In Assassin's Creed Unity, which historic event forms the story's political backdrop?

In Assassin's Creed Unity, the French Revolution forms the story's political backdrop.

The game is set in Paris beginning in 1789, the year commonly associated with the start of the French Revolution. Arno Dorian becomes involved in the Assassin–Templar conflict as France experiences the collapse of the old political order, mass unrest, and violent struggles over power. Major locations include the Bastille, the Tuileries, and Notre-Dame.

Unity uses recognizable events and figures from the period, including the storming of the Bastille and the Reign of Terror. Its fictional characters move through those events, but the game takes dramatic liberties with chronology and causation. It should therefore be understood as historical fiction rather than a documentary account.

The French Revolution is sometimes confused with the American Revolution because Assassin's Creed III uses the latter as its main backdrop. Unity instead focuses on revolutionary Paris, while its multiplayer missions also explore the city through cooperative gameplay.