Alexander Burnes

Sir Alexander Burnes (1805 – 1841), also known as Bokhara Burnes, was a Scottish traveller and explorer who took part in . He was also secretly a member of British Rite the Templar Order, serving as the right-hand man of the Master Templar William Sleeman.
==Biography==
===Early career===
Born in 1805 in , Scotland, Burnes enlisted in the army at the age of 16. He was stationed in India for 10 years before he was tasked by King William IV to bring a present to the founder and first Maharaja of the Sikh Empire, Ranjit Singh. Burnes soon embarked on an expedition to explore Western Asia, including Afghanistan, and Persia. During his travels, he wrote Travels Into Bokhara, a book that saw him recognized by the and made him a Fellow in its ranks.Assassin's Creed Chronicles: India – Database: Alexander Burnes
In 1835, Burnes returned to India, which had underwent various political changes. Around this time, he met the English administrator William Sleeman, who was a member of the Templar Order. Burnes was recruited into the Order, aiding Sleeman in his research of various Pieces of Eden, including a Staff once wielded by Alexander the Great.
After the First Anglo-Afghan War, Burnes became an official political agent for and was knighted by Queen Victoria in 1838. In 1841, he became famous for surviving an insurrection that claimed the life of fellow officer William Broadfoot, killing six assailants in the process.
===Hunt for the Koh-i-Noor===
That same year, Burnes assisted Sleeman in his hunt for the Koh-i-Noor diamond, a powerful Piece of Eden which had been stolen two years prior by the Assassins.Assassin's Creed: Brahman Using information from the dossier of Sleeman's predecessor Francis Cotton,Assassin's Creed Chronicles: India – Database: William Sleeman the Templars managed to locate the Indian Brotherhood's hideout in Amritsar and retrieved the Koh-i-Noor, while also brutally kidnapping the Assassin Mentor Hamid.Assassin's Creed Chronicles: India – The Quest Begins
Taking Hamid back to the Templar headquarters in the city, Burnes tried to interrogate him to learn what he knew about the Koh-i-Noor. However, he failed to make the Assassin talk and so Sleeman decided to head to an Isu temple that the Templars had found in Amritsar, where he used a Precursor box to unravel the diamond's secrets.Assassin's Creed Chronicles: India – The Enemy Revealed
After unlocking a map showing the locations of other Isu temples around the globe, Sleeman and Burnes led a small army to occupy the Herat Citadel in Afghanistan, where one of the temples was located.Assassin's Creed Chronicles: India – The Silent Assist When the Assassin Arbaaz Mir, who was trying to recover the Koh-i-Noor, followed Sleeman into the temple, he ended up captured by the Templars.Assassin's Creed Chronicles: India – What Lies Beneath They knocked him out and took him to Katasraj, Pakistan, but as Sleeman had been called to deal with an Afghan uprising, he trusted Burnes to guard both the Assassin and the Koh-i-Noor until his return.Assassin's Creed Chronicles: India – The Thief Within
After Arbaaz awoke, Burnes taunted him with the Templars' knowledge of his personal life, including his relationship with Princess Pyara Kaur, before leaving him to enjoy the Templars' "hospitality." Using a knife he had stolen from Burnes, Arbaaz escaped his bindings and, after retrieving his equipment, made his way to a courtyard where Burnes and several of his men were waiting.Assassin's Creed Chronicles: India – The Escape
Impressed by the Assassin's skills, Burnes challenged him to a duel, promising to let him live if he won. Sure enough, Arbaaz emerged victorious, but rather than take Burnes' life as the Templar expected, he decided to let him live with the humiliation of having been bested by an Assassin; however, he promised to finish the job, should they meet again. Burnes simply replied that they would not and kept his word, allowing Arbaaz to leave with not just his life, but also the Koh-i-Noor and the Precursor box.
===Legacy===
In 1853, over a decade after Burnes' encounter with Arbaaz, the Templar was brought up in a conversation between the Assassin, his wife Pyara, and Ethan Frye regarding Arbaaz's exploits, which was secretly overheard by a young Jayadeep Mir.Assassin's Creed: Underworld – Chapter 10
==Behind the scenes==
Alexander Burnes is a historical character first mentioned in the 2015 novel Assassin's Creed: Underworld before appearing in the 2016 video game Assassin's Creed Chronicles: India. Historically, Burnes died on 2 November 1841, when he was hacked by an Afghan mob during an uprising in Kabul. Coincidentally, the events of Chronicles: India also take place in 1841, but the game does not address Burnes' fate. 
==Gallery==
ACCI Alexander Burnes Development Art.jpg|Development concept
ACCI Alexander Burnes Concept Sketches 1.jpg|Concept sketches
ACCI Alexander Burnes Concept Sketches 2.jpg|Concept sketches
ACCI Alexander Burnes Colour Variants.jpg|Burnes' color variants
ACC India DB Alexander Burnes.png|Burnes' database image
ACCI Thief Within (3).jpg|Arbaaz headbutting Burnes
ACCI Escape (2).jpg|Burnes challenging Arbaaz to a duel
==Appearances==
*Assassin's Creed: Underworld 
*Assassin's Creed Chronicles: India 
==References==
Category:1805 births
Category:1841 deaths
Category:Individuals
Category:Scottish people
Category:Explorers
Category:Military personnel
Category:Freemasons
Category:British Army personnel
Category:Templars
Category:British Templars
Category:Individuals who held Pieces of Eden
es:Alexander Burnes
ru:Александр Бернс