American Rite of the Templar Order

2015-02-05T18:12:54Z

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{{Era|AC3|ACRG|Templars}}
{{Dialogue|Ratonhnhaké:ton|What is it the Templars truly seek?|Haytham Kenway|Order. Purpose. Direction. No more than that.|Ratonhnhaké:ton and Haytham Kenway, discussing the Colonial Templars' goals, 1778.|Assassin's Creed III}}
{{Faction Infobox
|image = ACIII-BraddockExpedition 3.png
|founder = [[Haytham Kenway]]
|leader = [[Grand Master]]
|headquarters = [[United States|Thirteen Colonies]]
|locations = [[Boston]] [[New York]] [[Philadelphia]] [[Frontier]]
|related = [[Templars]]
|formed = 1738
|collapsed = 1782
|notable = [[Nicholas Biddle]] [[Benjamin Church]] [[Shay Cormac]] [[Christopher Gist]] [[Thomas Hickey]] Haytham Kenway [[William Johnson]] [[Charles Lee]] [[George Monro]] [[John Pitcairn]] [[Jack Weeks]]}}
The '''Colonial Rite of the Templar Order ''', known as the '''American Rite''' following the [[American Revolutionary War]], was one of a number of autonomous factions, in operation during the mid 18th century, that composed the [[Templars|Templar Order]]. [[Haytham Kenway]] founded, and became the first [[Grand Master]] of the Colonial Rite in 1754, in order to find a suspected [[Grand Temple|Precursor storehouse]], on instruction of the Templar Grand Master of the [[United Kingdom|British]] [[British Rite of the Templar Order|Rite]], [[Reginald Birch]].

The Colonial Rite played a significant role in guiding the course of the American Revolution, with an aim to usurp control of the newly forming nation. However, the Templars' plans were ultimately disrupted by the reformed [[Colonial Assassins]].

==History==
===Founding===
In the year 1754, Haytham arrived in [[Boston]], and was greeted by [[Charles Lee]], a hopeful wishing to join the Templar Order. With Charles' help, Haytham sought to gather four individuals that Reginald Birch had arranged for Haytham to recruit: [[William Johnson]], [[Thomas Hickey]], [[Benjamin Church]], and [[John Pitcairn]].<ref name="AC3">''[[Assassin's Creed III]]''</ref>

With the outbreak of the [[French and Indian War]], the British Government had arranged for General [[Edward Braddock]], another member of the Templar Order, to lead an [[Braddock Expedition|expedition]] to the French-controlled [[Fort Duquesne]]. In order to enlist the aid of the [[Kanien'kehá:ka]], whom it was believed knew the location of the Precursor site, Haytham willingly agreed to side with them in their ambush of Braddock's forces.<ref name="AC3" />

The combined assault by Haytham's Rite and the Kanien'kehá:ka, together with a timely assault by the [[French Army]], led to the destruction of the Expedition, and the death of Edward Braddock at Haytham's hands. True to her word, [[Kaniehtí:io]], the Kanien'kehá:ka whom Haytham had agreed their alliance, led the Grand Master to the Precursor site, though the latter was disappointed to find little more than a cave.<ref name="AC3" />

===Purge of the Colonial Assassins===
By 1759, the Colonial Rite was in full conflict with the Assassin Brotherhood in the region. When [[Shay Cormac]] defected to the Templar Order during the [[Seven Years' War]], the Templars focused on hunting down the Assassins with Shay's help, eliminating several high-ranking members of the Brotherhood, such as [[Hope Jensen]], [[Kesegowaase]] and [[Louis-Joseph Gaultier, Chevalier de la Vérendrye|Chevalier de la Vérendrye]]. Shay also managed to eliminate the member of the [[Caribbean Assassins|Caribbean branch]] of the Order, [[Adéwalé]], who was working closely with Achilles and his allies.<ref name="ACRG">''[[Assassin's Creed: Rogue]]''</ref>

Tracking the remaining two Assassins, [[Liam O'Brien]] and the [[Mentor]] [[Achilles Davenport]], to a [[First Civilization]] [[Temples|Temple]] in the Arctic resulted in Liam's death, and Haytham forcing Achilles Davenport into exile, on the condition that the Mentor retired from his search of the Precursor sites. Achilles agreed, but as a mean of insurance, Haytham crippled him with a shot to the leg.<ref name="ACRG" />

In 1760, a group of Templars led by Lee assaulted a young Kanien'kehá:ka boy named [[Ratonhnhaké:ton]], unknown to them the son of Haytham and Kaniehtí:io. They asked him for the location of his village, so that they could speak to the natives about the Grand Temple. The boy told them nothing, and was knocked out. After the village was burned by George Washington, he believed the group to be responsible.<ref name="AC3" />

Giving up their search for the Grand Temple, the Templars focused on strengthening their influence in the colonies. In 1763, the Colonial Rite launched an attack on the [[Davenport Homestead]], which served as a base of operations for the Colonial Assassins. Killing those who remained, the Templars once again spared Achilles' life when he agreed to cease all Assassin activities in the colonies. When the American Revolution began, the Templars have attempted to influence both sides, in order to achieve the outcome they desired.<ref name="AC3" />

However, the Colonial Assassins had begun to rebuild with the recruitment of Ratonhnhaké:ton. Over the course of the Revolution, Ratonhnhaké:ton assassinated William Johnson, John Pitcairn, [[Nicholas Biddle]], Thomas Hickey, and killed Benjamin Church, who had betrayed the Colonial Rite, during an alliance with Haytham. At the same time, Ratonhnhaké:ton recruited a new generation of Assassins into the Brotherhood.<ref name="AC3" />

===Collapse===
{{Dialogue|Charles Lee|Why do you persist...? You put us down. We rise again. You end one plot; we forge another. You try so hard... But it always ends the same. [...] Yet you fight. You resist. Why?|Ratonhnhaké:ton|Because no one else will!|Charles Lee and Ratonhnhaké:ton, 1782.}}
In 1781, after cutting ties with his father, Ratonhnhaké:ton, seeking out Charles Lee, was confronted by Haytham in the Templar stronghold at [[Fort George]], [[New York]]. After a brutal fight, the Templar Grand Master was killed, and Charles Lee rose to the position in his stead.<ref name="AC3" />

At least three months later, in 1782, a funeral was held for Kenway and presided over by Charles Lee, but it was interrupted with the arrival of Ratonhnhaké:ton. Charles had the Assassin detained, before making preparations to travel to Boston. Eventually, the Assassin caught up with Lee once more, and after a rugged pursuit, tracked the man down and killed him in Conestoga Inn, [[Monmouth]]. Lee's death marked the collapse of the Colonial Rite's influence in North America, with Shay Cormac, Jack Weeks and Christopger Gist remaining its last known surviving members, who simultaneously transitioned into the American Rite of the Templar Order.<ref name="AC3" /><ref name="ACRG" />

==Members==
===Grand Masters===
'''De facto''':
*1738-1752 — [[Lawrence Washington]] (assassinated)
*1752-1754 — [[James Wardrop]] (assassinated)
'''De jure''':
*1754-1781 — [[Haytham Kenway]] (assassinated)
*1781-1782 — [[Charles Lee]] (assassinated)

===Master Templars===
*1758-unknown — [[Shay Cormac]]
*1738-unknown — [[Christopher Gist]]
*1754-unknown — [[Jack Weeks]]
*1738-1752 — [[James Wardrop]] (became Grand Master)
*1754-1781 — [[Charles Lee]] (became Grand Master)
*1754-1778 — [[Benjamin Church]] (assassinated)
*1738-1774 — [[William Johnson]] (assassinated)
*1738-1757 — [[George Monro]] (assassinated)
*1754-1775 — [[John Pitcairn]] (assassinated)

===Templar Agents===
*[[Nicholas Biddle]]
*[[Matthew Davenport]]
*[[George Dorrance]]
*[[Thomas Hickey]]
*[[Johann de Kalb]]
*[[Gerhard von Stantten]]
*[[Eleanor Mallow]]
*[[Gillian McCarthy]]
*[[Federico Perez]]
*[[Johann Rall]]
*[[Jonathan Trumbull]]
*[[Victor Wolcott]]

===Allies===
*[[David Borgen]]
*[[Benjamin Franklin]]
*[[James Cook]]
*[[Conan Brown]]
*[[John Boyd]]
*[[Hugh Jackson]]
*[[Charles Gabriel Sivert]] {{C|[[Parisian Rite of the Templar Order|Parisian Rite]]}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{AC3}}
{{ACRG}}
[[Category:Templar Rites]]

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American Rite of the Templar Order