Jacques de Molay

2015-03-10T00:59:01Z

67.168.130.100: /* Early life */

{{Era|ACR|ACU|ACM|Templars}}
{{WP-REAL}}
{{Spoilerhd}}
{{Quote|A symbol can inspire fear, and fear can inspire control - but men inevitably lose their fear of symbols. As you can see. This was the truth de Molay died for: the Divine Right of Kings is nothing but the reflection of sunlight upon gold. When the Crown and Church are ground to dust, we who control the gold will decide the future.|François-Thomas Germain, 1793.|Assassin's Creed: Unity}}
{{Character Infobox
|image = ACU De Molay Render.png
|birth = 1245-1250<br>{{Wiki|Molay, Haute-Saône|Molay}}, [[Holy Roman Empire]]
|death = 18 March 1314<br>[[Paris]], [[France|Kingdom of France]]
|affiliates = [[Templars]]
|appear = ''[[Assassin's Creed: Memories]]''<br>''[[Assassin's Creed: Unity]]''
|voice = }}
'''Jacques de Molay''' (1245-1250 – 1314) was the last publicly recognized [[Grand Master]] of the [[Templars|Templar Order]], and a [[Sage]].<ref name="McDevitt"/> Upon his execution, the Templars disappeared from the public life, and became a secretive organization.

==Biography==
===Early life===
Jacques de Molay was born a Sage in 1243 in {{Wiki|Molay, Haute-Saône}}. In 1265, de Molay was inducted into the Templar Order in {{Wiki|Beaune}}. After the fall of [[Acre]], the Order met in [[Cyprus]] in September 1291. On 20 April 1292, de Molay was elected [[Grand Master]], leading the Templars to the height of their power.<ref name="ACU">''[[Assassin's Creed: Unity]]''</ref> Around this time, he possessed the [[Shroud of Eden]], but passed it on to a fellow [[France|French]] Templar, [[Geoffroy de Charny]].<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed: Project Legacy]]''</ref>

===Grand Master===
At some point, de Molay wrote the ''[[Codex Pater Intellectus]]''. With the Templars already serving as an economic power through banking, he envisioned in the Codex that the Templars should control humanity through the middle class and capitalism, rather than through the aristocracy and monarchy.<ref name="ACU"/>

Even as the Order entered a Golden Age, [[Philip IV of France]] and Pope [[Clement V]], strongly influenced by the [[French Assassins]] and their [[Mentor]] [[Guillaume de Nogaret]], plotted to destroy the Templars. With Philip already deeply in debt to the Order, he charged the Templars with heresy, blasphemy and the worship of a deity called [[Father of Understanding|Baphomet]].<ref name="ACU"/>

===Capture===
{{Quote|The Assassins are far older than Masyaf, my friend. Their anarchic delusions are virulent as the plague, and less easily eradicated. We will not prevail this night. But if you make haste, we may yet save our Order.|De Molay to his advisor, 1307.|Assassin's Creed: Unity}}
On 13 October 1307, raids were carried out across France with the intent of arresting all Templars. The Templar headquarters at the [[Temple (Paris)|Temple]] were also raided by Assassins disguised as Flemish mercenaries, led by [[Esquieu de Floyrac]] and the [[Master Assassin]] [[Thomas de Carneillon]].<ref name="ACU"/>

As the attack commenced, de Molay spoke with his [[Jacques de Molay's advisor|advisor]], and deduced that the Assassins were responsible. The advisor expressed his belief that the Brotherhood's power had been broken with the [[fall of Masyaf]]. De Molay told him that the Assassins were indeed not destroyed, and instructed the advisor to hide the Codex and the Templars' [[Swords of Eden|Sword of Eden]], before leading his men in battle.<ref name="ACU"/>

[[File:Tragedy of Jacques de Molay 12.png|thumb|left|250px|De Molay's arrest]]
While the advisor was able to hide the Codex and Sword, de Molay was arrested, and the former was assassinated by de Carneillon before he could rescue the Grand Master. As a result of the raids, nearly every Templar in France was arrested. In 1312, the Templar Order was officially dissolved by Clement, and all of its assets were gifted to the [[Knights Hospitalier]].<ref name="ACU"/>

===Trial and execution===
{{Quote|Pope Clement, hear me! Before this year is out, you will answer for your crimes before God almighty. And you, King Philip, no punishment is too heinous for the great evil you have inflicted upon the Temple. I curse you! Curse you to the thirteenth generation of your blood! You shall be cursed!|Jacques de Molay's dying words, 1314.|Assassin's Creed: Unity}}
Following his arrest, de Molay was imprisoned and tortured, and was forced to confess to heresy. As their Grand Master, de Molay understood that the Templars could no longer survive in a public image, and decided to make the ultimate sacrifice. Before his inevitable death, he sent nine of his most trusted men - who possessed "knowledge of the [[First Civilization|Ancients]]" - out into the world to continue his work. The Templars would fade from public awareness, and secretly influence leaders.<ref name="ACR">''[[Assassin's Creed: Revelations]]''</ref>

[[File:Tragedy of Jacques de Molay 13.png|thumb|right|250px|De Molay cursing King Philip]]
On 18 March 1314, de Molay allowed himself to be burned at the stake. As he burned to death, he cursed Philip to the ''"thirteenth generation of [his] blood"''.<ref name="ACU"/> By allowing himself to be executed, de Molay saved the lives of his remaining brethren, and made their enemies believe that the Order had died along with him.<ref name="ACR"/>

==Legacy==
In the late 18th century, Jacques' descendant, [[Anne de Molay]] murdered two of the descendants of his interrogators. She failed to murder the third, which resulted in the Assassin [[Arno Dorian]] handing her over to the the police.<ref name="ACU"/>

De Molay was later commemorated in 1937 by the Templar Order's new public front, [[Abstergo Industries]]. There, an image of him was displayed prominently in the room accessible only to members of the Order's [[Inner Sanctum of the Templar Order|Inner Sanctum]].<ref name="ACR"/>

In 2001, researchers at the Vatican Secret Archives uncovered a {{Wiki|Chinon Parchment|parchment}} written in 1308 by Pope Clement which absolved de Molay of all charges.<ref name="ACU"/>

==Trivia==
*Contrary to other known Sages, Jacques de Molay did not appear to be affected with {{Wiki|Heterochromia iridum|heterochromia}}. However this was probably an oversight of the development team.<ref name="McDevitt">[https://twitter.com/DarbyMcDevitt/status/538398632706584576 Darby McDevitt's Twitter]</ref>
*Jacques de Molay is revered as a hero among the Templars, similar to [[Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad]] among the [[Assassins]].

==Gallery==
<gallery captionalign="center" position="center" spacing="small" widths="180">
De Molay - Concept Art.jpg|Concept art of de Molay
ACM Jacques de Molay.jpg|''[[Assassin's Creed: Memories]]'' art of de Molay
ACM Jacques de Molay 2.png|''Memories'' art of de Molay
Tragedy of Jacques de Molay 4.png|De Molay giving the task to his advisor
Jacques de Molay tombstone.jpg|Jacques de Molay's tombstone
</gallery>

==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{ACU}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Molay, Jacques de}}
[[Category:1240s births]]
[[Category:1314 deaths]]
[[Category:Individuals]]
[[Category:Frenchmen]]
[[Category:Templars]]
[[Category:Grand Masters]]
[[Category:Sages]]
[[Category:Individuals who held Pieces of Eden]]

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Jacques de Molay