Ezio Auditore is Desmond Miles's Animus ancestor from Renaissance Italy in the Assassin's Creed series. Desmond experiences Ezio's memories through the Animus across Assassin's Creed II, Brotherhood, and Revelations.
Ezio's life spans decades, beginning with his youth in Florence and continuing through his leadership of the Italian Brotherhood. His genetic connection to Desmond allows the modern-day Animus to access those memories, a core premise of the early series.
Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad is another of Desmond's ancestors, but he lived during the Third Crusade. Edward Kenway and Ratonhnhaké:ton are also members of Desmond's ancestry, belonging to later historical periods. Ezio's three-game arc made him one of the franchise's most recognizable protagonists.