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Ah, the Renaissance. An age of wealth, culture, liberty, and discovery. The Italian Peninsula exploded in a wave of art and literature under the patronage of wealthy families like the Medici who wished to allow the flower of humanity to blossom. Yes, truly this era was a golden age for humanity, and also the Assassin Brotherhood that encouraged it. But it didn't start out like that. For beneath the blossoming flower of culture lied a deadly weed of corruption and oppression that the Templars wanted to exploit. And in 1476, they almost succeeded. The Assassin, Giovanni Auditore da Firenze, an ally of the Medici, uncovered a Templar plot to kill Galeazzo Maria Sforza, Duke of Milan. After unfortunately failing to stop the assassination, Giovanni then uncovered a plot to end the lives of the entire Medici family, a plot organized by the despicable Pazzi family and their Templar allies. Giovanni almost stopped them, but the Templars managed to frame the Auditores for a crime they didn't commit, and they had Giovanni hanged along with his eldest and youngest son.

The only remaining son of the Auditore family was Ezio Auditore da Firenze, a man who would go from being the innocent town troublemaker to one of the most legendary heroes in the Assassin history books, right up there with the great Altaïr Ibn-La’Ahad. Ezio vowed revenge on the ones responsible for the deaths of his family members, and left Firenze after killing the executioner, Gonfaloniere Uberto Alberti. He took his mother and sister to Monteriggioni, where they stayed with Ezio’s uncle Mario in his villa. Mario taught Ezio all about the Assassins and their struggle with the Templars, and after years of persuasion, Ezio finally agreed to carry on his father's work to free Italy from Templar tyranny. On April 26, 1478, the Pazzi finally initiated their assassination attempt on the Medici during mass in the Duomo of Florence. While Ezio was unfortunately unable to save Giuliano de’ Medici, he did manage to save Lorenzo de’ Medici and his family. Ezio then tracked down the Pazzi and their Templar allies in Florence and Tuscany, and ended their schemes, thus clearing his family name and establishing himself as a friend of the Medici and a hero of Florence.

Ezio later discovered that the Templars set their sights on Venice after eavesdropping on a meeting held by the Grand Master, a powerful Spaniard named Rodrigo Borgia. And so he traveled there alongside his longtime family friend, Leonardo da Vinci. While in Venice, Ezio worked with the local thieves guild to take down the Barbarigo family, a Templar family at the center of Venetian corruption. With the assistance of several gadgets built by Leonardo, like his famous flying machine and a hidden gun designed by Altaïr, the Templars’ plots were foiled again by 1486.

In 1488, Ezio managed to finally corner Rodrigo Borgia, and while the Templar got away, Ezio managed to claim his Apple of Eden. The Assassins met with their ally, Duchess Caterina Sforza, in Forlì to agree to hide the Apple in the city. The Templar agents, the Orsi brothers laid siege to the city and took the Apple, however. Ezio killed them, but the Apple fell into the hands of an insane fanatic monk named Girolamo Savonarola, who was pretty much the living embodiment of everything the Renaissance was not. He used the Apple to take over Florence and force the people to burn anything he deemed unholy. Paintings, books, any cultural aspect that did not involve bowing down to him and his God. The Assassins inspired the people to rise up, however, and by 1498, the people shook themselves free and burned Savonarola at the stake. The Assassins reclaimed the Apple, and hid it away once again. Ezio eventually cornered Rodrigo Borgia (who had become Pope by then) in Rome in 1499. The two fought hard, but Borgia managed to escape into the Precursor temple hidden beneath the Vatican. Ezio followed, defeated him, but spared his life. Ezio went deep into the Temple, uncovering a hidden message from the Isu, Minerva, and left the Temple with his uncle.

His decision to spare Rodrigo would prove to be a big mistake however, as the Pope's son, Cesare, led a merciless attack on Monteriggioni in 1500, destroying the city and killing Mario. Ezio and the Assassins eventually moved to Rome by 1501 in order to strike at the heart of the Borgia, inspiring citizens to rise up and fight to be free from Templar tyranny. Cesare was arrested in 1503, but he escaped to Spain. After years of tracking him down with the help of Leonardo da Vinci and fellow Assassin, Niccolò Machiavelli, Ezio (by then Mentor of the Italian Assassins) finally cornered Cesare in Viana and killed him, ending his reign and allowing Europe to be free to blossom once again.

But there was one thing also going on at the time that truly no one expected.

Description

Ah, the Renaissance. An age of wealth, culture, liberty, and discovery. The Italian Peninsula exploded in a wave of art and literature under the patronage of wealthy families like the Medici who wished to allow the flower of humanity to blossom. Yes, truly this era was a golden age for humanity, and also the Assassin Brotherhood that encouraged it. But it didn't start out like that. For beneath the blossoming flower of culture lied a deadly weed of corruption and oppression that the Templars wanted to exploit. And in 1476, they almost succeeded. The Assassin, Giovanni Auditore da Firenze, an ally of the Medici, uncovered a Templar plot to kill Galeazzo Maria Sforza, Duke of Milan. After unfortunately failing to stop the assassination, Giovanni then uncovered a plot to end the lives of the entire Medici family, a plot organized by the despicable Pazzi family and their Templar allies. Giovanni almost stopped them, but the Templars managed to frame the Auditores for a crime they didn't commit, and they had Giovanni hanged along with his eldest and youngest son.

The only remaining son of the Auditore family was Ezio Auditore da Firenze, a man who would go from being the innocent town troublemaker to one of the most legendary heroes in the Assassin history books, right up there with the great Altaïr Ibn-La’Ahad. Ezio vowed revenge on the ones responsible for the deaths of his family members, and left Firenze after killing the executioner, Gonfaloniere Uberto Alberti. He took his mother and sister to Monteriggioni, where they stayed with Ezio’s uncle Mario in his villa. Mario taught Ezio all about the Assassins and their struggle with the Templars, and after years of persuasion, Ezio finally agreed to carry on his father's work to free Italy from Templar tyranny. On April 26, 1478, the Pazzi finally initiated their assassination attempt on the Medici during mass in the Duomo of Florence. While Ezio was unfortunately unable to save Giuliano de’ Medici, he did manage to save Lorenzo de’ Medici and his family. Ezio then tracked down the Pazzi and their Templar allies in Florence and Tuscany, and ended their schemes, thus clearing his family name and establishing himself as a friend of the Medici and a hero of Florence.

Ezio later discovered that the Templars set their sights on Venice after eavesdropping on a meeting held by the Grand Master, a powerful Spaniard named Rodrigo Borgia. And so he traveled there alongside his longtime family friend, Leonardo da Vinci. While in Venice, Ezio worked with the local thieves guild to take down the Barbarigo family, a Templar family at the center of Venetian corruption. With the assistance of several gadgets built by Leonardo, like his famous flying machine and a hidden gun designed by Altaïr, the Templars’ plots were foiled again by 1486.

In 1488, Ezio managed to finally corner Rodrigo Borgia, and while the Templar got away, Ezio managed to claim his Apple of Eden. The Assassins met with their ally, Duchess Caterina Sforza, in Forlì to agree to hide the Apple in the city. The Templar agents, the Orsi brothers laid siege to the city and took the Apple, however. Ezio killed them, but the Apple fell into the hands of an insane fanatic monk named Girolamo Savonarola, who was pretty much the living embodiment of everything the Renaissance was not. He used the Apple to take over Florence and force the people to burn anything he deemed unholy. Paintings, books, any cultural aspect that did not involve bowing down to him and his God. The Assassins inspired the people to rise up, however, and by 1498, the people shook themselves free and burned Savonarola at the stake. The Assassins reclaimed the Apple, and hid it away once again. Ezio eventually cornered Rodrigo Borgia (who had become Pope by then) in Rome in 1499. The two fought hard, but Borgia managed to escape into the Precursor temple hidden beneath the Vatican. Ezio followed, defeated him, but spared his life. Ezio went deep into the Temple, uncovering a hidden message from the Isu, Minerva, and left the Temple with his uncle.

His decision to spare Rodrigo would prove to be a big mistake however, as the Pope's son, Cesare, led a merciless attack on Monteriggioni in 1500, destroying the city and killing Mario. Ezio and the Assassins eventually moved to Rome by 1501 in order to strike at the heart of the Borgia, inspiring citizens to rise up and fight to be free from Templar tyranny. Cesare was arrested in 1503, but he escaped to Spain. After years of tracking him down with the help of Leonardo da Vinci and fellow Assassin, Niccolò Machiavelli, Ezio (by then Mentor of the Italian Assassins) finally cornered Cesare in Viana and killed him, ending his reign and allowing Europe to be free to blossom once again.

But there was one thing also going on at the time that truly no one expected.