies stopped looking for them. 😉 Seriously though, the AC franchise did ignite a fascination with the real assassins and the Templars. This then lead to an obsession with the middle ages in general! A video on the Templars may be next, perhaps? 😊

[@KHumphreygolf]

He's done one already:)

[@gervankempen8721]

(if the origin story whas a hollywood movie they probably used "The Superhero Landing" hahaha

[@xyre8443]

He had a video about templars already

[@moragslothe6449]

Na

[@dbdb3447]

When you say a large audience do you mean a lot of fat people?

[@mahastihassas6312]

As for the origin of the name, another hypothesis is that it comes from the word "اساسیون" which is pronounced "Asasiyun" (from the root word "اساس" pronounced "asas", which in its plural form means "a set of principles") therefore "Asasiyun or Asasin" means "those who are bound to a creed" or "followers/believers of principles" which would suggest that maybe those who took this name believed their beliefs are grounded in a truer set of principles. It is also hypothesized that the belief surrounding the use of hashish was popularized by those explorers who did not know the language very well and confused the origin of the word, thinking it was related to the word "Hashashiyun" (meaning users of hashish, which is said to be a popular drug at the time) instead of "Asasiyun", therefore relating two unrelated things and creating a whole myth surrounding the origin of the name! Personally, I think this hypothesis makes more sense in a military/politics/religious scenario than a cult of hashish users! p.s. And therefore, Assassin's Creed basically means "the creed of believers of a creed"!

[@whatintheworld6413]

hashish "weed"???

[@thedstorm8922]

@@whatintheworld6413 yeah

[@tinashilsou6945]

No you wrong my freind! Real name is AL Hashashyn " crack head", and they the first group of terrorism in the planet! Don't escape the truth!

[@fmjjjjn7510]

@@whatintheworld6413yeah weed

[@RLSyndrome]

I heard these theories too, this Hashish thing naming is like a derogatory name for them from Seljuks or even Abbasid to belittle Ismaili people and their faith. Because these Dynasties were Sunni Muslims and Ismaili were Shia, so belittling them is more like it.

[@amitjodha]

People working at Ubisoft are super smart. To be able to define alternative histories for both Templers and Assassins is amazing.

[@fmj-dmcdgmsgaw4599]

templar’s*

[@gretbruh7366]

@@fmj-dmcdgmsgaw4599 incorrect

[@anthony-vp3dq]

@@fmj-dmcdgmsgaw4599 shut up

[@FinlaySG]

@@fmj-dmcdgmsgaw4599 There's no apostrophy ( ' )

[@ragnarbrushan6254]

They were super smart. Now they dont know what they are doing

[@cuddlemeheywoodu]

That bird of prey cry at the "leap of faith" at 14:30, love it.

[@ten-dimension9390]

So Hassan Isabbah is basically Al Mualim from Assassins Creed 1. "The old man from the mountains" was also Al Mualim's name. I have played all Assassins Creeds except the latest three. And I can say the way it presents history is unmatched. My knowledge has increased a lot just by playing Assassins Creed and when you meet people like George Washington, Leonardo Da Vinci, Charles Dickens and Darwin and Napoleon Bonaparte. That feeling is on a whole new level. I wish games like Assassins Creed should be made. It's so effective in teaching history.

[@technoend]

One thing tho, he doesn't deserve to be called a muslim. Cause he already did things that are not accepted in islam.

[@ZGtx]

Al Mualim was another leader, maybe the sucessor of Hassan, and they were from Massyaf, Syria.

[@Michael_De_Santa-Unofficial]

Hassan I-Sabbah is a different individual from Al-Mualim.

[@kinanatto257]

Nope:) the old man from the mountains is also a reference as well to Rashid Al deen sinaan who ruled Mesyaaf citadel in syria;) i am from there:)

[@kinanatto257]

@@ZGtx yup (Rashid Al deen sinaan) is his name

[@meshackkekana2739]

Rumour has it, Thoughty2 assassinated Thoughty1

[@Ziyaad-pg9gq]

😭😭

[@TxCstevo]

"They were basically calling them crack heads" love the content and how you tell it, always makes me chuckle, the animations are on point too 😀

[@turbofiero86]

except its more like calling them 'potheads'

[@dbalynne]

🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@cameronbowman8372]

That was rich 😭😭😭

[@Rooftopaccessorizer]

They borrow the concept of the fidai in Dune!

[@mikitz]

The first, and the last, people to ever willfully kill others while stoned.

[@DrBarbequeSauce]

The tactics used by these assassins are very similar to those used by ninjas in Japan: Using stealth to hide amongst a much more powerful enemy

[@zaynabds]

May be survived fraction of nizari fidai spread the spionahe technique to the east

[@javadasaadi8430]

but thier ( ninjas) purposes was for robbing, ransom and these stuff... and the assasins was for Greater goods :D

[@Reinhardt57]

there's a movie where ninja were actually trained by assassins. ninja assassins

[@Meneerwolflove123]

Aint’ No ninja’ they dont even exist only samuria

[@Gemini540]

Easily the most consistently brilliant channel on KZbin! Thanks for giving me a better education than school ever did! Long live Thoughty2 ;)

[@Benni777]

simp

[@Tim_the_Enchanter]

Aran is the perfect combination of research and British cheek. I love this channel.

[@mister-8658]

Here here

[@michaelmatthiesen8300]

If one is gonna teach interesting, but effectively useless, information, at least this teacher makes the subject matter interesting lol

[@Trash_prince]

It's interesting but there are a lot of mistakes

[@gilvinzalsos8734]

In Assassin’s Creed: Unity flashback on the fall of the Templars with Jacque De Molay. One of the templars mentioned the Mongol Khans broke the assassin’s power decades ago. I love that historical detail. Checks out, Ubisoft really does their research

[@Tostito422]

He was talking about the assassins creed revelations flashback to when The mongols attacked masyaf castle and destroyed the assassin order. Not the historical thing

[@Tostito422]

The Templar’s didn’t know that there were more assassins further than the Middle East

[@Oreomeister]

@@Tostito422 The assassins creed revelations flashback...which was based on the real life, historical way they were destroyed by the mongols. You are dense.

[@chiantiprice92]

I love it when he says @3:21 “I’m getting ahead of myself”. That’s when you know the good stuff is coming

[@zulimi]

This is the first time I have been able to finally understand the history of assassins. Excellent job, Thoughty 2 and team!

[@A1441]

Another great production from one of the best storytellers in KZbinland. Thanks for an entertaining history lesson, Thoughty2!

[@tommymarco]

i could not have said it better myself !

[@ObeyCamp]

I didn't think I could respect you much more than I already do, but then when listing famous hitmen you didn't forget Léon, The Professional, and my respect for you must've at least doubled. My man. That movie is almost 30 years old now so I would bet a lot of younger folks haven't seen it, but you know what's up. Natale Portman (in her first film ever,) Jean Reno, Gary Oldman... What a classic.

[@BotAnihilator]

Yeah, I fell in love with her in that movie.

[@YungJ]

Crazy how much media/images shape our perception of _everything_ … great content man.

[@lisababy7571]

Hello 👋 How are you doing..?

[@Oohnohassani]

​@Lisa Baby no answer even after 11 months? 😢

[@funkymunky7935]

It's crazy that they're called assassins, and not terrorists

[@rxtr664]

​@@funkymunky7935What on earth are you on about? 🤦‍♂️

[@Count_Apostasy]

You have the best most interesting. Hannel. I love learning something new everyday. This one was perfect for me because I'm a big fan of the Assassin's Creed franchise.

[@Tim_the_Enchanter]

What I like about Aran is that, when you see a thumbnail about "surprising history," you know that when you click on it, it will be both surprising and historical. Much of the internet is not this way.

[@TCallier]

Until he changes the title lol

[@abhinavsharma5935]

I agree

[@tommymarco]

so true . he is reliable in that he will give exactly what he says . i don't even bother with flashy titles from other youtubers as it is almost always not true .

[@salimas7979]

Tim...it’s “Iran”: not Aran.

[@MKdross]

I love that calligraphy! How the Nizari banner is written to look like a leopard (or maybe a lion; big cat is the takeaway here lol)

[@Tostito422]

A lot of Arabic writing was like that

[@MKdross]

@@Tostito422 I know; there's a name for the style that I can't remember lol. It's super cool for sure tho, I just thought this was a really good example of it

[@H4ZH4_3L]

@@MKdross In English, we call it 'Calligram'. If you type 'Arabic Calligram', into a search engine, you should get some beautiful results.

[@witchking6662]

it’s a lion

[@alanking2506]

I have a question Thoughty2... How long does it take you to research all this information and collate it into this engaging set of videos?? I have watch many and learned so much from them. Fantastic stuff.. please don't stop

[@mukonank783]

To open the curtains a bit, it really does take a long time, especially getting the facts right. But the good thing is that he has a team behind him to do most of the bruit work.

[@craig8406]

It’s takes exactly thoughty 2 minutes

[@GutzOverFear]

@@craig8406 W

[@aurawolf2221]

As an Assassin's Creed fan... I'll just say it was that game franchise that sparked my interest in Assassin's to begin with & it's stuck with Me to this day 🤣

[@peacepoet1947]

The assassin knew that he probably would be killed after carrying out one or more killings. You get into a fight you know that you'll probably end up with a few bruises.

[@andregon4366]

The Ninjas did it better. By concealing their identity they could kill more than a couple people before dying.

[@peacepoet1947]

@@andregon4366 you still ended up dead. The Vikings would go into battle on a movie I watched saying, today is a good day to die as the guy swinging his sword.

[@andregon4366]

@@peacepoet1947 Ok then.

[@peacepoet1947]

@@andregon4366 I wasn't there. Interesting stories about how someone can get someone else to do bad things for political and other reasons.

[@sancturillore]

@@andregon4366 Most ninja didn't do assassination though. They were mostly just spies. Also, if the main target is dead and there isn't any other important enough target around the assassin, why bother fighting back or even killing more people considering that they wouldn't be able to get away anyway. Why give the enemy the satisfaction of having successfully killed you while you struggle to survive? Just bask in the glory of your accomplished duty and strike a long lasting impression with your calm and control. The Assassins did it better (based on your comparison). But to be frank, they aren't even comparable precisely because of how different their missions and objectives were.

[@maestrosyrex]

Ezio wearing Corvo Attano's Mask Is a fantastic analogy for Stealth Assassins in General

[@Codee0K9]

“As long as there’s two people left on the planet, someone is gonna want someone dead”.

[@CallToTheLight]

If they ever make new Dishonored, I wish they add Thoughty2 as a character in there, he would fit in so well in that universe.

[@kinanatto257]

I completely agree with you on everything you said here. (I'm Syrian). but you haven't mentioned (the citadel of Mesyaaf) in Syria which was a fortress for the hashasheen lead by Rashid Al deen sinaan. Assassin's Creed the first game, was based on stories originated in Mesyaaf. and the famous Altair=(the bird) in Arabic:) الطائر. And i suggest you make a study about (ekhwan al safa) in Mesyaaf and there letters and the connection between them and the assassins order. See you! Thanks for spreading these info to the whole world.

[@adrian-qr6zk]

amazing. You're such a good Wikipedia researcher 👍

[@kinanatto257]

@@adrian-qr6zk nah.. although i admit i searched the name sinaan, i forgot it. But I'm Syrian living in syria and I've been to Mesyaaf citadel. And of course you hear a lot of cool stories by the locals which are all Ismaili Muslims. About ekhwan al safa. Some are true, but the rest are like umm not just assassins creed but more like king Arthur and Merlin stories.lol

[@kinanatto257]

Oh btw the full name of the brotherhood is (ekhwan al safa wa khellan al wafa) which translates into ( the brothers of serenity and the intimate loyal friends) more or so;)

[@aydins.g8761]

Yeah but he was talking about the origin, that's after Hasan

[@garrettparks1629]

Had no idea Altair was based on a real person I figured al muliam was from the video but genuinely shocked that the story and character were THAT deep into real history

[@kamalashah4543]

As a member of the religious group mentioned in the video, I appreciate the channel for its unbiased representation of the Assasins or as we call them Fidayin; literally means devout followers ready to sacrifice. A brief history of the Hassan sabah would have helped the viewers understand his character more. Hashashins, a negative connotation, you were fair to indicate was due to the writings about the creed from the lands of the enemies of Nizaris. Have the libraries not been destroyed by the Mongols we would have had a much clearer view of the myths. Those interested in the history of the sect I would recommend some Books by the writer Dr. Farhad Daftary. What I want to put in perspective to the modern viewers is the understanding behind the motivation of the Fidayin; it wasn’t mere intoxication but rather a powerful feeling and emotions to help the survival of the Ismaili Faith and it’s Imams(the spiritual leader). Instead of waging large wars killing hundreds a formidable move was the removal of the head of an enemy state.

[@salimas7979]

I’m also an Ismaili. Thank you for this.

[@funkymunky7935]

So, terrorism

[@StrainCentral]

Thank you for contextualizing the fact that historically, there’s no actual record of these men consuming hash. Landrace weed doesn’t really grow all that well in Iran. They were more than likely consuming the most abundant drug in the Middle East: opiates.

[@SevenChordsOfficial]

Did you even watch the whole video?

[@ismarwinkelman5648]

@@SevenChordsOfficial No, this person is simply trying to attract attention for his own channel. Sad. 🥲

[@LiveYourLifeWithJoy]

Are you sure about that? Lmao Weed doesn't grow in ME?

[@mcdoogs3037]

Read up on Hassan-i Sabbah and the bektashi sufi order

[@nhmooytis7058]

@@LiveYourLifeWithJoy hash oil is great stuff...I hear 😉

[@rileygranderson6125]

Seriously I love your channel. You mostly talk about everything I’m interested in. ❤️‍🔥

[@randyross5630]

Serious Props for going over the Fullness of the Subject which I thought I was going to be annoyed wasn't covered, you even offered me a few more bits of information I didn't Know before and covered the things I already did know for the most part and less bias than other sources this way or that.

[@deadmonk6671]

There are many stories on regards of the Assassins, One that I find of great import is that which involves Saladin. According to some stories during his final attempt at taking the Assassin Fortress of "Masyaf", the Assassins tried on multiple occasions to kill the Sultan, twice they failed. But it made Saladin almost Paranoid, it is said that he wore chain mail to bed, had thorns and white powder like sand placed around his tent to detect footprints. Yet what made him finally end the siege was a message left for him, as You say in the video he awoke one night to see a shadow leaving his tent. In some stories the Elderly leader of that Nizari fortress crept into Saladins tent and left him a message, a bowl of fruit and a dagger. The message he left was alledgidly "Death holds no fear for the Fedayeen. Saladin then opened talks with the Nizari, and the Nizari Emissary had a message for him to hear that had to be said in private. Saladin granted the privacy and sent everyone but his most trusted bodyguards out, but when the Emissary pushed for privacy, Saladin apparently declared he trusted the two guards as if they were his sons. The Emissary then asked the guards if ordered to would they kill Saladin, both men grabbed their swords. Saladin finally realised that the two bodyguards he trusted most were Nizari Assassins. He left the next day and never returned.

[@Ed-wu9jg]

I always love your "Thanks for watching" at the end as it gives me time to pause and search for another Thoughty2 video to watch

[@DoLenhNhatQuangFUHL]

11:35 in the AC lore, the assassin who placed that dagger was Umar Ibn-La'Ahad, Altair's father

[@HammondM102.72]

one of the best yt channels ive ever seen. keep it up!

[@danieldorsz1047]

You must be 10

[@SiyaŠhikari]

As a Persian I can confirm the story of Hassan sabbah because we got some old books that tell the same story also I been to the Alamut castle and some of the other castles they had built around Iran, truly beautiful and interesting to visit

[@mohammedizzat5416]

Hassan sabat was an arab but choose iran his empire

[@artaxerxes811]

he was from qom, you filthy arabs wanna steal anything non-arab. get a life

[@javadasaadi8430]

@@mohammedizzat5416 ten point for arabs :D

[@x4mni742]

Very detailed , thank you so much for representing us and our ancestors the Ismaili community.

[@patriciahibbert6139]

They got around with little of what they had, TODAY they are EVERYWHERE so is that telling you something.

[@luketobin7987]

The part about hacking for codes on cod instead of the FBI is simply brilliant 😂😂 The accuracy is impeccable 😂😂 Just from that line alone I'll like this video 😂

[@dionysis8680]

Hashish, also known as hash, "dry herb, hay" is a drug made by compressing and processing parts of the cannabis plant, typically focusing on flowering buds (female flowers) containing the most trichomes.

[@aliquidgaming1068]

Anyone that is curious of the thumbnail.... It's two of some of the most fun assassin's to play as in gaming when it comes to more action paced assassinations. One obviously being ezio and the other being and the other being the mask of Corvo from Dishonored

[@rhys3135]

Thoughty2 would be a bloody amazing assassin with his absurdly vast Knowledge

[@miloslazovic8842]

Love how one always learns something for example how the assassin word came about... Good job... One of my fav youtubers 🙏

[@manarfayad3804]

i'm very imperssed, i grew up reading many books that contained a lot of stories about Alhashaseen, and your video was so comprehensive and so balanced in giving multiple sides of the story/myth, truly formidable research and a remarkable approach to the story, thank you

[@jadeaf4432]

Hmm, may you recommend me some books in that genre

[@manarfayad3804]

@@jadeaf4432 i'm not sure, i've read them in arabic, but i did find one, The Assassins: A Radical Sect in Islam, i cannot tell you more about it as i've not read this one

[@jadeaf4432]

@@manarfayad3804 oh that's alright I speak Arabic too, but still appreciate it, thanks homie

[@7uplife67]

Definitely one of my favorite vids! Nice work!

[@mccoolfriend6818]

I thought you'd say Raas al ghul was the mastermind of all assasins

[@wontedplayer]

bruh

[@shamanllama]

The thing i love about Assassins Creed 1 is, although there are definitely artistic embellishments, the FIRST game WAS PRETTY historically accurate, actually. The castle you played in with the man leading you was REAL. The castle in Masyaf was occupied by the Hashashins. The Nizari sect or Hashashins was said to have fallen in the 1200's, though its hard to say, because Nizari still exist to this day. They were taken down when they got to ballsy and tried to assassinate some Mongolian invaders. But make NO mistake, the Hashashins were a FORMIDABLE infiltration force. They struck fear into the hearts of their enemy not because of their battle prowess, but because of their ability to act as their enemy during inflitration for months, even years, waiting for the right moment to strike. They struck fear, because it made everyone paranoid, because they could never truly know who was and was not a Hashashin. The Hashashin were masters of disguise, information, spying, and stealth striking. And that IS historically true. Thats WHY the Hashashin were so feared. They werent great fighters, they were great hiders. They had to develop those tactics because they were outnumbered.

[@exidy-yt]

What a FANTASTIC summary of the order of the hashishim! If anyone wants to read a great (fictional) account of Marco Polo's contact with the 'old man of the mountain' I highly recommend the excellent novel "The Journeyer" by Gary Jennings, inspired by the claim that when "Marco Milloni" (Marco of the million stories) was on his deathbed, and his priest was begging him to recant the fantastic stories he claimed in his travels to the court of Kublai Khan, Marco rose up and proclaimed "I did not tell HALF of what I saw and did!" before collapsing to his death. Jennings tells the other half, and DAYMN is it some great reading. The encounter with assassins (and the story of how the order tried and failed to kill Richard the Lionhearted during his battles with Saladin) are not a huge part of the novel, but very compelling anyway. It's Jenning's best novel as far as I am concerned. You will NEVER regret reading it.

[@qwertzui6697]

you illustrated and told the story beautifully, in such a way that I actually couldn't stop watching.....waaaaw.....greetings from Slovenia

[@qulzam685]

Hasan bin Sabaah's stroy is far more interesting, and his whole life is full of incidents that indicates what a genius he was. He shocked and shook the Islamic empires, something that even powerful Christians were struggling to do. It needs a whole series.

[@desmondhumebrotha3522]

Fascinating vid. Didn’t realise Alamut was a real castle and always associated it with Prince of Persia.

[@dauhooheirs3372]

They had one of their major stronghold in what is now called Afghanistan's mountains. I am surprised you did not mention it. Plus, he worked with abd used the power of Jinns to overcome any situation or person. That's is why they call it "Nazzar", literally meaning "The Eye".

[@parsasalmanyan2853]

Any source?that nizzar thing comes from the caliph they belived in fatimid caliphate not cause they use jinns or.... there is no evidance for that.

[@alisher7569]

Nop! I am a Nizari Ismaili and we are called Nizari because of our Imam Nizar. Not for the word Nazar.

[@atuahenegodwin3339]

Heeeeyyyyy, Thoughty2 here!!!

[@ingramfry7179]

The Marco Polo accounts go further, but it doesn't make sense that a secretive order would just simply tell him all their secrets. He said they would bury a convert to the neck and put a fake plate around their head. Because they had been convinced they were previously in heaven they would talk to the other converts about how great heaven was. Then after that they would actually cut their head off and hang it somewhere prominent. Again though, why would they tell this to Marco Polo?

[@Anduz001]

Sad coincidence that I'm watching this literally hours after Shinzo Abe was assassinated.

[@jacko250]

I would love to see you do a video tackling the life of Gabriele D'Annunzio, a man who’s life I find equally fascinating & repellent… There’s endless material for you to cover there to say the least, no doubt it would make for great content!

[@alfonsomaesa329]

I was just browsing KZbin and I thought I saw something familiar, and I wasn't wrong! Haha! It's amazing to see an old artwork of mine that I did almost a decade ago when I was a teenager going places, like thumbnails for videos now! Your content is amazing, and I just became a subscriber from a few months back, keep up the great work!

[@a.demifemiflapo5795]

why you lie

[@ItsFL1CKZz-onTikTok]

Love this content bro! The games assassins creed were historically accurate aswell they won awards for it being so true on what they told about their lineage, also on another note! Liking the new hairstyle and that bro you are looking smart!

[@thENDweDIE]

7:53 This was rather brilliant..!! He knew that an attempt to retake the castle, was an inevitably... His confidents in the stronghold was so absolute, he not only welcomed it...he funded it too..!! Him sparing the man's life including compassion...it would come asap. When his people's moral was great, and his enemy rage still fresh and his peoples lost confidents... He finished any opposition, whilst securing a most powerful reputation all at once and straight away..!! Respect..!!

[@juiceboxzach]

This is a perfect video at perfect timing, im currently replaying the entire assassins creed series

[@Elfishjuggler33]

Having only heard of him through “fate” this was really fun to hear the full story

[@lowqualityratspinning]

Grand Assassin

[@Elfishjuggler33]

@@lowqualityratspinning grand pa

[@YoSora1313]

Not Assassins creed ?

[@Elfishjuggler33]

@@YoSora1313 I haven’t played any assassins creed games yet

[@mr.picklethanos7340]

The fact that Ubisoft included the "paradise garden" in Assassin's Creed 1 is just amazing attention to detail.

[@philsergent1913]

Excellently done! Truly enjoyed your presentation!

[@johnclark851]

Excellent video! I first heard of this when I read "Fire, Dungeon and Sword" by John J. Robinson. His accounts and yours are in lock-step but you did a much better job making it interesting. I have bought both of your books and really look forward to your new content. Keep them coming!

[@lisababy7571]

Hello 👋 How are you doing..?

[@johnhause7150]

Im not surprised about the opium thing. Anyone who has ever had a go round with that particular vice (yes, me.) knows the pain of the days of dispare is converted to a pleasurable tickle of anticipation. It was what I now call,HELL.

[@TomabTT.]

Love your content man keep up your amazing work :)

[@benmcreynolds8581]

I remember playing the first assassin's creed video game too. Its crazy that the first game actually had a story and made sense on a creative level. Then it completely lost all sense of identity and logical sense of function... I only like the first couple games. I can't stand the newest ones. Like what the heck happened? Its as annoying as far cry and just all these empty, misguided, hollow story, hollow world building, I just miss things that actually had depth, even if the game world wasn't massively open. Like BioShock 1 is a perfect example. It had so much character, storytelling, world building, interesting locations to explore, interesting combat that could even be improved on. The Batman games are great too. They found that line of making a game with a personality. That you want to engage and experience and learn about. Not just hollowness where you clear all the enemy camps and there isn't much more that makes sense to any of the game.

[@mpzakhaevski8988]

Agreed, newer games feel uninspired and not grounded especially Odyssey

[@kingbattle393]

Far cry is a good game, but you can have your own opinion I guess.🙄

[@JakenTheGreat]

The lead writer and creator left. Many studio veterans left. The series isn't even made by the same people anymore and it shows.

[@jarnold1789]

@@kingbattle393 Far Cry games are fun but it’s a pretty simple formula that has been recycled many times

[@fazzinho10]

I’m Ismaili born in Kabul, Afghanistan and I enjoyed this documentary. Feeling proud! :)

[@BigFT42]

Chill out bro🤣

[@williampetrie4259]

imagine thoughty2 being your history teacher!

[@Xansting]

I’ve known about these stories for a long time. Except I always knew these people by the name of hassassin’s. Very interesting to be learning the behind the scene of its real history, great video !

[@dr.bishop1126]

when i wake up i watch thoughty2, when i eat i watch thoughty2, now I'm sad and I'm watching thoughty2.

[@NguyenHuuTri2008]

so..... i was reading "Angels and demons" by Dan Brown, and it mentioned a "Hassassin", which they do claim that this word did evolve into the word "assassin". but the book described them as barbarians, so it is very good to know that "Hassassin" means crackhead also does that mean John Wick is a crackhead lol

[@Ash-ch8fq]

I think this is my most favourite Thoughty2 video yet

[@spikypikachu1162]

Assassins creed does do a good job representing of how assassins were in the past, but I can definitely see it being in a alternate universe for most of the things. With the brotherhood being the group of assassins but they are represented differently and similarly. But this was very fascinating to learn and loved watching this!

[@sethijutt]

The actual assassins were more like stalkers from ac revelations though.....

[@jdssurf]

The fact you added Leon melted my heart.

[@kyallogideon8625]

Love every bit of this...Very detailed..Make me wonna become an assasin, but all good and murdery things must come to an end eventually😂

[@Iggygiy]

They once wanted to kill Salahuddin, but failed because Salahuddin had an extraordinary sensitivity, if he only expected the guards in his camp he would have died in the tent

[@Rinoto]

This sounds like it would make a really fun Civilization to play as in Civ VI. Religious bonuses to how fast it can spread to other civs and city states, the special Fida'i assassin units that could enter territories without the need for open borders with them, and the Alamut castle building which could provide bonuses to faith and production towards troops.

[@dariushirani5007]

😆 Great idea

[@mrbfros454]

Great video as always. Your content is educational entertaining and realistic. I love that I can trust that my time will be well spent and that I will go away a better person than before.

[@ConnerTravis1998]

As a big fan of the Fate series and Assassins Creed and I also like history I had a very big interest when I learned about the Hashshashiyin. The lore behind them and surprisingly accuracy that both series has made about Hashshashiyin/Assassins does actually make you think how real the actual fictional parts about both of these series versions of the Hashshashiyin/Assassins could’ve been if some event, religious beliefs or something big was different.

[@michaelhansen2818]

I don't know why this popped up in my feed, but I'm glad it did, this was very educational.

[@thomashardy1600]

So basically another title for this video could be “The real History of Assassins Creed.”

[@richeastham2462]

yes yes it could

[@_AceInTheHole_]

Fun Fact: Alamut Castle will feature as the main base of operations for the assassins in Assassin's Creed Mirage.

[@EndlessTravels]

"I wanna be an assassin when I grow up" Thoughty2 "So you wanna be a junkie..?" that was seriously interesting fact about the drug use and the term was used as an insult

[@longjohnlongdong4692]

Forty two! One of my top 5 KZbin’s for sure.

[@thecursedhero]

Great video, very informative and very detailed. I have one critical objection about it as a history enthusiast and someone who is has insider info about this topic. The nizari history explained here is true yet the origin of hassan sabbah is a but more complicated than that. Throughout the books Lord of Alamut (persian: God of alamut) by paul amir and Alamut by vladimir bartol. The origin of sabbah was briefly explained as unknown. Due to the fact that his past was very murky and full of myths. However some persian historians that work at the site of Alamut castle have uncovered one thing and that Hassan sabbah actual name is not known. His first name was an adopted arabic name, his last name was also a nickname meaning “the one who wakes up early” as the legend had that he never slept and always woke up early. Disregarding the myths, some traced evidence heavily points out that he might be originating from the city of Rey to an unknown parents and that he started traveling the realm, learning and gathering information and being trained at the islamic nizamiye (religious schools). Afterwards he started using the nizari faith as a tool rather than a preacher to gather up his mean. Due to the fact that people tend to be more influenced by faith rather than other persuasive methods. In some surviving literature from the period, it was noted that the sole reason he started his agenda was to drive the islamic influence out of Persia and go against seljuk empire. Even though some of this research is still speculated and inconclusive. It just shows that myths and legends have some sort of truth and that the whole order of assassins’ history is still a big mystery in many ways Edit: reference for some of the info here are available in the books that are mentioned and the some of the literature are available at the sites of the nizari castles if you are skeptical about some of it, i suggest visiting the sites won’t hurt if you’re up for the adventure.

[@karamamarshi8655]

I'm an Ismaili and it makes me happy to see my religious history covered to such detail

[@mere6367]

Can you do more on this , this is something I’m very interested in 😎

[@JJM-ne5fh]

This entire video reminded me of assassin Creed mirage!!😮 Although syndicate is my personal favorite

[@asmoday2838]

Great video! The history of the Assassins is a very intriguing one and I'm happy that you covered it!

[@AbidKarim-m6r]

its great to see our history being explained here...i am one of the so called 'the order of assasins' , a nizari ismaili. One thing to mention is that we r completely different from what we used to be back then. now we are a peacefull community which not only urges to live peacefully but also tries to create a social impact in different places we live. Our leader's vision is to improve the lives of humanity. there is network called AKDN which works day and night to transform the lives of people through quality education, health and improving economic conditions. Anyway, all those assassinations back then were vital for our survival.

[@Benni777]

I’m surprised that you didn’t mention the jobs of doctors/nurses being one of those highly romanticized careers in movies. To be fair, these careers are more romanticized on tv shows than in movies, but still it’s a very common job to be looked at as “awesome” while the actual work could be brutal

[@Sanakudou]

I guess it wasn’t relevant to the video to go into any more examples but I definitely agree with you! Another example I’m very aware of would be homicide detectives, TV makes it seem exciting and thinks pools of red blood in any way replicate the vomit-inducing scenes real ones encounter on the job. There’s also way more paperwork than chasing bad guys down city backstreets. I remember encountering a news article several years ago that included statistics that revealed just how much the popularity of a TV show glamourising a career will make enrolment in related college/university degrees skyrocket! I would love to know how many change careers as soon as they realise the real experience is nothing like it is on TV. It’s amazing how much the media we consume can influence our life choices like this.

[@casitro]

Except for some overly dramatic but not too heavy fact-bending this is a really impressive video. Thank you very much for that!

[@lebmc2148]

This story is awesome! I'm a huge Assassin's Creed fan and knowing how in depth of detail Ubisoft went, and to re-create a new story is very impressive.

[@DarthSoto78]

@shayan aa I think that was done on purpose because in most history, and movies ext. the Knight Templers are shown as the heroes. So, they decided to switch it up.

[@Clint52279]

Historically assassins were easy to spot and dispatch. Basically the person wishing to ferret them out would look for the guy wearing a cool black hood and doing his best to, and I quote the old texts, "look totally bad ass." Then they'd find his impractical, retracting wrist blade...

[@MDR098]

this sounds like the plot of prince of persia and AC combined

[@martenpine245]

The timing of this video is crazy.

[@arindamdey894]

He/she is a scammer don't fall for the trap I checked. She tried on me but failed

[@totalcreativegaming6681]

Can’t go wrong with a good old history lesson. Although funnily enough, the only thing I already knew was that the origin of the word “Assassin” came from the translated term “hashish user”… I learned this from an episode of the anime, Ghost in the Shell Stand Alone Complex 2nd Gig.

[@billybobthekidiswack]

No that's misinformation. The word assassin came from Asāsiyyūn which basically mean "people of principle".

[@billybobthekidiswack]

@Username1_4161 they didn't refer to themselves as hashashin, that's what people who didn't like them called them. Them calling themselves "hashashin" is like if the mafia called their organization "the junkies".

[@timgofman7882]

frickin awesome video, the best thoughty2 ever made by far keep it up man!