Hassan-i Sabbah
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Hassan-i Sabbah was the founder and first leader of the Order of Assassins. Born in [Qom], Iran, legend holds that his childhood friends included Nizam al-Mulk and Omar Khayyam. The Ismaili Fatimid Caliphate sent him to Persia as a missionary, leading to the capture of Alamut Castle in 1090. However, he broke with the Fatimids by recognizing Nizar ibn al-Mustansir as the rightful Imam, thereby establishing the Nizari Ismaili movement. When threatened by superior military forces, Sabbah innovated the strategy of targeted political assassination, beginning with his former friend Nizam al-Mulk. His rule established Alamut as both a military stronghold and a center of learning.
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Timeline for Hassan-i Sabbah
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Historical, The Islamic Golden Age Birth of Hassan-i Sabbah
Hassan-i Sabbah is born in Qom, modern-day Iran. As a child, he is said to have been good friends with the future politician Nizam al-Mulk and the poet Omar Khayyam.
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Historical, The Islamic Golden Age Capture of Alamut
Hassan-i Sabbah (40), a military commander and intellectual who had fallen out of favour with the Egyptian Fatimid Caliphate, completes a missionary tour of Persia by capturing Alamut Castle. He establishes his own Ismaili sect.
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Historical, The Islamic Golden Age Formation of the Assassins
Nizam al-Mulk attempts to stamp out Hassan-i Sabbah’s sect at Alamut. Without a large army, Hassan-i Sabbah (42) creates the Order of Assassins, devotees who systematically remove political opposition through selective murder. Nizam becomes the Order’s first victim.
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Historical, The Islamic Golden Age Nizari Schism
A crisis in the Egyptian Fatimid Caliphate leads to a schism when the Caliph’s eldest son, Nizar ibn al-Mustansir, is overlooked for succession. Hassan-i Sabbah (44) recognises Nizar as the Imam of his movement, the Nizari Ismaili.
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Historical, The Islamic Golden Age Expansion to Lambsar
Kiyā Buzurg-Ummīd conquers Lambsar Castle for the Nizari Ismaili and serves as its governor for Hassan-i Sabbah (49). This starts the expansion of the Nizari Ismaili by conquering a string of mountain fortresses from northern Persia across to Syria and the Levant.
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Historical, The Islamic Golden Age Death of Hassan-i Sabbah
Hassan-i Sabbah (74), the leader of the Order of Assassins, dies and is succeeded by Kiyā Buzurg-Ummīd.
| Hassan-i Sabbah | |
|---|---|
| Order of Assassins | |
| Reign | 1092 AD – 1124 AD (Founder) |
| Predecessor | Founder. |
| Successor | Kiyā Buzurg-Ummīd |
| Biographical Data | |
| Species/Race | Human |
| Gender | Male |
| Born | 1050 AD Qom, Iran |
| Died | 1124 AD (aged 74) Alamut, Iran (Old age) |
| Affiliation | |
| Allegiance | Nizari Ismaili Order of Assassins |
| Religion | Shia Islam |
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