The Fidāwiyyah Assassins in Crusades and Counter-Crusades

Abstract

The Assassins have been the focus of serious study during this century in the West. Although the Assassins have left no insignificant impact on the Crusades and Counter-Crusades, this impact has not been properly studied. Scholars seem to have different, and at times, contradictory views on the subject. This paper maintains that the Assassins' activities during the Crusades and Counter-Crusades can only be comprehended in the context of their doctrines, because they acted in accordance with the latter and with the interests of their community. This article is an attempt to understand the motives of the Assassins for the policies that they pursued during the Crusades in the east, by comparing the findings of modem scholars on the subject against data collected from primary sources.