The original Assassin's Creed begins in 1191, during the Third Crusade.
The game follows Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad, an Assassin operating in the Holy Land during a conflict involving Crusader and Saracen forces. Its main cities include Masyaf, Jerusalem, Acre, and Damascus, all presented through a stylized version of their medieval settings.
The year 1191 places the story after the Third Crusade began in 1189 and while major historical figures such as Richard the Lionheart were active in the region. The game combines documented people and places with fictional conspiracies and targets.
A common mix-up is confusing the original game's date with later Assassin's Creed titles. Assassin's Creed II begins in Renaissance Italy in 1476, while Assassin's Creed Origins takes place much earlier, in Ptolemaic Egypt.