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The Ismaili Assassins: A History of Medieval Murder
The Ismaili Assassins were an underground group of political killers who were ready to kill Christians and Muslims alike with complete disregard for their own lives. These devoted murderers were under the powerful control of a grand master who used assassination as part of a grand strategic vision that embraced Egypt, the Levant and Persia and even reached the court of the Mongol Khans in far away Qaraqorum. The Assassins often slayed their victims in public, cultivating their terrifying reputation. They assumed disguises and their weapon of choice was a dagger. The dagger was blessed by the grand master and killing with it was a holy and sanctified act poison or other methods of murder were forbidden to the followers of the sect.
Surviving a mission was considered a deep dishonor and mothers rejoiced when they heard that their Assassin sons had died having completed their deadly acts. Their formidable reputation spread far and wide. In 1253, the Mongol chiefs were so fearful of them that they massacred and enslaved the Assassins women and children in an attempt to liquidate the sect. The English monarch, Edward I, was nearly dispatched by their blades and Richard the Lionheart's reputation was sullied by his association with the Assassins murder of Conrad of Montferrat.
The Ismaili Assassins explores the origins, actions and legacy of this notorious sect. Enriched with eyewitness accounts from Islamic and Western sources, this important book unlocks the history of the Crusades and the early Islamic period, giving the reader entry into a historical epoch that is thrilling and pertinent.
Surviving a mission was considered a deep dishonor and mothers rejoiced when they heard that their Assassin sons had died having completed their deadly acts. Their formidable reputation spread far and wide. In 1253, the Mongol chiefs were so fearful of them that they massacred and enslaved the Assassins women and children in an attempt to liquidate the sect. The English monarch, Edward I, was nearly dispatched by their blades and Richard the Lionheart's reputation was sullied by his association with the Assassins murder of Conrad of Montferrat.
The Ismaili Assassins explores the origins, actions and legacy of this notorious sect. Enriched with eyewitness accounts from Islamic and Western sources, this important book unlocks the history of the Crusades and the early Islamic period, giving the reader entry into a historical epoch that is thrilling and pertinent.
256 pages, Hardcover
First published October 1, 2008
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
January 19, 2016
Legend has it that high inn the hills of Persia there existed lush castles with fragrant gardens and beautiful women. The fountains and water falls spouted forth milk and wine. Potential assassins were supposedly drugged with Hashish and when they awoke , it was in one of these pleasure gardens surrounded by beautiful women. This was paradise and the assassin would do anything to get back there. To die while assassinating your target wass the quickest way there. Of course all for this is lies it did not really go down that way, although there was proselytizing on the part of the old man of the mountain . To be surre the assassins enjoyed a reputation of being able to kill any one at anywhere and any time. Even the European leaders were spooked.
The book gives an excellent history of this secretive group. Going all the way to the beginning of Islam when there was a dispute about succeeding Mohammed after his death all the way through to the Turkish invasions and the mongol hordes. You got both the past and the context. This will help you understand who the assassins were and why and how they were forced to change.
Starting with the death of Mohammed there was a controversy about who should succeed him. Should they choose his cousin and son in law Ali or should they choose Abu Bakr. In the end Abu Bakr was chosen. Ali would become a caliph after Abu Bakr passed on and two more would take his place and die. Ali himself died violently. As Islam itself spread they conquered Syria,Babylon and Persia. Their goal was not to convert people but rather let them be infidels and live off the tax or jizzya money. Many people did convert. Many converts were not happy with the way they were treated especially in Persia. This would help give rise to the Abbassid dynasty, a rival to the Sunni Ommayad Dynasty. Indeed many smaller non arabic groups would adopt Islam, or variations there of as a way to bolster ethnic identity. With in Persia there would rise many independent statelets trig to run their own show,
As Islam spread and the conflict between Sunni and Shiite got worse. Islam would take over North Africa, and Egypt along with the Holy Land and al thew way to the border with China. Ismael, son of Ali would die in the battle of Karballa. THe arabs would also resort to employing Turkish warrior slaves to fight their battles for them. Among these groups were the Seljuks and the Mamelukes. Shia Islam would break off into more sercts likes the twelve's and the nizari. THe assassins were connected with the Nizari.
The Seljuks would eventually adopt Islam, Sunni Style and begin oppressing the Persians. Hassan Ibn Sabbah would proselytize and gather people form minority groups and eventually assume control after Alamut. Other fortresses were soon to follow. THe Sunni establishment strove to wipe out the assassins as did the Turks. The Assassins would kill one or more leaders and throw everything into chaos. They even managed to kill Nizam al Malk.
Turkish power was not falling and the Mongols entered the scene. They would fight with the Khwarazim Turks and the assassins were allies with the mongols at first. Later when the Khrarazin were destroyed and the Mongoils made their way to Baghdad, under Helegu Khan , would later betray the assassins and force them to leave their castles, in Persia. After that they remained in Syria as vassals to the Turkish warlord there. Eventually when they lost their forts they fled to places like Afghanistan, Pakistan and India.
One of the least known groups that is shrouded with mystery . This book does a good job of guiding you throuhg it and demystifying everything. This book is well researched and very absorbing .
The book gives an excellent history of this secretive group. Going all the way to the beginning of Islam when there was a dispute about succeeding Mohammed after his death all the way through to the Turkish invasions and the mongol hordes. You got both the past and the context. This will help you understand who the assassins were and why and how they were forced to change.
Starting with the death of Mohammed there was a controversy about who should succeed him. Should they choose his cousin and son in law Ali or should they choose Abu Bakr. In the end Abu Bakr was chosen. Ali would become a caliph after Abu Bakr passed on and two more would take his place and die. Ali himself died violently. As Islam itself spread they conquered Syria,Babylon and Persia. Their goal was not to convert people but rather let them be infidels and live off the tax or jizzya money. Many people did convert. Many converts were not happy with the way they were treated especially in Persia. This would help give rise to the Abbassid dynasty, a rival to the Sunni Ommayad Dynasty. Indeed many smaller non arabic groups would adopt Islam, or variations there of as a way to bolster ethnic identity. With in Persia there would rise many independent statelets trig to run their own show,
As Islam spread and the conflict between Sunni and Shiite got worse. Islam would take over North Africa, and Egypt along with the Holy Land and al thew way to the border with China. Ismael, son of Ali would die in the battle of Karballa. THe arabs would also resort to employing Turkish warrior slaves to fight their battles for them. Among these groups were the Seljuks and the Mamelukes. Shia Islam would break off into more sercts likes the twelve's and the nizari. THe assassins were connected with the Nizari.
The Seljuks would eventually adopt Islam, Sunni Style and begin oppressing the Persians. Hassan Ibn Sabbah would proselytize and gather people form minority groups and eventually assume control after Alamut. Other fortresses were soon to follow. THe Sunni establishment strove to wipe out the assassins as did the Turks. The Assassins would kill one or more leaders and throw everything into chaos. They even managed to kill Nizam al Malk.
Turkish power was not falling and the Mongols entered the scene. They would fight with the Khwarazim Turks and the assassins were allies with the mongols at first. Later when the Khrarazin were destroyed and the Mongoils made their way to Baghdad, under Helegu Khan , would later betray the assassins and force them to leave their castles, in Persia. After that they remained in Syria as vassals to the Turkish warlord there. Eventually when they lost their forts they fled to places like Afghanistan, Pakistan and India.
One of the least known groups that is shrouded with mystery . This book does a good job of guiding you throuhg it and demystifying everything. This book is well researched and very absorbing .
January 13, 2023
Despite many good reviews for this book, I found it to be the kind of history that makes people hate history. It provided an endlessly detailed list of unfamiliar tribes/sects/groups whose conflicts shaped Islam and the Assassins over a relatively short period of time. I never knew which were important (that is - which would continue to appear in the story) and which were one-time participants in the chaotic lifecycle of the Assassins. I can't argue with the depth of knowledge Waterson clearly has about his subject. I suppose if one was a scholar on the topic and knew the names and geopolitical history of each of these groups, his work might provide a helpful timeline. But I'm no scholar on the subject and my hopes for something more than a very long list of violent arguments were not realized. If there is a larger arc to the story behind this formative period for the religion, I somehow missed it and will need to look elsewhere. Also, no thanks to the professor whose forward called this book very readable. It's a slog from page one to at least page 200, when I started skimming.
August 7, 2010
This is really one unique text. It doesn't follow a chronology, but it is one hell of a a sneaky book. It pops facts when you least expect it, like the titular Assassins and is so intriguing, I hardly let go of it and felt utterly depressed after finishing its last page.
November 16, 2019
I came into this wanting to know more about the sect that I had come across in my own studies of the Crusades - those allegedly responsible for the murders of Raymond II of Tripoli and Conrad of Montferrat. I was not disappointed. Waterson presents us with a historically accurate and detailed account of the Ismaili Asaassins, from their earliest inception to their devastation at the hands of the Mongols, and all the complicated political and dynastic maneuvering in between. definitely one for the history shelf of my Library.
full review here @ Melisende's Library
full review here @ Melisende's Library
February 17, 2015
Alamut'un Fedaileri James Waterson tarafından kaleme alınmış,orta çağdaki siyasi mücadeleleri anlatan bir eser. Semerkant(Amin Maalouf)dan sonra konuyu detaylı öğrenmek ve akılda kalan soru işaretlerini gidermek için güzel bir kitap.Döneme merak duyanlar için tavsiye edebilirim.
December 4, 2009
Mr. Waterson is a close friend and I am so impressed by his skill as a writer. Fascinating subject and well written.
April 8, 2012
This is one of the best books about Ismaili.
November 30, 2024
I had to stop after reading a little over halfway. This book is written with the assumption that the reader already has a good knowledge of Medieval Middle Eastern and Islamic history. Without it, you will drown in proper nouns and events, major and minor.
This has the content of a textbook but there is an attempt to create a narrative flow and to make the people and events in it come to life. In this regard, it failed. As a textbook, I am not sure how useful or valuable it would be for students. It isn't really chronological and, as mentioned above, mentions quite a few things without exposition. If a student already had a good knowledge of the era and people, then this book might be good at filling in the blanks with a focus on the Ismaili Assassins.
For a commercial work, which I thought this was, this book is much too dry. It feels more like a regurgitation of facts. I often had no feel for the era, the people, motivations, why things happened, or if I did it was paper-thin giving no insight into the people, the faiths, etc. In fact, from this book it felt like the whole era was one of chaos, gratuitous murder, rape, and enslavement. The assassins were just one of many violent, fanatical actors. What I really wanted to understand is what made them so unique and why a variation of their name endures in the English language.
One stylistic issue in particular that was annoying was the use of Arabic or Farsi words in italics without giving the definition or meaning. You either knew them or had to derive their meaning from context. This is an error because about 50 pages into the book, the author does define a couple of them but only after using it in the body of the work numerous times.
It's been a while since I've been in an academic setting but I am pretty sure if a word needs defining in a work (such as a word in a language other than the reader's language), you need to do it the first time you use the word, just like acronyms.
The foreword and introduction acknowledge the need to make history texts readable, not for enjoyment value, but to ensure the reader and/or student better retains the knowledge and understanding. History is not supposed to be rote memorization of names, dates, and places. We live in an era of distractions. A book like this sold commercially does not have much hope of breaking through those distractions.
I do not doubt the author's expertise. In the academic sphere, he may be a good, or even a great writer. Writing for a broader audience commercially, I do not think Waterson succeeded.
This has the content of a textbook but there is an attempt to create a narrative flow and to make the people and events in it come to life. In this regard, it failed. As a textbook, I am not sure how useful or valuable it would be for students. It isn't really chronological and, as mentioned above, mentions quite a few things without exposition. If a student already had a good knowledge of the era and people, then this book might be good at filling in the blanks with a focus on the Ismaili Assassins.
For a commercial work, which I thought this was, this book is much too dry. It feels more like a regurgitation of facts. I often had no feel for the era, the people, motivations, why things happened, or if I did it was paper-thin giving no insight into the people, the faiths, etc. In fact, from this book it felt like the whole era was one of chaos, gratuitous murder, rape, and enslavement. The assassins were just one of many violent, fanatical actors. What I really wanted to understand is what made them so unique and why a variation of their name endures in the English language.
One stylistic issue in particular that was annoying was the use of Arabic or Farsi words in italics without giving the definition or meaning. You either knew them or had to derive their meaning from context. This is an error because about 50 pages into the book, the author does define a couple of them but only after using it in the body of the work numerous times.
It's been a while since I've been in an academic setting but I am pretty sure if a word needs defining in a work (such as a word in a language other than the reader's language), you need to do it the first time you use the word, just like acronyms.
The foreword and introduction acknowledge the need to make history texts readable, not for enjoyment value, but to ensure the reader and/or student better retains the knowledge and understanding. History is not supposed to be rote memorization of names, dates, and places. We live in an era of distractions. A book like this sold commercially does not have much hope of breaking through those distractions.
I do not doubt the author's expertise. In the academic sphere, he may be a good, or even a great writer. Writing for a broader audience commercially, I do not think Waterson succeeded.
November 2, 2022
My wife got this for my father five Christmass ago and I decided to read it after reading Samarkand. The Ismaili Assassins were a small violent group of Shiite Muslims who kept the great powers at bay through the assassination of the heads of political families. This history is very readable and quick as an over view of how these people worked and why they worked.
August 4, 2018
Assassin's Creed type storytelling it is not. Be warned this is serious history factual and oh so detailed.
February 8, 2023
Very boring. It seems like an interesting subject, but it was really a very dry book
October 2, 2025
A very well-written and comprehensive history about a fascinating and often much-maligned people group who many in the west know little about. Waterson is able to create a vivid picture of the geopolitical landscape of the time and the conditions which led to the forming of the assassins, dispelling many of the myths around them. The scope of the book is also impressive, as a vast 6-700 year history is covered comprehensively in what is a relatively short work. Reading was mostly easy, although sometimes with the sheer amount of people/groups/sects involved could be slightly confusing, which is more a product of the complexities of the period rather than a critique of Waterson's writing. Despite that, some surface-level knowledge of the time period is probably required, and I could see somebody less familiar with the broader context in which Waterson frames his work getting a bit lost. Overall a fascinating read which I thoroughly enjoyed.
April 25, 2012
The book is anything but boring. For me it patches many areas in history as it moves across different times and regions. I like the way the writer managed to keep track of multiple threads of events, moved from one to another showing relation and influence. I personally managed to catch an nonnegotiable historical glitch but when it comes to history there will be no single book that is 100 percent error free; history is written by the winners after all. But when it comes to history I see more responsibility on the reader to reason what is being read and as my favorite writer Youssef Zeidan always says "No easy or ready made answers"
September 22, 2014
A very well written, researched history of a radical sect. To write a book on this topic is extremely difficult due to a dearth of information we have about the Assassins. Waterson does a good job with the information available to him.
August 4, 2015
An interesting history of the Assassins and the history swirling about them. Not all that different from Bernard Lewis' some five decades ago but still interesting for all of that.
Recommended for those interested in Medieval Eurasian History and Religious History
Rating 4 out of 5 stars.
Recommended for those interested in Medieval Eurasian History and Religious History
Rating 4 out of 5 stars.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews