Jacques de Molay

2015-10-26T04:55:31Z

86.153.224.134: /* Early life */

{{Era|ACR|ACU|ACM|Ubook|EH|Templars}}
{{WP-REAL}}
{{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 = 1244<br>{{Wiki|Molay, Haute-Saône|Molay}}, [[Holy Roman Empire]]<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed Unity: Abstergo Entertainment - Employee Handbook]]</ref>
|death = 18 March 1314<br>[[Paris]], [[France|Kingdom of France]]
|affiliates = [[Templars]] {{C|1265 – death}}
|appear = ''[[Assassin's Creed: Memories]]''<br>''[[Assassin's Creed: Unity]]''
|voice = }}
'''Jacques Bernard de Molay''' (1244 – 1314) was the last publicly recognized [[Grand Master]] of the [[Templars|Templar Order]], and a [[Sages|Sage]].<ref name="McDevitt"/> Following his execution, the Templars were disbanded as an official knightly order, and were forced into operating as a secret organization.

==Biography==
===Early life===
Jacques de Molay was born a Sage in 1244 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]], which later wound up in the possession of a fellow [[France|French]] Templar, [[Geoffroy de Charny]].<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed: Project Legacy]]''</ref>

In 1305, Pope [[Clement V]] asked the leaders of various military orders for their opinions on a new crusade and the merging of the orders. While de Molay opposed a merge, King [[Philip IV of France]] favored it, specifically wishing to merge the orders into a force under his command.<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed Unity: Abstergo Entertainment - Employee Handbook]]''</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 Templars entered a Golden Age, Philip, strongly indebted to the Order, sought to disband it and claim its wealth. In the meantime, the [[Assassins|Assassin Order]] had begun to weaken the Templars. Philip unknowningly served the Assassins trough his advisor [[Guillaume de Nogaret]], [[Mentor]] of their [[French Assassins|French branch]].<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|Philip's men arresting de Molay]]
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.<ref name="ACU"/>

In 1312, the Templar Order was officially dissolved by Pope Clement in his papal bull, ''{{Wiki|Vox in excelso}}'', 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 the arrest of the Templars, de Nogaret levelled charges against them, including heresy, blasphemy and the worship of a deity known as [[Father of Understanding|Baphomet]]. During his imprisonment, de Molay was tortured by de Nogaret, [[Philippe de Marigny]] and [[William of Paris]], and was forced to confess to these charges. 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 Templars, the [[First Civilization]] and the Assassins - 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 alongside [[Geoffroi de Charney]]. 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
ACU De Molay's Execution - Concept Art.jpg|Concept art of de Molay's execution
ACM Jacques de Molay.jpg|''[[Assassin's Creed: Memories]]'' art of de Molay
ACM Jacques de Molay 2.png|''Memories'' art of de Molay
Molay.jpg|An illustration of de Molay
Ordination of Jacques de Molay .jpg|A painting of de Molay's ordination
Tragedy of Jacques de Molay 4.png|De Molay giving the task to his advisor
InterrogationOfJacquesDeMolay.jpg|An illustration of de Molay being tortured
AEBookTemplarsBurning.jpg|A miniature of de Molay's execution
Molay execution.jpg|An illustration of de Molay's execution
Jacques de Molay tombstone.jpg|De Molay's tombstone
</gallery>

==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{ACU}}
{{Templars nav}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Molay, Jacques de}}
[[Category:1244 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