Assassin sect
Quick Summary
The "Assassin sect" refers to the Nizārī Ismāʿīlīs, a religio-political movement within Shīʿite Islam that emerged in the 11th century. They established a network of mountain fortresses, with Alamut in Iran being a key stronghold.12
Due to being militarily weaker than their adversaries, the Nizārīs employed guerrilla tactics, including espionage and targeted assassinations of enemy leaders. Their use of stealth and targeted killings led to legends in Europe, where they were known as "Assassins." These legends, often exaggerated by their enemies, contributed to the modern word "assassin" meaning a hired killer. The Nizārī power waned after the Mongol conquests in the 13th century.12
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- Fatimid dynastyThe end of the Fatimid state
…Nizārī Ismāʿīliyyah (commonly called the Assassins by its detractors), proclaimed Nizār and his descendants as rightful imāms and condemned the caliphs in Cairo as usurpers. Even those Ismāʿīlīs, chiefly in Yemen, who had accepted al-Mustaʿlī broke away in 1130 when al-Mustaʿlī’s son al-Āmir (reigned 1101–30) was murdered by the Assassins…
Read More…Nizārī Ismāʿīliyyah (commonly called the Assassins by its detractors), proclaimed Nizār and his descendants as rightful imāms and condemned the caliphs in Cairo as usurpers. Even those Ismāʿīlīs, chiefly in Yemen, who had accepted al-Mustaʿlī broke away in 1130 when al-Mustaʿlī’s son al-Āmir (reigned 1101–30) was murdered by the Assassins…
Read More - Malik-Shāh
…antiorthodox terrorist movement of the Assassins who murdered Niẓām al-Mulk in 1092. Before this he was partly estranged from his vizier who favoured the claims to succession of Malik-Shāh’s eldest son by his first wife against those of a son by his second wife. Further, his relations deteriorated with the…
Read More…antiorthodox terrorist movement of the Assassins who murdered Niẓām al-Mulk in 1092. Before this he was partly estranged from his vizier who favoured the claims to succession of Malik-Shāh’s eldest son by his first wife against those of a son by his second wife. Further, his relations deteriorated with the…
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IranThe Ismāʿīliyyah…Europeans in the Middle Ages, Assassins (from ḥashīshī, denoting a consumer of hashish), has become a common noun in English.
Read More…Europeans in the Middle Ages, Assassins (from ḥashīshī, denoting a consumer of hashish), has become a common noun in English.
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