Editing Order of Assassins (section)

===Origins===
[[File:Alavids-map.png|thumb|Map showing the [[Alamut]] area in [[Tabaristan]] region, modern day northern [[Iran]]]]
[[Hassan-i Sabbah]] was born in [[Qom]], ca. 1050, and did his religious studies in [[Cairo]] with the Fatimids. Sabbah's father was a [[Qahtanite]] Arab, said to be a descendant of [[Himyarite Kingdom|Himyaritic kings]],<ref>Lewis (2003), p. 38</ref> having emigrated to Qom from [[Kufa]]. He made his way to Persia where, through subterfuge, he and his followers captured Alamut Castle in 1090. Sabbah adapted the fortress to suit his needs not only for defense from hostile forces, but also for indoctrination of his followers. After laying claim to the fortress at Alamut, Sabbah began expanding his influence outwards to nearby towns and districts, using his agents to gain political favour and to intimidate the local populations. Spending most of his days at Alamut producing religious works and developing doctrines for his order, Sabbah would never again leave his fortress.{{sfn|Lewis|1969|pp=108–109}}

Shortly after establishing their headquarters at Alamut Castle, the sect captured [[Lambsar Castle]], to be the largest of the Isma'ili fortresses and confirming the Assassins' power in northern Persia. The estimated date of the capture of Lambsar varies between 1096 and 1102. The castle was taken under the command of [[Kiya Buzurg Ummid]], later Sabbah's successor, who remained commandant of the fortress for twenty years.<ref>Lewis (2003), p. 44</ref> No interactions between the Christian forces of the [[First Crusade]] and the Assassins have been noted, with the latter concentrating on the Muslim enemies of the former. Other than a mention of Tancred's 1106 taking of Apamea (see below) in ''[[Gesta Tancredi]]'',<ref>{{Cite book|title=The Gesta Tancredi of Ralph of Caen (Crusade Texts in Translation), p. 172|translator=Bernard S. Bachrach and David S. Bachrach|year=2010|publisher=Ashgate Publishing |isbn=978-1409400325}}</ref> Western Europe likely first learned of the Assassins from the chronicles of [[William of Tyre]], ''A History of Deeds Done Beyond the Sea,'' published much later.

One of Sabbah's disciples named Dihdar Bu-Ali from [[Qazvin]] rallied local supporters to deflect the Seljuks.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NWW7AAAAIAAJ&q=dihdar+bu-ali&pg=PA675|title=History of the World Conqueror|last=Ata-Malik Juvayni|year=1997|publisher=Manchester University Press|isbn=9780719051456|access-date=2020-10-19|archive-date=2023-12-04|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231204025304/https://books.google.com/books?id=NWW7AAAAIAAJ&q=dihdar+bu-ali&pg=PA675|url-status=live}}</ref> Their attack on Alamut Castle and surrounding areas was canceled upon the death of the sultan. The new sultan [[Berkyaruq]], son of Malik Shah I, did not continue the direct attack on Alamut, concentrating on securing his position against rivals, including his half-brother [[Muhammad I Tapar]], who eventually settled for a smaller role, becoming ''[[malik]]'' (translated as "king") in [[Armenia]] and [[Azerbaijan]].

Sabbah is reputed to have remarked, "the killing of this devil is the beginning of bliss". Of the 50 assassinations conducted during Sabbah's reign, more than half were Seljuk officials, many of whom supported Muhammad I Tapar.<ref>Lewis (2003), pp. 47, 51, 134</ref>

The Assassins seized Persian castles of [[Rudkhan Castle|Rudkhan]] and [[Gerdkuh]] in 1096, before turning to Syria. Gerdkuh was re-fortified by Mu'ayyad al-Din Muzaffar ibn Ahmad Mustawfi, a Seljuk who was a secret Isma'ili convert, and his son Sharaf al-Din Muhammad.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/gerdkuh|title=Gerdkūh, in Encyclopedia of Iranica, Volume X, Fasc. 5, p. 499|last=Daftary|first=Farhad|access-date=2020-04-21|archive-date=2012-11-17|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121117034633/http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/gerdkuh|url-status=live}}</ref> There they occupied the fortress at [[Shaizar]] held by the [[Banu Munqidh]], using it to spread terror to [[Isfahan]], the heart of the Seljuk Empire. A rebellion by the local population drove the Assassins out, but they continued to occupy a smaller fortress at Khalinjan. In 1097, Berkyaruq associate [[Bursuq the Elder|Bursuq]] was killed by Assassins.<ref>Richards, D. S., Editor (2002). ''The Annals of the Saljuq Turks:  Selections from al-Kamil fi’l-Tarikh of ibn al-Athir''. Routledge Publishing. p. 295.</ref>

By 1100, Berkyaruq had consolidated his power, and the Assassins increased their presence by infiltrating the sultan's court and army. Day-to-day functions of the court were frequently performed while armored and with weapons. The next year, he tasked his brother [[Ahmad Sanjar]], then ruler of [[Greater Khorasan|Khorasan]], to attack Assassin strongholds in [[Quhistan]]. The siege at [[Tabas]] was at first successful, with the walls of the fortress breached, but then was lifted, possibly because the Seljuk commander had been bribed. The subsequent attack was devastating to the Assassins, but the terms granted were generous and they were soon reestablished at both Quhistan and Tabas. In the years following, the Assassins continued their mission against religious and secular leaders. Given these successes, they began expanding their operations into Syria.