Assassins

Although known as early as the eighth-century the foundation of the Assassins is usually marked as 1090 when Hasan-i Sabbah, later known as the Old Man of the Mountains, established his stronghold in the mountains south of the Caspian Sea at Alamut?. A Yemeni emigrant and an Ismaili Shiite Muslim, Hasan set the aim of the Assassins to destroy the power of the [Abbasid Caliphate]? by murdering it's most powerful members.

The group inspired a aura of fear out of all proportion to their power. Legends stated that the Assassins were trained used ideology and drugs (hashish = assassin) to believe they were assured a place in paradise if they were successful in murder with their golden daggers.

Most of the victims of the Assassins were Muslims and also Sunnis. There were some extremely highly placed victims including Nizam-ul-Mulk?. Christians were largely untouched by the depredations of the Assassins, it was not until the middle of the 12th century that they had even really heard of them, although Conrad of Montferrat - the King of Jerusalem was a victim (the Assassins may have even been hired by [Richard the Lionheart]?).

While the Assassins murdered a large number of tyrants and princes, their overall effect was limited and indeed detrimental to the Ismailis themselves, and when the ruling Caliphates were strong enough the Assassins were destroyed - by the Mongols in Persia and the Mamluks? in Syria.