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William of Montferrat

2017-03-10T08:16:43Z

112.203.61.47: /* Trivia */

{{Era|AC|TSC|Templars|Good}}
{{WP-REAL|William V, Marquess of Montferrat}}
{{Quote|We'll see how sweet they are, the fruits of your labors. You do not free the cities as you believe, but rather damn them. And in the end, you'll have only yourself to blame. You, who speak of good intentions.|William of Montferrat in his final moments, 1191.|Assassin's Creed}}
{{Character Infobox
|image = willypng.png
|birth = 1136 {{Wiki|March of Montferrat}}
|death = August 1191 [[Acre]], {{Wiki|Kingdom of Jerusalem}}
|affiliates = [[Crusaders]] [[Templars|Knights Templar]]
|appear = ''[[Assassin's Creed]]'' ''[[Assassin's Creed: The Secret Crusade]]''
|voice = [[Harry Standjofski]]}}
'''Guglielmo del Monferrato''' (1136 – 1191), often anglicized as '''William of Montferrat''', was a [[Crusaders|Crusader]] in the army of King [[Richard I of England]], Marquess of Montferrat and, secretly, a member of the [[Templars|Templar Order]].

Following [[Acre]]'s conquest, Montferrat became the regent of the city, and as a result of [[Rashid ad-Din Sinan|Al Mualim]]'s plan to free the [[Kingdom]] of conflict, he became the fifth target of the [[Levantine Assassins|Levantine Assassin]] [[Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad]].

==Biography==
===Regent of Acre===
{{Quote|The city belongs to its people.|William of Montferrat|Assassin's Creed}}
At some point during his life, William joined the Christian monastic-military order known as the Knights Templar. Despite the Order's public service of protecting pilgrims on the road to the Holy Land, William became involved in the [[Grand Master]] [[Robert de Sablé]]'s plot to usurp control of the Holy Land from both the warring Christians and [[Saracens]]. To this end, William became involved in Robert's plan to obtain the legendary [[Apple of Eden 2|Apple of Eden]].<ref name="AC">''[[Assassin's Creed]]''</ref>

In the aftermath of the fall of Acre, William was appointed as the city's regent by King Richard the Lionheart. Though this was ostensibly a show of trust by Richard, the Assassin [[Rafiq]] [[Jabal]] deduced that it was in fact a way to keep William a hostage to deter any act of rebellion by his son [[Conrad of Montferrat|Conrad]]. Since Conrad vied for the [[Kingdom of Jerusalem|kingship of Jerusalem]] against [[Guy of Lusignan]], a vassal of Richard, Richard bore much enmity for him. Contrary to popular belief, William himself held little respect for his son, yet his relationship with the king was stained with mutual distrust. It became a frequent habit of William to take his frustration out on his soldiers after being scolded by the king.<ref name="AC" />

On 20 August 1191, believing that this would instill fear on the Saracens, William authorized the execution of 3,000 Saracen prisoners whom King Richard had planned to trade for Christians likewise captured by [[Salāḥ ad-Dīn|Sultan Saladin of Egypt]]. However, for this deed, William was publicly denounced by the King of England, who rightly predicted that it would strengthen the enemy's resolve instead.<ref name="AC" /><ref name="Encyclopedia">''[[Assassin's Creed Encyclopedia|Assassin's Creed: Encyclopedia]]''</ref>

Erstwhile, his membership in Robert's scheme became known to the [[Assassins]] of [[Masyaf]]—sworn enemies of the Knights Templar—and so he was chosen to be eliminated. On the orders of Al Mualim, Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad arrived in Acre to begin his [[investigation]] into William's life, and he soon discovered that William was withholding food and money from the [[Civilians|citizens]]. Alongside this, the Assassin learned of the ever-growing divide between Richard I and his regent.

After gathering enough intel, Altaïr made his way to the front of the [[Acre Citadel|King's citadel]], where he witnessed Richard and William's argument over the Saracen executions. During this conversation, William complained that the King had judged him too quickly, and that he did not trust him enough. Outraged, King Richard responded that he had left William as Acre's regent, an honor which should not have been underestimated. With this, William railed that the king had missed his point entirely, but Richard abruptly ended their quarrel, finding it a waste of time in the face of a war.

Angered by the shame of being publicly reprimanded, William returned to the citadel, where he took his temper out on his men as usual. In a corner of the keep, William began to berate his soldiers, accusing them all of dereliction of duties, and intending to motivate them towards greater discipline and diligence. He ordered that from that day forth, their training would double in intensity, even at the cost of rest and nourishment. To enforce his point, he brought forth two men who had been neglectful of their duties while on patrol, then had their throats slit to serve as an example to the rest.<ref name="AC"/>

===Death===
{{Quote|Everything I did, I did to prepare them for the [[New World Order|New World]].|William's final words|Assassin's Creed}}
[[File:William Assassination 5.png|thumb|250px|left|Altaïr assassinating William]]
Altaïr, who had followed William into the fortress, silently and skillfully eliminated the [[archers]] around the fortifications' perimeter. When William concluded his latest lecture, his forces left, and he began to look through his papers. It was during this time that Altaïr leapt down and assassinated William with his [[Hidden Blade]].<ref name="AC" /><ref name="TSC">''[[Assassin's Creed: The Secret Crusade]]''</ref>

As William laid mortally injured, Altaïr remarked that he knew William plotted to murder King Richard to give the city to his son Conrad—a claim that William caustically denied. Much to the Assassin's shock, William countered that he felt Acre neither belonged to Richard nor his son, but rather to its people. He asserted that he had only been upholding order, and that he had not been stealing resources from the citizens, but was simply stockpiling them to be distributed efficiently in times of hardship. Even so, Altaïr insisted that William's deeds were anything but cruel, to which William used his dying words to accuse his killer of condemning cities to adversity rather than saving them. Before Altaïr could argue any further, William perished, and the Assassin made his escape from the fortress.<ref name="AC"/>

==Personality and characteristics==
Although not a giant of a man, William of Montferrat was nevertheless set in the belief that might makes right, and he spent countless hours training and berating his men, to prepare them for the "coming war." Oddly enough, few of his soldiers had actually joined King Richard's march to the [[Arsuf]] plains, leading people to wonder about what "war" he spoke about.{{Fact}}

As a strict taskmaster and disciplinarian,<ref name="Encyclopedia" /> William constantly demanded perfection from his men, and was both quick to point out flaws and reluctant to give praise. He was often witnessed shouting, and rarely seemed happy. Later, when two of his soldiers were caught whoring and drinking while on duty, he killed them as an example for the rest of his men.<ref name="TSC"/>

==Trivia==
*The choice of William as a target for Altaïr was inspired by the fact that, historically, his son {{Wiki|Conrad of Montferrat|Conrad}}, King of Jerusalem, was murdered by the Assassins in Acre in 1192. In reality, William was an elderly man during the events of the Third Crusade and he was called William the Old to distinguish himself to his other son, William Longsword.
**''Assassin's Creed'' producer [[Jade Raymond]] revealed that they had originally planned to have Conrad of Montferrat in the game. Their research indicated that he wasn't killed in 1191, but William, Conrad's father, was located in Acre in the same period. In order to maintain the historical accuracy of the project, William was inserted into the game in his stead.
*Though he was actually Italian in real life, the William in the game speaks with a perfect English accent.
**In the novel, William is erroneously referred to as being French.
*During the argument between Richard and William, the king blames William for the execution of Saracen prisoners, referring to the event known as the {{Wiki|Massacre at Ayyadieh}}. Quite ironically however, historically it was Richard who had ordered the act.
*A glitch can occur in ''[[Assassin's Creed]]'' if William pursued Altaïr to the upper walls of citadel. From there, it would be possible to climb on top of the battlements and push him off into the sea below. A message would then announce the failure of the mission since the target had "escaped."
*In the [[Assassin's Creed (mobile game)|mobile version of ''Assassin's Creed'']], William is the second target of Altaïr. Unlike in the console version, he is air assassinated by Altaïr while riding on a horse alongside his [[wikipedia:lancer|lancers]], and the Assassin then proceeds to hijack his galloping horse to escape.

==Gallery==
<gallery captionalign="center" position="center" spacing="small" widths="180">
AC William v 1.png|Altaïr observing William and Richard from the crowd
AC William v 2.png|William talking to one of his [[guards]]
AC William v 3.png|William with his men inside the Citadel
AC1 William Memory Corridor.png|William's final moments
</gallery>

==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{AC}}

[[de:Wilhelm von Montferrat]]
[[fa:William of Montferrat]]
[[fr:Guillaume de Montferrat]]
[[it:Guglielmo del Monferrato]]
[[nl:William of Montferrat]]
[[pl:Wilhelm z Montferratu]]
[[pt-br:Guilherme de Monferrato]]
[[ru:Вильям Монфератт]]
[[uk:Вільям Монферрат]]
[[Category:1136 births]]
[[Category:1191 deaths]]
[[Category:Individuals]]
[[Category:Italians]]
[[Category:Marquesses]]
[[Category:Crusaders]]
[[Category:Templars]]
[[Category:Levantine Templars]]

Edward Braddock

2017-03-10T08:15:09Z

112.203.61.47: /* Trivia */

{{Era|AC3|3book|Templars}}
{{WP-REAL}}
{{Quote|Were that we applied the sword more liberally and more often, the world would be a better place than it is today.|Edward Braddock.|Assassin's Creed III}}
{{Character Infobox
|image = AC3 Edward Braddock render.png
|birth = January 1695 {{Wiki|Perthshire}}, {{Wiki|Kingdom of Scotland}}
|death = 13 July 1755 (aged 60) Near [[Fort Duquesne]], [[Louisiana|French Louisiana]], {{Wiki|New France}}
|affiliates = [[British Army]] [[Templars]]
|appear = ''[[Assassin's Creed III]]'' ''[[Assassin's Creed: Forsaken]]''
|voice = [[Carlo Mestroni]]}}
'''Edward Braddock''' (1695 – 1755), also known as '''"The Bulldog,"''' was a General in the [[British Army]], and a member of the [[Templars|Templar Order]].

==Biography==
===Early life===
At some point, Braddock became a soldier in the British Army and a member of the Templar Order under [[Reginald Birch]]. He was introduced to [[Haytham Kenway]] in 1735, after his half-sister [[Jennifer Scott|Jenny]] was kidnapped, and promised to lead the investigation into her whereabouts, and those of [[Jack Digweed]], whom Haytham suspected was behind the attack. Secretly, however, Birch and Braddock sent the [[mercenaries]] to kidnap Jenny in a ploy to obtain [[Edward Kenway's journal]], and to induct Haytham into the Templars.<ref name="ACF">''[[Assassin's Creed: Forsaken]]''</ref>

By 1747, Braddock was a Lieutenant Colonel in the {{Wiki|Coldstream Guards}}, when Haytham tracked one of his mercenaries, [[Tom Smith]], to the regiment in the [[Netherlands|Dutch Republic]]. Braddock had Smith hung on grounds of desertion before Haytham could interrogate him, but gave his fellow Templar permission to investigate among his troops. He also requested his help against the [[French Army]], who had commenced the {{Wiki|Siege of Bergen op Zoom (1747)|siege of Bergen op Zoom}}.<ref name="ACF"/>

In a letter between Braddock and Birch, Braddock revealed that the true reason for Smith's execution was to cover up any loose ends regarding the attack on the Kenway mansion. Braddock also expressed his distaste over Birch's fanatical obsession over the [[Isu|First Civilization]] artifacts, seeing them to have compromised the Order.<ref name="ACRG">''[[Assassin's Creed: Rogue]]''</ref>

Two months later, the French had won. During the retreat from the siege, Braddock refused a young man's request to allow his family entry onto Braddock and Haytham's boat. After the young man called him craven, Braddock ordered his executioner [[Slater]] to kill every last one of them.<ref name="ACF" />

Following this, Braddock and Haytham fought in several other campaigns, though Braddock became increasingly violent and cruel to the point that he ruthlessly killed civilians and his own allies alike, much to Haytham's shock. Haytham told Birch that he was concerned that Braddock was turning away from the Order, but Birch was indifferent. Among his troops, Braddock's reputation and blood-lust for violence earned him the nickname, "The Bulldog".<ref name="ACF" />

===French and Indian War===
{{Quote|If we win this war - nay, WHEN we win this war - it will be because men like you obeyed men like me, and did so without hesitation. We must have order amongst our ranks, and a clear chain of command. Leaders and followers. Without such structure, there can be no victory. |Braddock to one of his soldiers, 1755.|Assassin's Creed III}}
[[File:ACIII-Soldier 5.png|thumb|250px|Braddock with Haytham, Charles Lee and John Pitcairn]]
By 1754, Braddock had been promoted to General, and was serving as governor of {{Wiki|Gibraltar}} when he was sent to [[Boston]], with [[Charles Lee]] serving under his command.<ref name="AC3">''[[Assassin's Creed III]]''</ref>

Having left the Templar Order, Braddock noticed [[John Pitcairn]]'s unauthorized presence in Boston and had him arrested and charged for desertion and treason. Haytham and Lee arrived, revealing that both Lee and Pitcairn were in Haytham's service under Templar orders. Despite this, Braddock reluctantly consented to give Lee to Haytham, but bitterly denied releasing Pitcairn.<ref name="AC3" />

In a plan to retrieve Pitcairn, Lee followed and pretended to be an angry citizen against the British Regulars, provoking Braddock into a chase by throwing horse manure on him. Once he had Braddock on his tail, Lee lured the General and his men to a dead end, which allowed him, Haytham, and Pitcairn to attack and eliminate Braddock's patrol.<ref name="AC3" />

===The Braddock Expedition===
{{Quote|The French will leave or they will die!|Braddock to Washington.}}
[[File:ACIII-BraddockExpedition 8.png|thumb|left|250px|Haytham holding Braddock at gunpoint]]
As conflict and territorial disputes between the British and the French colonies escalated, Braddock was given command of two regiments and was assigned to retake [[Fort Duquesne]] from the French. In order to navigate through the frontier, Braddock enlisted [[George Washington]], a volunteer from the [[Virginia (state)|Virginia]] Militia, as a guide.<ref name="AC3" />

In the winter of 1754, France offered a truce, of which Braddock refused. Instead, Braddock continued on his offensive, determined to defeat and drive the French from the land. While rallying his troops and supplies, Braddock attacked several Native American villages, driving the inhabitants out of their land. As a result, Braddock became an enemy of several Iroquois clans, whom Haytham would eventually join forces with in a plan to murder Braddock.<ref name="AC3" />

===Death===
{{Quote|Your death opens a door. It's nothing personal. Well, maybe it is a '''little''' personal. You've been a pain in my arse, after all.|Haytham upon killing Braddock.}}
The expedition continued on until July of 1755, during which Braddock killed one of his own soldiers after accusing him of treasonous and insubordinate behavior. Braddock was then approached by Haytham, disguised as a British soldier, who held him at gunpoint. The expedition was then ambushed and attacked by Iroquois warriors, devastating and killing many Redcoats.<ref name="AC3" />

[[File:ACIII-BraddockExpedition 11.png|thumb|250px|Haytham chasing Braddock]]
In the resulting chaos, Braddock attempted to flee on horseback while Haytham chased close behind. Washington briefly came to Braddock's defense, but was subdued by a [[Kaniehtí:io|Kanien'kehá:ka woman]].<ref name="AC3" />

Haytham then continued to pursue Braddock on foot, quickly catching up and impaling him with his [[Hidden Blade]]. During Braddock's final words, Haytham admitted to him that he had killed him out of necessity, but that some semblance of personal motivation compelled it as well. From there, Haytham departed, taking Braddock's [[Templar ring]] from his finger.<ref name="AC3" />

Braddock was carried off of the battlefield by his men, and died of his wounds four days later. To keep his body from being desecrated by the French, Washington ordered that it be buried in an undisclosed location. The British army then marched over the grave to erase all evidence of the burial. His body was eventually discovered by workmen maintaining the very same road in 1804.<ref name="AC3" />

Washington kept Braddock's command sash after his death, and reportedly took it with him wherever he went for the rest of his life.<ref name="AC3" />

==Personality and characteristics==
{{Quote|...He killed and killed. Enemy or ally. Civilian or soldier. Guilty or innocent. It mattered not... If he perceived one to be an obstacle, they died. He maintained that violence was a more efficient solution. It became his mantra... and it broke my heart.|Haytham Kenway, lamenting on Braddock's cruelty.}}
Braddock was originally described by Haytham as brave and bold. However, Braddock changed into a definitively ruthless and violent man, driven by the belief that force was necessary to ensure resolution and success. He also expressed distaste over the need to rely on the Pieces of Eden, which strained his relationship with Birch. It was possible that this split between them cause Braddock's distancing from the Templar Order.

His reliance on force resulted in indiscriminate killings of even civilians and his own allies. Braddock was also quick tempered and cruel; he applied strict discipline to the point of brutality against his own soldiers, executing one for expressing an opinion with which Braddock disagreed.

==Trivia==
*Due to a production oversight, Braddock wore the uniform of a private, despite being a general.
*In reality, Braddock is much older than in the game, he was in his sixties when he was killed while the game protrays him in his mid thirties or forties.
*In 2015, his name was on a list of known British Templars used by the Templar Isabelle Ardant.

==Gallery==
<gallery captionalign="center" position="center" spacing="small" widths="180">
ACIII-Soldier 14.png|Haytham warning Braddock
ACIII-BraddockExpedition 13.png|Haytham taking the Templar ring from Braddock
</gallery>

==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{AC3}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Braddock, Edward}}
[[Category:1695 births]]
[[Category:1755 deaths]]
[[Category:Individuals]]
[[Category:Scotsmen]]
[[Category:Governors]]
[[Category:British Army]]
[[Category:Templars]]
[[Category:British Templars]]
[[Category:Templar turncoats]]

Man O' War

2017-03-10T07:51:48Z

112.203.61.47: /* Trivia */

{{Era|AC3|AC4|ACP|ACRG|4book}}
{{WP-REAL|Man-of-war}}
{{Youmay|the ship class|the [[Men o' War|memory]] of a similar name}}
[[File:AC4 El Arca Del Maestro.png|thumb|250px|A Spanish Man O' War, ''El Arca del Maestro'']]
The '''Man O' War''' (plural: '''Men O' War'''), or '''Galleon''' – as the class was known in non-[[United Kingdom|English]] speaking countries – was a class of [[Ships|warship]] operated by, among others, the [[Royal Navy|British]], [[French Navy|French]], [[Spanish Navy|Spanish]] and [[Portuguese Navy|Portuguese]] navies. They often functioned as flagships for fleets due to their firepower and durability.

==History==
During the [[Golden Age of Piracy|early 18th century]], the Man O' War was among the most well-armed class of warship in operation throughout the [[Caribbean]]. Each ship of the class bore three masts, and was capable of fielding up to a hundred guns over three decks; on top of this, they were fitted with mortars, chain-shot, heavy shot and fire barrels, and the sheer amount of material used in their construction made them extremely robust. However, despite all of these major advantages, Men O' War possessed a major weakness in terms of their speed. As they were very slow, a well-armed, smaller ship could outmaneuver their broadsides and still land hits to destroy them.<ref name="AC4">''[[Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag]]''</ref>

One of the few Men O' War to fly the pirate colors was [[Bartholomew Roberts]]' ''[[Royal Fortune]]''. It was also outfitted with stern cannons, coupled with the ones positioned on its sides and bow, ensuring that it could return fire from any direction.<ref name="AC4"/> To mark them out from each other, British Man O' Wars had yellow and black painted hulls, while Spanish ones had a reddish-brown coloration.

Some time later, during the [[Seven Years' War]] between [[British Empire|Britain]] and [[France]], [[Templars|Templar]] [[Shay Cormac]] faced numerous Men O' War in the North Atlantic with his ship, the ''[[Morrigan]]''. Most notably, Cormac fought against French and Assassin warships, being allied with both the British and Templar Order. Men O' War were extremely uncommon in the [[River Valley]], as the waters were too shallow for a ship of that size. Near the end of the war, the French managed to get a Man O' War into the River Valley, using its mortars to bolster their firepower in the region.<ref name="ACRG">''[[Assassin's Creed: Rogue]]''</ref>

[[James Cook]] was the captain of a Man O' War, [[HMS Pembroke|HMS ''Pembroke'']], during the Seven Years' War. Shay was the helmsman of the Man O' War during the [[Siege of Louisbourg|Battle of Louisbourg]].<ref name="ACRG"/>

In the years surrounding the [[American Revolutionary War]], the [[Assassins|Assassin]] [[Ratonhnhaké:ton|Connor]] faced many Men O' War along the East Coast with his ship, the ''[[Aquila]]'', and was able to destroy them all, making the trade routes along the coast safer. These Men O' War possessed a significant weakness to chain-shot, which could destroy their masts and cripple them, leaving them an easy target.<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed III]]''</ref>

==Legendary ships==
During the early 18th century, there were five "legendary" Men O' War that roamed the four corners of the Caribbean, each with their unique naval warfare styles and construction. Three of them belonged to the Royal Navy while two sailed under the flag of the Spanish Navy.<ref name="AC4"/>

These five ships were significantly more well-armed, faster and armored than any other Men O' War in the Caribbean, and provided a significantly greater challenge to any would-be attacker. Their distinguishing characteristics made them notorious throughout the Caribbean, and they were feared by servicemen and [[Piracy|pirates]] alike.<ref name="AC4"/>

Each of these legendary ships was eventually sunk by [[Edward Kenway]]'s ''[[Jackdaw]]'', and their supply of gold, 20,000 reales on average, claimed by the pirate's crew.<ref name="AC4"/>

Another pirate, [[Alonzo Batilla]], also encountered several legendary ships, as he traveled across the West Indies. Each ship contained a great sum of coins and occasionally a [[Lost files|lost file]] could be found after a ship had been sunk.<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed: Pirates]]''</ref>

Years later, around the time of the Seven Years' War, there were seven more of these ships roaming the corners of the [[Atlantic Ocean|North Atlantic]], all equipped with heavy armaments and supported by other ships. One of these ships was the fearsome ''[[Storm Fortress]]'', under control of the Assassins. However, Shay Cormac defeated her and the other five ships by using the ''Morrigan''.<ref name="ACRG"/>

==Notable Men O' War==
*''[[El Arca del Maestro]]''
*''[[Gerfaut]]''
*''[[Hollander]]''
*[[HMS Courage|HMS ''Courage'']]
*[[HMS Pembroke|HMS ''Pembroke'']]
*''[[King George]]''
*''[[Royal Fortune]]''

===Legendary ships===
*Encountered by [[Edward Kenway]]
**''[[El Impoluto]]''
**''[[La Dama Negra]]''
**[[HMS Fearless|HMS ''Fearless'']]
**[[HMS Prince|HMS ''Prince'']]
**''[[Royal Sovereign]]''
*Encountered by [[Alonzo Batilla]]
**[[HMS Devonshire|HMS ''Devonshire'']]
**[[HMS Ormonde|HMS ''Ormonde'']]
**[[HMS Pembroke (1710)|HMS ''Pembroke'' (1710)]]
**''[[L'Alexandre]]''
**''[[L'Amazone]]''
**''[[Le Protée]]''
**''[[Princesa do Céu]]''
**''[[Red Ruin]]''
**''[[San Pedro]]''
**''[[Stalwart]]''
**''[[Triunfo]]''
**''[[William Rex]]''
*Encountered by [[Shay Cormac]]
**''[[Argonaut]]''
**''[[Cauldron]]''
**''[[Couronne]]''
**''[[Formidable]]''
**''[[Pilgrim]]''
**''[[Sceptre]]''
**''[[Storm Fortress]]''

==Trivia==
*Although the plural for "Man O' War" is "Men O' War", in the ''[[Assassin's Creed III]]'' memory "[[Biddle's Hideout]]", [[Richard Clutterbuck]] referred to them as "Man O' Wars".
*Historically, the official name for Man O' War is Ship-of-the-line and the term was used mainly for British and Colonial Navies.
*At some different versions of Black Flag and Rogue, Man O' War continously explode when disabled but it won't affect Kenway nor Cormac and their crew when boarding it.

==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{AC4}}
{{ACP}}
{{ACRG}}

[[pt-br:Man O' War]]
[[Category:Men O' War| ]]

Man O' War

2017-03-10T07:27:37Z

112.203.61.47: /* Trivia */

{{Era|AC3|AC4|ACP|ACRG|4book}}
{{WP-REAL|Man-of-war}}
{{Youmay|the ship class|the [[Men o' War|memory]] of a similar name}}
[[File:AC4 El Arca Del Maestro.png|thumb|250px|A Spanish Man O' War, ''El Arca del Maestro'']]
The '''Man O' War''' (plural: '''Men O' War'''), or '''Galleon''' – as the class was known in non-[[United Kingdom|English]] speaking countries – was a class of [[Ships|warship]] operated by, among others, the [[Royal Navy|British]], [[French Navy|French]], [[Spanish Navy|Spanish]] and [[Portuguese Navy|Portuguese]] navies. They often functioned as flagships for fleets due to their firepower and durability.

==History==
During the [[Golden Age of Piracy|early 18th century]], the Man O' War was among the most well-armed class of warship in operation throughout the [[Caribbean]]. Each ship of the class bore three masts, and was capable of fielding up to a hundred guns over three decks; on top of this, they were fitted with mortars, chain-shot, heavy shot and fire barrels, and the sheer amount of material used in their construction made them extremely robust. However, despite all of these major advantages, Men O' War possessed a major weakness in terms of their speed. As they were very slow, a well-armed, smaller ship could outmaneuver their broadsides and still land hits to destroy them.<ref name="AC4">''[[Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag]]''</ref>

One of the few Men O' War to fly the pirate colors was [[Bartholomew Roberts]]' ''[[Royal Fortune]]''. It was also outfitted with stern cannons, coupled with the ones positioned on its sides and bow, ensuring that it could return fire from any direction.<ref name="AC4"/> To mark them out from each other, British Man O' Wars had yellow and black painted hulls, while Spanish ones had a reddish-brown coloration.

Some time later, during the [[Seven Years' War]] between [[British Empire|Britain]] and [[France]], [[Templars|Templar]] [[Shay Cormac]] faced numerous Men O' War in the North Atlantic with his ship, the ''[[Morrigan]]''. Most notably, Cormac fought against French and Assassin warships, being allied with both the British and Templar Order. Men O' War were extremely uncommon in the [[River Valley]], as the waters were too shallow for a ship of that size. Near the end of the war, the French managed to get a Man O' War into the River Valley, using its mortars to bolster their firepower in the region.<ref name="ACRG">''[[Assassin's Creed: Rogue]]''</ref>

[[James Cook]] was the captain of a Man O' War, [[HMS Pembroke|HMS ''Pembroke'']], during the Seven Years' War. Shay was the helmsman of the Man O' War during the [[Siege of Louisbourg|Battle of Louisbourg]].<ref name="ACRG"/>

In the years surrounding the [[American Revolutionary War]], the [[Assassins|Assassin]] [[Ratonhnhaké:ton|Connor]] faced many Men O' War along the East Coast with his ship, the ''[[Aquila]]'', and was able to destroy them all, making the trade routes along the coast safer. These Men O' War possessed a significant weakness to chain-shot, which could destroy their masts and cripple them, leaving them an easy target.<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed III]]''</ref>

==Legendary ships==
During the early 18th century, there were five "legendary" Men O' War that roamed the four corners of the Caribbean, each with their unique naval warfare styles and construction. Three of them belonged to the Royal Navy while two sailed under the flag of the Spanish Navy.<ref name="AC4"/>

These five ships were significantly more well-armed, faster and armored than any other Men O' War in the Caribbean, and provided a significantly greater challenge to any would-be attacker. Their distinguishing characteristics made them notorious throughout the Caribbean, and they were feared by servicemen and [[Piracy|pirates]] alike.<ref name="AC4"/>

Each of these legendary ships was eventually sunk by [[Edward Kenway]]'s ''[[Jackdaw]]'', and their supply of gold, 20,000 reales on average, claimed by the pirate's crew.<ref name="AC4"/>

Another pirate, [[Alonzo Batilla]], also encountered several legendary ships, as he traveled across the West Indies. Each ship contained a great sum of coins and occasionally a [[Lost files|lost file]] could be found after a ship had been sunk.<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed: Pirates]]''</ref>

Years later, around the time of the Seven Years' War, there were seven more of these ships roaming the corners of the [[Atlantic Ocean|North Atlantic]], all equipped with heavy armaments and supported by other ships. One of these ships was the fearsome ''[[Storm Fortress]]'', under control of the Assassins. However, Shay Cormac defeated her and the other five ships by using the ''Morrigan''.<ref name="ACRG"/>

==Notable Men O' War==
*''[[El Arca del Maestro]]''
*''[[Gerfaut]]''
*''[[Hollander]]''
*[[HMS Courage|HMS ''Courage'']]
*[[HMS Pembroke|HMS ''Pembroke'']]
*''[[King George]]''
*''[[Royal Fortune]]''

===Legendary ships===
*Encountered by [[Edward Kenway]]
**''[[El Impoluto]]''
**''[[La Dama Negra]]''
**[[HMS Fearless|HMS ''Fearless'']]
**[[HMS Prince|HMS ''Prince'']]
**''[[Royal Sovereign]]''
*Encountered by [[Alonzo Batilla]]
**[[HMS Devonshire|HMS ''Devonshire'']]
**[[HMS Ormonde|HMS ''Ormonde'']]
**[[HMS Pembroke (1710)|HMS ''Pembroke'' (1710)]]
**''[[L'Alexandre]]''
**''[[L'Amazone]]''
**''[[Le Protée]]''
**''[[Princesa do Céu]]''
**''[[Red Ruin]]''
**''[[San Pedro]]''
**''[[Stalwart]]''
**''[[Triunfo]]''
**''[[William Rex]]''
*Encountered by [[Shay Cormac]]
**''[[Argonaut]]''
**''[[Cauldron]]''
**''[[Couronne]]''
**''[[Formidable]]''
**''[[Pilgrim]]''
**''[[Sceptre]]''
**''[[Storm Fortress]]''

==Trivia==
*Although the plural for "Man O' War" is "Men O' War", in the ''[[Assassin's Creed III]]'' memory "[[Biddle's Hideout]]", [[Richard Clutterbuck]] referred to them as "Man O' Wars".
*Historically, the official name for Man O' War is Ship-of-the-line and the term was used mainly for British and Colonial Navies.
*At some different versions of Black Flag and Rogue, Man O' War continously explode when disabled but it won't affect Kenway nor Cormac and their crew.

==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{AC4}}
{{ACP}}
{{ACRG}}

[[pt-br:Man O' War]]
[[Category:Men O' War| ]]