Which real-world historical order is the main enemy faction in Assassin’s Creed?

The Knights Templar are the main historical inspiration for the recurring enemy faction in Assassin’s Creed. In the fictional series, the Templars seek control and order, opposing the Assassins’ commitment to freedom and individual choice.

The real Knights Templar were a Christian military order founded in the early twelfth century to protect pilgrims traveling to the Holy Land. They became influential through military service, landholding, finance, and political connections before being suppressed in the early fourteenth century.

The games transform the historical order into a long-running secret organization operating across centuries. This fictional continuity should not be treated as literal history. The Knights Hospitaller, Teutonic Order, and Order of Santiago were also real medieval organizations, but they are not the franchise’s central recurring enemy faction.