''Assassin's Creed II and II: Discovery'' Ezio is an ancestor of
Desmond Miles, the protagonist of most of the early series' modern-day sequences, who experiences Ezio's life through the Animus, a device unlocking hidden memories inside his
DNA. As shown in the beginning of ''
Assassin's Creed II'', Ezio was born into the House of Auditore, a dynasty from the Italian city of
Florence, in 1459. Tutored by the banker
Giovanni Tornabuoni until the age of 17, Ezio led an affluent, care-free lifestyle until his father Giovanni discovered a
plot to assassinate the leaders of Florence. Giovanni accused
Francesco de' Pazzi as a conspirator, but when he presented the evidence to the
gonfaloniere of Florence, Uberto Alberti, the latter is revealed to also be a conspirator and orders for the Auditore family's arrest. Out running errands for his father, Ezio is not home when his father and two brothers are arrested and later publicly hanged. Ezio, following his father's final advice, finds his Assassin tools and flees the city with his mother and sister to his uncle Mario's estate in
Monteriggioni. Mario assists Ezio in discovering the people behind the conspiracy and trains him to become an Assassin. While exacting revenge on the
Pazzi dynasty, Ezio discovers that more people from outside Florence are involved in the conspiracy that got his father and brothers killed. The search for those responsible spans over a decade and leads Ezio from Florence to
San Gimignano,
Forlì, and eventually
Venice. As he identifies and assassinates the Templar conspirators, Ezio gains several allies, including
Niccolò Machiavelli,
Caterina Sforza, and
Leonardo da Vinci. These allies partly set Ezio on a path of redemption, helping him overcome his desire for revenge, and guide him on his quest. Eventually, Ezio confronts the mastermind behind the conspiracy,
Rodrigo Borgia, who sought to unify Italy under the Templar banner and acquire a powerful artifact known as the Apple of Eden, which would lead the Templars to the fabled "Vault." Ezio recovers the Apple from Rodrigo, who manages to escape, and is formally inducted into the Assassin Brotherhood. During the events of ''
Assassin's Creed II: Discovery'', which takes place from 1491 to 1492, Ezio travels to
Spain to free his fellow Assassins, who have been imprisoned under the guise of the
Spanish Inquisition. In the process, he discovers that the Templars are planning to sail west to discover the
New World. Ezio has to save
Christopher Columbus and confront
Tomás de Torquemada to end the Templar threat. During his quest, he also befriends a number of Spanish Assassins who offer him aid, including
Luis de Santángel and Raphael Sanchez. In the end,
Granada is taken under siege by the Templars, and Ezio has to save the
Nasrid King
Muhammad XI. By 1499, the Italian Assassins have discovered that the Vault sought by Rodrigo lies in
Rome, prompting Ezio to infiltrate the
Vatican to assassinate the Templar Grand Master, who has become
Pope Alexander VI and wields the Staff of Eden. Ezio battles Rodrigo using the Apple, and despite being initially overpowered, he manages to defeat his opponent after challenging him to a fist-fight. Declaring an end to his personal vendetta, Ezio spares Rodrigo's life and opens the Vault after combining the Apple and the Staff. Inside, he is greeted by a
hologram of
Minerva, a member of the extinct First Civilization that created humanity and the Pieces of Eden. Minerva delivers a message intended for Desmond, warning him about a cataclysmic
solar flare only he can prevent, which leaves Ezio confused as he questions who Desmond is.
''Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood'' At the start of ''
Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood'', Monteriggioni is besieged by the
Papal Armies led by
Cesare Borgia, Rodrigo's son and co-leader of the Templar Order. During the siege, the Apple of Eden is lost, Monteriggioni is destroyed, and Ezio's uncle Mario is killed. Escaping the city with his mother and sister, an injured Ezio sets off for Rome to destroy the Borgia once and for all; however, he collapses shortly thereafter. Days later, Ezio awakens in Rome and receives a new set of gear from Niccolò Machiavelli, who also saved him days earlier. After his wounds heal, Ezio and Machiavelli set their plan into motion: to liberate Rome and remove the Borgias from power permanently, as well as retrieve the Apple. Slowly, over the next three and a half years, Ezio and his allies win a series of victories over the Borgias, restoring the city while destroying the Borgia's allies and resources. Ezio rebuilds the ranks of the Assassins and in time succeeds Machiavelli as Mentor, the leader of the Brotherhood. By 1503, Ezio has assassinated the clan's banker,
Juan Borgia, and their French ally, the
Baron de Valois, and incapacitated
Lucrezia Borgia, leaving the Templars' power base in disarray. Cesare, in a fit of rage, kills his father and begins losing control over Rome. After retrieving the Apple, Ezio uses its power to destroy what is left of Cesare's army. By the end of the year, Borgia control over the city is completely broken, and Cesare is arrested by the new Pope,
Julius II. After Cesare escapes imprisonment a few years later, Ezio uses the Apple to track him down before hiding the artifact in a secret vault beneath the
Colosseum. In 1507, Ezio travels to Spain and catches up with Cesare at the siege of
Viana. Ultimately defeating Cesare, Ezio throws him off the castle walls to his death.
''Assassin's Creed: Revelations'' After the events of
Brotherhood, Ezio discovers a letter left behind by his father that talks about a hidden library full of vast knowledge underneath
Masyaf Castle, left there by the legendary Assassin Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad, setting the events of ''
Assassin's Creed: Revelations'' in motion. Arriving at Masyaf in early 1511, Ezio is ambushed by Templar forces who occupy the fortress, also searching for Altaïr's library. After escaping capture and assassinating the Templar captain, Ezio recovers the journal of
Niccolò Polo, which tells of five seals hidden in
Constantinople that will open the door to Altaïr's library. Arriving in Constantinople, Ezio begins his search for the seals, while helping the local Assassins Guild, led by Yusuf Tazim, overthrow
Byzantine Templar control. Over time, Ezio succeeds in eradicating the Templars' influence and resubjugating the city to the rule of the family of Prince
Suleiman. Ezio recovers four of the five seals with the help of book collector Sofia Sartor, for whom he soon develops romantic feelings. He then travels to an
underground city in
Cappadocia, the Templars' base of operations, and assassinates their leader,
Manuel Palaiologos, from whom he recovers the final seal. However, Ezio is confronted by Suleiman's uncle, Prince
Ahmet, who reveals himself as the true Templar Grand Master and threatens to harm Sofia if Ezio does not surrender the seals. Upon returning to Constantinople, Ezio finds that Ahmet has killed Yusuf and kidnapped Sofia, and rallies the Ottoman Assassins to fight Ahmet. After giving up the seals to save Sofia, Ezio chases Ahmet and eventually recovers the seals from him. A returning Sultan
Selim I then kills Ahmet and thanks Ezio for saving his son and country, but at the same time orders him to leave the
Ottoman Empire. Ezio and Sofia travel to Masyaf and open Altaïr's library, where the former finds Altaïr's remains and learns that the library's purpose was to convey a message to Altaïr and Ezio's mutual descendant, Desmond Miles, through another Apple of Eden. An aged Ezio decides he has seen enough violence and mystery for one life and leaves the Apple in the library. He also retires from the Assassins, putting his faith in Desmond that he will succeed where Ezio and Altaïr could not.
''Assassin's Creed: Embers'' In the animated short ''
Assassin's Creed: Embers'', the last years of Ezio's life are chronicled. After his retirement from the Assassins, he has settled down in a Tuscan villa near Monteriggioni with Sofia, with whom he had two children: Flavia and Marcello. In 1524, a mysterious Chinese woman appears at his door requesting his help. The woman,
Shao Jun, is a member of the vanquished Chinese Assassin Brotherhood and seeks Ezio's advice in how to help her people and rebuild her order. After helping Shao Jun fight off soldiers sent by the
Ming Emperor
Jiajing, Ezio sees Shao Jun on her way back to China, armed with the wisdom she came seeking, as well as a box, which he tells her to open only if she loses her way. Shortly thereafter, while on a trip to the market square in Florence with Sofia and Flavia, Ezio suffers a
heart attack and passes away at the age of 65. ==Other appearances==