New Books Network Steve Tibble, "Assassins and Templars: A Battle in Myth and Blood" (Yale UP, 2025)
Dec 4, 2025
Join historian Steve Tibble, an expert on the Crusades, as he explores the intriguing world of the Assassins and Templars. He unpacks how these legendary groups, emerging from the chaotic Eastern Mediterranean, maneuvered through political landscapes with unique leadership and strategies. Tibble reveals the assassins' pragmatic violence, the Templars' monastic military role, and how both faced eventual decline. Plus, he discusses the impact of popular culture on their myths and offers insights into their fascinating histories.
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A Crowded, Non-Eurocentric Stage
- The Eastern Mediterranean during the Crusades was crowded with many powers, making Crusaders often bit-part players.
- Small groups like the Templars and Nizari Ismailis survived by adopting niche survival strategies against larger states.
Who The Assassins Really Were
- The Assassins are the Nizari Ismailis, a tiny split of Ismailism formed after Fatimid turmoil in 1094.
- Their small size forced intense religious devotion and focused, survival-driven tactics.
Leadership As A Renewable Role
- The Assassins used institutional resilience: leadership was a title ('old man of the mountain') replaceable after killings.
- That structure made them harder to destroy and let them exploit family-run rivals' fragility.
