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[[File:ACLiberation DB De Grandpré's Warehouse.png|thumb|250px|The de Grandpré warehouse]]
[[File:ACLiberation DB De Grandpré's Warehouse.png|thumb|250px|The de Grandpré warehouse]]
The '''de Grandpré company''' was a 18th century shipping company headquartered in [[New Orleans]], [[Louisiana]]. First established by [[Philippe de Grandpré]], the son of a rich merchant family, the shipping company operated in the [[Atlantic Ocean|North Atlantic]] supplying both the Americas and Europe with products. Starting in 1768, Philippe's daughter, the [[Assassins|Assassin]] [[Aveline de Grandpré]], also became involved with the company, administering a number of ships and trade routes by herself.<ref name="Trade system">[[Assassin's Creed III: Liberation]] – Trade system</ref>
The '''de Grandpré company''' was a 18th century [[ship]]ping company headquartered in [[New Orleans]], [[Louisiana]]. First established by [[Philippe de Grandpré]], the son of a rich [[merchant]] family, the shipping company operated in the [[Atlantic Ocean|North Atlantic]] supplying both the [[Americas]] and [[Europe]] with products. Starting in 1768, Philippe's daughter, the [[Assassins|Assassin]] [[Aveline de Grandpré]], also became involved with the company, administering a number of ships and trade routes by herself.<ref name="Trade system">''[[Assassin's Creed III: Liberation]]'' – Trade system</ref>


==History==
==History==
===Under Phillipe===
===Under Phillipe===
The de Grandpré company was established by Philippe as a young man, after he left his home country of [[France]] for the colony of [[Louisiana]], where he sought better business opportunities.<ref name="Enlightened Merchant">[[Assassin's Creed: Initiates]] – [[Database: An Enlightened Merchant]]</ref> His trading business originally focused on shipping goods from the new world across the Atlantic.<ref name="Philippe DB">[[Assassin's Creed III: Liberation]] – [[Database: Philippe Olivier de Grandpré]]</ref> In 1744, while on a trade mission to [[Haiti|Saint-Domingue]], he purchased an enslaved woman named [[Jeanne]]<ref name="Philippe DB"/> and brought her back to New Orleans,<ref name="Enlightened Merchant"/> an action that would eventually gather the attention of [[Templars|Templar]] [[Madeleine de L'Isle]].<ref name="Arranged Marriage">[[Assassin's Creed: Rogue]] – [[War Letters]]: Arranged Marriage</ref>
The de Grandpré company was established by Philippe as a young man, after he left his home country of [[France]] for the colony of [[Louisiana]], where he sought better business opportunities.<ref name="Enlightened Merchant">''[[Assassin's Creed: Initiates]]'' – [[Database: An Enlightened Merchant]]</ref> His trading business originally focused on shipping goods from the New World across the [[Atlantic Ocean]].<ref name="Philippe DB">''[[Assassin's Creed III: Liberation]]'' – [[Database: Philippe Olivier de Grandpré]]</ref> In 1744, while on a trade mission to [[Haiti|Saint-Domingue]], he purchased an [[Slavery|enslaved]] woman named [[Jeanne]]<ref name="Philippe DB"/> and brought her back to New Orleans to become his ''{{Wiki|plaçage|placée}}'' bride,<ref name="Enlightened Merchant"/> an action that would eventually gather the attention of the [[Master Templar]] [[Madeleine de L'Isle]].<ref name="Arranged Marriage">''[[Assassin's Creed: Rogue]]'' – [[War Letters]]: "Arranged Marriage"</ref>


In 1748, Madeleine, the daughter of a businessman that ran a rival company to de Grandpré,<ref name="Audition">[[Assassin's Creed: Rogue]] – [[War Letters]]: Audition</ref> requested that [[Grand Master of the Templar Order|Grand Master]] [[Reginald Birch]] use his influence to dampen Philippe's financial prospects, allowing her to secure a marriage with him alongside the promise of renewed stability.<ref name="Arranged Marriage"/> Jeanne noted in her personal diary Philippe's success in trading in an entry dated 9 November 1749,<ref name="Jeanne Diary 15">[[Assassin's Creed III: Liberation]] – [[Jeanne's diary pages]]: Page 15</ref> followed by mentions of "''recent troubles with P—'s business''" dated to 12 August 1750. In that same entry, she documents that Monsieur de L'Isle had already become an investor in the company.<ref name="Jeanne Diary 16">[[Assassin's Creed III: Liberation]] – [[Jeanne's diary pages]]: Page 16</ref> The marriage between Philippe and Madeleine was arranged in 1751<ref name="Jeanne Diary 20">[[Assassin's Creed III: Liberation]] – [[Jeanne's diary pages]]: Page 20</ref> and took place in 1752,<ref name="Philippe DB"/><ref name="Enlightened Merchant"/> a move that benefitted both families' businesses.<ref name="Madeleine DB">[[Assassin's Creed III: Liberation]] – [[Database: Madeleine de L'Isle]]</ref>
In 1748, Madeleine, the daughter of a rival businessman to de Grandpré,<ref name="Audition">''[[Assassin's Creed: Rogue]]'' – [[War Letters]]: "Audition"</ref> requested that [[Grand Master of the Templar Order|Grand Master]] [[Reginald Birch]] use his influence to dampen Philippe's financial prospects, allowing her to secure a marriage with him alongside the promise of renewed stability.<ref name="Arranged Marriage"/> Jeanne noted in her [[Jeanne's diary pages|personal diary]] Philippe's success in trading in an entry dated 9 November 1749,<ref name="Jeanne Diary 15">''[[Assassin's Creed III: Liberation]]'' – [[Jeanne's diary pages]]: Page 15</ref> followed by mentions of "recent troubles with P—'s business" dated to 12 August 1750. In that same entry, she documents that Monsieur de L'Isle had already become an investor in the company.<ref name="Jeanne Diary 16">''[[Assassin's Creed III: Liberation]]'' – [[Jeanne's diary pages]]: Page 16</ref> Philippe and Madeleine's marriage was arranged in 1751<ref name="Jeanne Diary 20">''[[Assassin's Creed III: Liberation]]'' – [[Jeanne's diary pages]]: Page 20</ref> and took place in 1752,<ref name="Philippe DB"/><ref name="Enlightened Merchant"/> a move that benefitted both families' businesses.<ref name="Madeleine DB">''[[Assassin's Creed III: Liberation]]'' – [[Database: Madeleine de L'Isle]]</ref>


In 1755, Gérald Blanc arrived in New Orleans at the age of ten and became first an errand boy for the company, though by 1765 he was already working as clerk and accountant to Philippe.<ref name="Gérald DB">[[Assassin's Creed III: Liberation]] – [[Database: Gérald Blanc]]</ref> That year, the company was once again encountering issues, with strained customer relations and disappearing shipments.<ref name="Taking Care of Business">[[Assassin's Creed III: Liberation]] – [[Taking Care of Business]]</ref> On 29 January,<ref name="ACI Taking">[[Assassin's Creed: Initiates]] – [[Database: Aveline de Grandpré (ACI)|Database: Aveline de Grandpré]]: Taking Care of Business</ref> after the second cargo theft in the month, Gérald went to meet with supplier [[Gilbert-Antoine de Saint Maxent]] to investigate the matter further. Aveline, having overheard the matter, decided to help with the investigation,<ref name="Taking Care of Business"/> uncovering the location of the crates, to which Saint-Maxent promised to give Philippe a considerable discount as thanks.<ref name="ACI Father's Troubles">[[Assassin's Creed: Initiates]] – [[Database: Aveline de Grandpré (ACI)|Database: Aveline de Grandpré]]: Her Father's Troubles</ref><ref name="Father's Troubles">[[Assassin's Creed III: Liberation]] – [[Father's Troubles]]</ref>
In 1755, [[Gérald Blanc]] arrived in New Orleans at the age of 10 and became first an {{Wiki|Courier|errand boy}} for the company, though by 1765, he was already working as Philippe's clerk and accountant.<ref name="Gérald DB">''[[Assassin's Creed III: Liberation]]'' – [[Database: Gérald Blanc]]</ref> That year, the company encountered issues of strained customer relations and disappearing shipments.<ref name="Taking Care of Business">''[[Assassin's Creed III: Liberation]]'' – [[Taking Care of Business]]</ref> On 29 January,<ref name="ACI Taking">''[[Assassin's Creed: Initiates]]'' – [[Database: Aveline de Grandpré (ACI)|Database: Aveline de Grandpré]]: "Taking Care of Business"</ref> after the second cargo theft in the month, Gérald went to investigate the matter further by meeting with their supplier [[Gilbert-Antoine de Saint Maxent]], who explained that someone had impersonated him and forged his signature to steal the cargo. Aveline, having [[Eavesdropping|overheard]] the matter, decided to help with the investigation<ref name="Taking Care of Business"/> by uncovering the crates' location, for which Saint-Maxent promised to give Philippe a considerable discount as thanks.<ref name="ACI Father's Troubles">''[[Assassin's Creed: Initiates]]'' – [[Database: Aveline de Grandpré (ACI)|Database: Aveline de Grandpré]]: "Her Father's Troubles"</ref><ref name="Father's Troubles">''[[Assassin's Creed III: Liberation]]'' – [[Father's Troubles]]</ref> In 1776, Philippe uncovered evidence of Templar interference in the company; his attempts to root out their meddling pushed Madeleine to gradually [[poison]] him<ref name="Philippe DB" /> with {{Wiki|Digitalis|foxglove}}<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed III: Liberation]]'' – [[Erudito (memory)|Erudito]]</ref> under the pretense that it was an herbal tonic,<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed III: Liberation]]'' – [[An Urgent Favor]]</ref> which eventually led to his death.<ref name="TheLastDance">''[[Assassin's Creed III: Liberation]]'' – [[The Last Dance]]</ref>
 
In 1776, Philippe uncovered evidence of Templar intereference in the company and was poisoned by Madeleine over time for his meddling, leading to his death.<ref name="Philippe DB"/>


===Under Aveline===
===Under Aveline===
Though Louisiana law prohibited Aveline from inheriting his estate, Philippe had his daughter educated in business to ensure she would grow into an independent woman.<ref name="Philippe DB"/> In 1768, Aveline began to manage the company from the [[de Grandpré warehouse]], after [[Agaté]] and Gérald agreed that she needed a base of operations as an [[Assassin]].<ref name="Prelude to Rebellion">[[Assassin's Creed III: Liberation]] – [[Prelude to Rebellion]]</ref> She would eventually expand the company, not only in the amount of ships used, but also in number of trade routes and products sold<ref name="Trade system"/>
Though Louisianan law prohibited Aveline from inheriting his estate, Philippe had his daughter educated in business to ensure she would grow into an independent woman.<ref name="Philippe DB"/> In 1768, Aveline began to manage the company from the [[de Grandpré warehouse]], after [[Agaté]] and Gérald agreed that she needed a base of operations as an [[Assassin]].<ref name="Prelude to Rebellion">''[[Assassin's Creed III: Liberation]]'' – [[Prélude to Rebellion]]</ref> She eventually expanded the company, not only in the amount of ships used, but also in number of trade routes and products sold.<ref name="Trade system"/>
 
That same year, [[Bouché|Monsieur Bouché]] began a smear campaign about the coffee sold by the de Grandpré company, having both erected a stall to distribute handbills claiming the coffee eroded the nerves of those who drank it<ref name="ACI Prelude to Rebellion">[[Assassin's Creed: Initiates]] – [[Database: Aveline de Grandpré (ACI)|Database: Aveline de Grandpré]]: Prelude to Rebellion</ref><ref name="Prelude to Rebellion"/> and having paid [[town crier]]s to rant about the product and to push East India tea instead.<ref name="Elegant and Deadly">[[Assassin's Creed III: Liberation]] – [[Elegant and Deadly]]</ref> With the impact on sales and financial issues, Gérald asked Aveline to intervene.<ref name="Prelude to Rebellion"/>
 
She confronted Bouché in his warehouse and demanded a public apology, which he claimed would comply with, having been intimidated by her. Some short time later, his dire finantial prospects prompted him to sell off his shops, which led to Aveline buying him out, wishing to pay his slaves a proper wage and "''set them on the path to freedom''".<ref name="ACI Elegant and Deadly">[[Assassin's Creed: Initiates]] – [[Database: Aveline de Grandpré (ACI)|Database: Aveline de Grandpré]]: Elegant and Deadly</ref><ref name="Elegant and Deadly">[[Assassin's Creed III: Liberation]] – [[Elegant and Deadly]]</ref>


While managing the company, Aveline also eliminated other business rivals who sought to control New Orleans economically, including some with outright Templar ties, such as [[de Vandal|Monsieur de Vandal]],<ref name="Vandal">[[Assassin's Creed III: Liberation]] – [[M. de Vandal's Harbor]]</ref> [[Marcantell|Monsieur Marcantell]]<ref name="Marcantell">[[Assassin's Creed III: Liberation]] – [[M. Marcantell's Materials]]</ref> and [[Chapperon|Monsieur Chapperon]],<ref name="Chapperon">[[Assassin's Creed III: Liberation]] – [[M. Chapperon's Textiles]]</ref> and others with more indirect ties to the enemy, being aligned with the corrupt Spanish government and military, such as [[Salmon|Monsieur Salmon]]<ref name="Salmon">[[Assassin's Creed III: Liberation]] – [[M. Salmon's Ships]]</ref> and [[Reynaud|Monsieur Reynaud]].<ref name="Reynaud">[[Assassin's Creed III: Liberation]] – [[M. Reynaud's Bypass]]</ref> She would later purchase and incorporate their shops into the company, as she had done with Bouché's shops.<ref name="Liberation">[[Assassin's Creed III: Liberation]]</ref>
That same year, the beverage merchant [[Bouché]] began a smear campaign about the de Grandpré company's [[coffee]], having both erected a stall to distribute handbills claiming the coffee eroded the nerves of those who drank it<ref name="ACI Prelude to Rebellion">''[[Assassin's Creed: Initiates]]'' – [[Database: Aveline de Grandpré (ACI)|Database: Aveline de Grandpré]]: "Prelude to Rebellion"</ref><ref name="Prelude to Rebellion"/> and having paid [[Herald|town criers]] to rant about the product and to push [[East India Company|East India]] [[tea]] instead.<ref name="Elegant and Deadly">''[[Assassin's Creed III: Liberation]]'' – [[Elegant and Deadly]]</ref> With the impact on sales and financial issues, Gérald asked Aveline to intervene.<ref name="Prelude to Rebellion"/> She confronted Bouché in his warehouse and demanded a public apology, which he claimed he would comply with after she intimidated him. Some short time later, his dire financial prospects prompted him to sell off his shops, which led to Aveline buying him out, wishing to pay his slaves a proper wage and "set them on the path to freedom".<ref name="ACI Elegant and Deadly">''[[Assassin's Creed: Initiates]]'' – [[Database: Aveline de Grandpré (ACI)|Database: Aveline de Grandpré]]: "Elegant and Deadly"</ref><ref name="Elegant and Deadly"/>


In 1768, Aveline recruited Captain [[Carlos Dominguez]]<ref name="Mistress and Commander">[[Assassin's Creed III: Liberation]] – [[Mistress and Commander]]</ref> who would remain productive until being reported missing at sea in 1803.<ref name="Dominguez DB">[[Assassin's Creed III: Liberation]] – [[Database: Carlos Dominguez]]</ref> Another improvement to the company's fleet came in 1771 when, after receiving a tip from Gérald, Aveline infiltrated a Spanish controlled fort in New Orleans and retrieved blueprints for a new cannon, which helped safeguard the ships against pirate attacks.<ref name="Cannon">[[Assassin's Creed III: Liberation]] – [[The Cannon]]</ref>
While managing the company, Aveline also eliminated other business rivals who sought to control New Orleans economically, including some with outright Templar ties—such as the dockworker [[de Vandal]],<ref name="Vandal">''[[Assassin's Creed III: Liberation]]'' – [[M. de Vandal's Harbor]]</ref> the goods merchant [[Marcantell]],<ref name="Marcantell">''[[Assassin's Creed III: Liberation]]'' – [[M. Marcantell's Materials]]</ref> and the textiles merchant [[Chapperon]]<ref name="Chapperon">''[[Assassin's Creed III: Liberation]]'' – [[M. Chapperon's Textiles]]</ref>—and others with more indirect ties to the enemy, being aligned with the corrupt [[Spanish Empire|Spanish]] government and [[Spanish Army|military]], such as the {{Wiki|Shipbuilding|shipwright}} [[Salmon]]<ref name="Salmon">''[[Assassin's Creed III: Liberation]]'' – [[M. Salmon's Ships]]</ref> and the [[Smuggling|smuggler]] [[Reynaud]].<ref name="Reynaud">''[[Assassin's Creed III: Liberation]]'' – [[M. Reynaud's Bypass]]</ref> She later purchased and incorporated their shops into the company, as she had done with Bouché's shops.<ref name="Liberation">''[[Assassin's Creed III: Liberation]]''</ref>


After Philippe's death in 1776, the company was left to Gérald, though he considered it to rightfully belong to Aveline,<ref name="ACI Loss of a Father">[[Assassin's Creed: Initiates]] – [[Database: Aveline de Grandpré (ACI)|Database: Aveline de Grandpré]]: The Loss of a Father</ref> remarking that the law had no place between them.<ref name="Last Dance">[[Assassin's Creed III: Liberation]] – [[The Last Dance]]</ref>
In 1768, Aveline recruited [[Captain]] [[Carlos Dominguez]],<ref name="Mistress and Commander">''[[Assassin's Creed III: Liberation]]'' – [[Mistress and Commander]]</ref> who would remain productive until being reported missing at sea in 1803.<ref name="Dominguez DB">''[[Assassin's Creed III: Liberation]]'' – [[Database: Carlos Dominguez]]</ref> Another improvement to the company's fleet came in 1771 when, after receiving a tip from Gérald, Aveline infiltrated a Spanish controlled [[fort]] in New Orleans and retrieved blueprints for a new [[cannon]], which helped safeguard the ships against [[Piracy|pirate]] attacks.<ref name="Cannon">''[[Assassin's Creed III: Liberation]]'' – [[The Cannon]]</ref> After Philippe's death in 1776, the company was left to Gérald, though he considered it to rightfully belong to Aveline, remarking that the law had no place between them.<ref name="TheLastDance"/><ref>''[[Assassin's Creed: Initiates]]'' – [[Database: Aveline de Grandpré (ACI)|Database: Aveline de Grandpré]]: "The Loss of a Father"</ref>


==Known ports of trade==
==Known ports of trade==
This list compiles trade ports that were known to trade with the de Grandpré company during Aveline's administration of the business, noting their usual product demands and offerings.<ref name="Trade system"/>
This list compiles trade ports that were known to trade with the de Grandpré company during Aveline's administration of the business, noting the cost in ''[[écu]]'' (''é'') of their product demands and offerings.<ref name="Trade system"/>


<center>
<center>
{|class="wikitable sortable" border="1" cellspacing="1" cellpadding="1" style="width:700px; text-align:center"
{|class="wikitable sortable" border="1" cellspacing="1" cellpadding="1" style="width:700px; text-align:center"
!Port
!Port
!Provides
!Provides (''é'')
!Demands
!Demands (''é'')
|-
|-
![[New Orleans]]<br>{{c|Headquarters}}
![[New Orleans]]<br>{{c|Headquarters}}
|Cotton {{c|270}}<br>Sugar {{c|230}}<br>Molasses {{c|290}}
|Cotton {{c|270}}<br>[[Sugar]] {{c|230}}<br>Molasses {{c|290}}
|Tobacco {{c|500}}<br>Pitch {{c|160}}<br>Fabric {{c|1040}}<br>Ice {{c|900}}
|[[Tobacco]] {{c|500}}<br>Pitch {{c|160}}<br>[[Fabric]] {{c|1040}}<br>Ice {{c|900}}
|-
|-
![[Veracruz]]
![[Veracruz]]
|Fruit {{c|130}}<br>Pitch {{c|50}}
|Fruit {{c|130}}<br>Pitch {{c|50}}
|Tobacco {{c|530}}<br>Steel {{c|1410}}<br>Coffee {{c|470}}<br>Rum {{c|840}}
|Tobacco {{c|530}}<br>[[Steel]] {{c|1410}}<br>Coffee {{c|470}}<br>[[Rum]] {{c|840}}
|-
|-
![[Havana]]
![[Havana]]
|Rum {{c|650}}<br>Tobacco {{c|430}}<br>Coffee {{c|310}}
|Rum {{c|650}}<br>Tobacco {{c|430}}<br>Coffee {{c|310}}
|Cotton {{c|370}}<br>Fruit {{c|260}}<br>Sugar {{c|710}}<br>Furs {{c|700}}
|Cotton {{c|370}}<br>Fruit {{c|260}}<br>Sugar {{c|710}}<br>[[Fur]]s {{c|700}}
|-
|-
![[Campeche]]
![[Campeche]]
|Sugar {{c|240}}<br>Spices {{c|900}}
|Sugar {{c|240}}<br>Spices {{c|900}}
|Cotton {{c|400}}<br>Guns {{c|1450}}
|Cotton {{c|400}}<br>[[Firearm|Guns]] {{c|1450}}
|-
|-
![[Natchez]]
![[Natchez]]
Line 88: Line 82:


==Known employees==
==Known employees==
*[[Philippe de Grandpré]]
*[[Philippe de Grandpré]] † (founder; 1768 – 1776)
*[[Gérald Blanc]]
*[[Gérald Blanc]] (after 1755)
*[[Aveline de Grandpré]]
*[[Aveline de Grandpré]] (after 1768)
*[[Carlos Dominguez]]
*[[Carlos Dominguez]] † (1768 – 1803)


===Known investors===
===Known investors===
*Monsieur de L'Isle
*Monsieur de L'Isle (c. August 1750)
*[[Gilbert-Antoine de Saint Maxent]]
*[[Gilbert-Antoine de Saint Maxent]] (1765)
 
==Products==
<gallery widths="180" position="center" captionalign="center">
AC3L Cotton.png|Cotton
AC3L Coffee.png|[[Coffee]]
AC3L Fabric.png|[[Fabric]]
AC3L Fruit.png|Fruit
AC3L Furs.png|[[Fur]]s
AC3L Guns.png|[[Firearm|Guns]]
AC3L Ice.png|Ice
AC3L Molasses.png|Molasses
AC3L Pitch.png|Pitch
AC3L Rum.png|[[Rum]]
AC3L Spices.png|Spices
AC3L Steel.png|[[Steel]]
AC3L Sugar.png|[[Sugar]]
AC3L Tobacco.png|[[Tobacco]]
</gallery>


==Behind the scenes==
==Behind the scenes==
Disregarding trip time and hazards, the single most profitable voyage is to send Sugar from New Orleans to Bordeaux, which gives 1120 profit per cargo space, just 10 écu over sencond place, which involves sending Guns from Bordeaux to Campeche.
Disregarding trip time and hazards, the single most profitable voyage is to send sugar from New Orleans to Bordeaux, France, which gives 1120 ''écu'' per cargo space, just 10 ''écu'' over second place, which involves sending guns from Bordeaux to Campeche, [[Mexico]].


==Appearances==
==Appearances==
*''[[Assassin's Creed III: Liberation]]''
*''[[Assassin's Creed III: Liberation]]'' {{1st}}
*''[[Assassin's Creed: Initiates]]'' {{Mdat}}
*''[[Assassin's Creed: Initiates]]'' {{Mdat}}
*''[[Assassin's Creed: Rogue]]'' {{Mo}}
*''[[Assassin's Creed: Rogue]]'' {{Mo}}
Line 108: Line 120:
{{Reflist}}
{{Reflist}}
{{AC3L}}
{{AC3L}}
<!--[zh:德·格朗普雷公司]-->

Latest revision as of 17:19, 13 June 2026

I wanted to ask you something. Which is... what's your name?
This article title is conjecture. Although the article subject is canon, no official name for it has been given.
The de Grandpré warehouse

The de Grandpré company was a 18th century shipping company headquartered in New Orleans, Louisiana. First established by Philippe de Grandpré, the son of a rich merchant family, the shipping company operated in the North Atlantic supplying both the Americas and Europe with products. Starting in 1768, Philippe's daughter, the Assassin Aveline de Grandpré, also became involved with the company, administering a number of ships and trade routes by herself.[1]

History[edit | edit source]

Under Phillipe[edit | edit source]

The de Grandpré company was established by Philippe as a young man, after he left his home country of France for the colony of Louisiana, where he sought better business opportunities.[2] His trading business originally focused on shipping goods from the New World across the Atlantic Ocean.[3] In 1744, while on a trade mission to Saint-Domingue, he purchased an enslaved woman named Jeanne[3] and brought her back to New Orleans to become his placée bride,[2] an action that would eventually gather the attention of the Master Templar Madeleine de L'Isle.[4]

In 1748, Madeleine, the daughter of a rival businessman to de Grandpré,[5] requested that Grand Master Reginald Birch use his influence to dampen Philippe's financial prospects, allowing her to secure a marriage with him alongside the promise of renewed stability.[4] Jeanne noted in her personal diary Philippe's success in trading in an entry dated 9 November 1749,[6] followed by mentions of "recent troubles with P—'s business" dated to 12 August 1750. In that same entry, she documents that Monsieur de L'Isle had already become an investor in the company.[7] Philippe and Madeleine's marriage was arranged in 1751[8] and took place in 1752,[3][2] a move that benefitted both families' businesses.[9]

In 1755, Gérald Blanc arrived in New Orleans at the age of 10 and became first an errand boy for the company, though by 1765, he was already working as Philippe's clerk and accountant.[10] That year, the company encountered issues of strained customer relations and disappearing shipments.[11] On 29 January,[12] after the second cargo theft in the month, Gérald went to investigate the matter further by meeting with their supplier Gilbert-Antoine de Saint Maxent, who explained that someone had impersonated him and forged his signature to steal the cargo. Aveline, having overheard the matter, decided to help with the investigation[11] by uncovering the crates' location, for which Saint-Maxent promised to give Philippe a considerable discount as thanks.[13][14] In 1776, Philippe uncovered evidence of Templar interference in the company; his attempts to root out their meddling pushed Madeleine to gradually poison him[3] with foxglove[15] under the pretense that it was an herbal tonic,[16] which eventually led to his death.[17]

Under Aveline[edit | edit source]

Though Louisianan law prohibited Aveline from inheriting his estate, Philippe had his daughter educated in business to ensure she would grow into an independent woman.[3] In 1768, Aveline began to manage the company from the de Grandpré warehouse, after Agaté and Gérald agreed that she needed a base of operations as an Assassin.[18] She eventually expanded the company, not only in the amount of ships used, but also in number of trade routes and products sold.[1]

That same year, the beverage merchant Bouché began a smear campaign about the de Grandpré company's coffee, having both erected a stall to distribute handbills claiming the coffee eroded the nerves of those who drank it[19][18] and having paid town criers to rant about the product and to push East India tea instead.[20] With the impact on sales and financial issues, Gérald asked Aveline to intervene.[18] She confronted Bouché in his warehouse and demanded a public apology, which he claimed he would comply with after she intimidated him. Some short time later, his dire financial prospects prompted him to sell off his shops, which led to Aveline buying him out, wishing to pay his slaves a proper wage and "set them on the path to freedom".[21][20]

While managing the company, Aveline also eliminated other business rivals who sought to control New Orleans economically, including some with outright Templar ties—such as the dockworker de Vandal,[22] the goods merchant Marcantell,[23] and the textiles merchant Chapperon[24]—and others with more indirect ties to the enemy, being aligned with the corrupt Spanish government and military, such as the shipwright Salmon[25] and the smuggler Reynaud.[26] She later purchased and incorporated their shops into the company, as she had done with Bouché's shops.[27]

In 1768, Aveline recruited Captain Carlos Dominguez,[28] who would remain productive until being reported missing at sea in 1803.[29] Another improvement to the company's fleet came in 1771 when, after receiving a tip from Gérald, Aveline infiltrated a Spanish controlled fort in New Orleans and retrieved blueprints for a new cannon, which helped safeguard the ships against pirate attacks.[30] After Philippe's death in 1776, the company was left to Gérald, though he considered it to rightfully belong to Aveline, remarking that the law had no place between them.[17][31]

Known ports of trade[edit | edit source]

This list compiles trade ports that were known to trade with the de Grandpré company during Aveline's administration of the business, noting the cost in écu (é) of their product demands and offerings.[1]

Port Provides (é) Demands (é)
New Orleans
(Headquarters) 		Cotton (270)
Sugar (230)
Molasses (290) 		Tobacco (500)
Pitch (160)
Fabric (1040)
Ice (900)
Veracruz Fruit (130)
Pitch (50) 		Tobacco (530)
Steel (1410)
Coffee (470)
Rum (840)
Havana Rum (650)
Tobacco (430)
Coffee (310) 		Cotton (370)
Fruit (260)
Sugar (710)
Furs (700)
Campeche Sugar (240)
Spices (900) 		Cotton (400)
Guns (1450)
Natchez Tobacco (460)
Furs (580) 		Rum (800)
Steel (1520)
Fabric (1250)
Guns (1440)
Port-au-Prince Spices (1000)
Fruit (170) 		Tobacco (500)
Fabric (960)
Steel (1160)
Ice (800)
New York Tobacco (490) Spices (1500)
Guns (1260)
Fruit (1070)
Coffee (550)
Boston Furs (440)
Ice (470) 		Steel (1300)
Sugar (560)
Molasses (700)
Bridgetown Cotton (210)
Coffee (290) 		Fruit (290)
Pitch (260)
Molasses (570)
Seville Steel (500) Rum (1400)
Spices (1900)
Tobacco (1220)
Cotton (800)
Bordeaux Fabric (230)
Pitch (25)
Guns (340) 		Sugar (1350)
Cotton (930)
Coffee (1150)
Furs (1140)
Liverpool Guns (400)
Fabric (240)
Ice (50) 		Rum (1300)
Furs (1090)
Fruit (920)

Known employees[edit | edit source]

Known investors[edit | edit source]

Products[edit | edit source]

Behind the scenes[edit | edit source]

Disregarding trip time and hazards, the single most profitable voyage is to send sugar from New Orleans to Bordeaux, France, which gives 1120 écu per cargo space, just 10 écu over second place, which involves sending guns from Bordeaux to Campeche, Mexico.

Appearances[edit | edit source]

References[edit | edit source]

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Assassin's Creed III: Liberation – Trade system
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Assassin's Creed: Initiates – Database: An Enlightened Merchant
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 Assassin's Creed III: Liberation – Database: Philippe Olivier de Grandpré
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Assassin's Creed: Rogue – War Letters: "Arranged Marriage"
  5. ↑ Assassin's Creed: Rogue – War Letters: "Audition"
  6. ↑ Assassin's Creed III: Liberation – Jeanne's diary pages: Page 15
  7. ↑ Assassin's Creed III: Liberation – Jeanne's diary pages: Page 16
  8. ↑ Assassin's Creed III: Liberation – Jeanne's diary pages: Page 20
  9. ↑ Assassin's Creed III: Liberation – Database: Madeleine de L'Isle
  10. ↑ Assassin's Creed III: Liberation – Database: Gérald Blanc
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Assassin's Creed III: Liberation – Taking Care of Business
  12. ↑ Assassin's Creed: Initiates – Database: Aveline de Grandpré: "Taking Care of Business"
  13. ↑ Assassin's Creed: Initiates – Database: Aveline de Grandpré: "Her Father's Troubles"
  14. ↑ Assassin's Creed III: Liberation – Father's Troubles
  15. ↑ Assassin's Creed III: Liberation – Erudito
  16. ↑ Assassin's Creed III: Liberation – An Urgent Favor
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 Assassin's Creed III: Liberation – The Last Dance
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 18.2 Assassin's Creed III: Liberation – Prélude to Rebellion
  19. ↑ Assassin's Creed: Initiates – Database: Aveline de Grandpré: "Prelude to Rebellion"
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 Assassin's Creed III: Liberation – Elegant and Deadly
  21. ↑ Assassin's Creed: Initiates – Database: Aveline de Grandpré: "Elegant and Deadly"
  22. ↑ Assassin's Creed III: Liberation – M. de Vandal's Harbor
  23. ↑ Assassin's Creed III: Liberation – M. Marcantell's Materials
  24. ↑ Assassin's Creed III: Liberation – M. Chapperon's Textiles
  25. ↑ Assassin's Creed III: Liberation – M. Salmon's Ships
  26. ↑ Assassin's Creed III: Liberation – M. Reynaud's Bypass
  27. ↑ Assassin's Creed III: Liberation
  28. ↑ Assassin's Creed III: Liberation – Mistress and Commander
  29. ↑ Assassin's Creed III: Liberation – Database: Carlos Dominguez
  30. ↑ Assassin's Creed III: Liberation – The Cannon
  31. ↑ Assassin's Creed: Initiates – Database: Aveline de Grandpré: "The Loss of a Father"

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