In which historical conflict is the main story of the first Assassin’s Creed set?

The main historical story of the first Assassin’s Creed is set during the Third Crusade.

The game’s historical chapters take place in 1191, during the Third Crusade, a conflict involving Christian European forces and Muslim powers in the eastern Mediterranean. Altaïr Ibn-La’Ahad carries out missions in cities including Jerusalem, Acre, and Damascus while serving the Assassin cause.

The setting is not a general medieval backdrop: the game uses specific political tensions, leaders, and locations associated with the crusade. Richard the Lionheart appears as the English king leading the campaign, while Saladin is represented as the ruler whose forces oppose the Crusader states.

The Third Crusade is sometimes confused with the later crusades because Assassin’s Creed uses fictional conspiracies alongside real history. The game’s secret-society plot is fictionalized, but its 1191 chronology and major geographic setting are tied to the Third Crusade.