Frédéric Rouille

"The man redefines the term 'friends in high places'. He's untouchable."

―Napoleon Bonaparte on Rouille, 1792.

Frédéric Rouille (died 1792) was a French Army captain, and a member of the Parisian Rite of the Templar Order during the French Revolution.

Personally recruited by Grand Master François-Thomas Germain, Rouille used the men under his command, as well his torture skills, for the benefit of the Order. He participated in both the storming of the Tuileries Palace and the September Massacres, though he was killed by the Assassin Arno Dorian during the latter.

Biography

Early life

Born to a poor French cobbler, Rouille was likely illiterate, as he did not leave behind any writings. He joined the Régiment des Gardes françaises in 1789, though his humble beginnings meant that he had no hope of advancing into the organization's aristocratic officer corps. This ensured that, when the French Revolution broke out, he quickly became a fervent believer of its ideals.

Joining the Templars

Rouille was present at Honoré Mirabeau's speech held at the royal session in response to the Tennis Court Oath in June of 1789. Impressed by the man's political determination, Rouille wanted to shake hands with Mirabeau, but was brushed off. At that moment, he met François-Thomas Germain, who offered to induct him into his faction of radical Templars, to which Rouille accepted.

Like the majority of the Gardes Françaises, Rouille ended up defecting to the National Guard, where, unhindered by his origins, he quickly rose through the ranks and became Captain. On 31 March 1791, Rouille traveled to the Hôtel de Beauvais, where a Templar meeting had been scheduled. Shortly before joining his compatriots, he went into a separate room where a man was being held captive, and tortured him. Once the man gave Rouille the information he needed, he was thrown out of the window.

Subsequently called to the meeting by Aloys la Touche, Rouille reported his findings to Germain, stating that King Louis XVI had secretly been plotting against the revolution. He suggested they simply murder the King to progress Templar control, but Germain wanted Louis XVI to die a condemned man by way of public execution. They also discussed Rouille's concerns regarding Élise de la Serre, who was in the process of rallying the Templars' conservative faction, with Germain reassuring him that she would be dealt with shortly. As Germain had encountered the French Assassin Arno Dorian that same day, Rouille promised to tighten security and ensure Germain's safety.

10 August

"Search everything! I want those documents!"

―Rouille upon entering the King's office, 1792.

On 10 August 1792, Rouille and Antoine Joseph Santerre led an open insurrection against King Louis XVI, storming the Tuileries Palace with thousands of armed revolutionary extremists. Rouille was assigned the task of capturing the King and finding the letters he had exchanged with Mirabeau, which could give his Order the opportunity to expose and purge the Assassins' agents across France.

Rouille and his men entering Louis' office

However, King Louis XVI and his family had already fled by the time the palace came under attack. After finally arriving at the King's office, Rouille and his men futilely searched for the letters, unaware that Arno had destroyed them mere moments before. Following on from this event, Napoleon Bonaparte attempted to have Rouille reassigned to a remote garrison, but because of the Templars' influence, he was allowed to remain in Paris.

Death

"(Ye sons of France, awake to glory, Hark, hark! what myriads bid you rise!)"

―Rouille singing La Marseillaise during the September Massacres, 1792.

On 2 September 1792, Rouille and his men marched on the Grand Châtelet prison, where they began to slaughter guards and prisoners alike in what would become known as the September Massacres. The Templar also had the prison warden captured and began taunting him with the decapitated head of his brother, which sat upon Rouille's pike. However, his cruelty was ended not long after it had begun, with Arno assassinating Rouille at the top of the prison. Through Rouille's memories, the Assassin discovered the involvement of another Templar, Marie Lévesque, who was secretly hoarding grain to starve Paris' citizens.

Personality and traits

"Now, here's the thing. I can go on like this all day. But you... You've got an hour left in you. Two at the most. Half if I bring out the sharp bits. So why not skip the endgame and go directly to mate?"

―Rouille threatening a captive, 1791.

Rouille applauding Mirabeau's speech at the Tennis Court Oath

Due to his humble beginnings, Rouille was naturally responsive to the French Revolution's rhetoric and the ideals on which it was built; this led him to admire public speakers such as Mirabeau. However, like many French citizens, he got caught up in the revolutionary fervor and became a violent and cruel man who revelled in slaughtering perceived enemies of the revolution.

He also showed excitement at torturing a captive to acquire information and, once he was done, threw the man out of a window without a second thought. His callous nature became especially apparent during his willing participation in the September Massacres, mercilessly ordering the deaths of countless prisoners and specifically taunting the warden with the head of his brother.

Behind the scenes

Frédéric Rouille is a fictional character who appears in the 2014 video game Assassin's Creed: Unity, where he is voiced by the British actor James Loye. Despite his role as a supporting antagonist and one of Arno Dorian's main assassination targets, he goes completely unmentioned in Unity's tie-in novel.

Abstergo Industries' database entry for Rouille erroneously claims that he was killed at the Conciergerie prison, rather than the Grand Châtelet.

Etymology

The name Frédéric is a French variant of the Germanic name Fridric, which is derived from frid, meaning "peace", and ric, meaning "ruler, powerful". His surname Rouille is the French word for "rust".

Gallery

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  Concept art of Rouille
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  Head sculpts of Rouille
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  Database image of Rouille
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  Rouille ordering one of his men to find the prison warden
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  The tortured prisoner whispering information to Rouille
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  Rouille being assassinated by Arno

Appearances

• Assassin's Creed: Unity