Great Purge (1757-1763): Difference between revisions
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{{Era| | {{Era|Timeline}} | ||
{{ | {{Otheruses|the Colonial Assassins' purge|[[Purge]]}} | ||
{{Quote|Sometime during the Seven Years' War the Templars made their move and destroyed | {{Quote|Sometime during the Seven Years' War the Templars made their move and destroyed the Colonial Brotherhood during the Assassin witch hunt.|Shaun Hastings on the purge, 2012.|Assassin's Creed III|Database: Davenport Homestead}} | ||
{{Event | {{Event Infobox | ||
|prev = [[ | |prev = [[Battle of Quiberon Bay]] | ||
|next = [[ | |next = [[Louisiana Rebellion]] | ||
|image = Scars 14.png | |||
|image = | |conflict = *[[Assassin-Templar War]] | ||
|conflict = [[ | *[[Seven Years' War]] | ||
|date = 1757 - 1763 | |date = 1757 - 1763 | ||
|place = *[[Davenport Homestead]] | |place = *[[Davenport Homestead]] | ||
| Line 14: | Line 14: | ||
*[[Atlantic Ocean]] | *[[Atlantic Ocean]] | ||
*[[River Valley]] | *[[River Valley]] | ||
|outcome = | |outcome = [[Templars|Templar]] victory | ||
*Near extermination of the [[Colonial Assassins]] | *Near-extermination of the [[American Brotherhood of Assassins|Colonial Brotherhood of Assassins]] | ||
|key = * | *[[Mentor]] [[Achilles Davenport]] forced into exile at the [[Davenport Homestead]] | ||
*[[Colonial | |key = *[[Assassins]] | ||
**[[American Brotherhood of Assassins|Colonial Brotherhood]] | |||
*[[Haytham Kenway]] | ***[[Hope Jensen's gang]] | ||
*[[ | *[[Templars]] | ||
The ''' | **[[British Rite of the Templar Order|British Rite]] {{c|[[Haytham Kenway]]}} | ||
**[[American Rite of the Templar Order|Colonial Rite]] | |||
}} | |||
The '''Great Purge'''<ref name="ACINFO">''[[Assassin's Creed: Infographics]]''</ref> (1757–1763) was a full-scale assault by the [[American Rite of the Templar Order|Colonial Templars]] under [[Grand Master of the Templar Order|Grand Master]] [[Haytham Kenway]] against the [[American Brotherhood of Assassins|Colonial Assassins]] in the [[United States|Thirteen Colonies]]. With the Templars greatly aided by the [[Assassins|Assassin]] turncoat [[Shay Cormac]], the Colonial Brotherhood was effectively destroyed, reduced to its [[Mentor]] [[Achilles Davenport]] and a mere handful of surviving members, and would not return to its former strength until almost two decades later during the [[American Revolutionary War]]. | |||
==History== | ==History== | ||
===Haytham's arrival=== | ===Haytham's arrival=== | ||
Following their founding in 1746,<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed: Rogue]]'' – [[War Letters]]: "All Over the World"</ref> the Colonial Brotherhood under their Mentor Achilles Davenport rapidly expanded their influence. By 1752, they controlled a number of [[fort]]s and settlements along [[North America]]'s [[Atlantic Ocean|Atlantic]] coast and maintained their hold through the use of [[gang]]s as enforcers. The Assassins also possessed a network of spies and allies. As such, they were more powerful than the [[Templars]] in the area.<ref name="ACRG">''[[Assassin's Creed: Rogue]]''</ref> | |||
In 1754, | From 1752 to 1754, the high-ranking Templars [[Lawrence Washington]],<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed: Rogue]]'' – [[By Invitation Only]]</ref> [[Samuel Smith]],<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed: Rogue]]'' – [[One Little Victory]]</ref> and [[James Wardrop]]<ref name="We the People">''[[Assassin's Creed: Rogue]]'' – [[We the People]]</ref> were [[Assassination|assassinated]] by the young Assassin Shay Cormac after they stole the [[Precursor box]] and [[Voynich manuscript]] from the [[Saint-Domingue Brotherhood of Assassins|local Assassinsd]] in [[Haiti|Saint-Domingue]] following the [[1751 Port-au-Prince earthquake]].<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed: Rogue]]'' – [[Lessons and Revelations]]</ref> This left the Templars in the colonies weakened and leaderless while Assassin influence thrived.<ref name="We the People"/> | ||
[[File:ACIII-BraddockExpedition 3.png|thumb|left|250px|The newly-formed Colonial Rite]] | |||
In 1754, Haytham Kenway arrived in the [[Americas]]<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed III]]'' – [[Journey to the New World]]</ref> and established a Colonial Rite independent from the [[British Rite of the Templar Order|British Templars]] as its first Grand Master.<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed III]]'' – [[The Braddock Expedition (memory)|The Braddock Expedition]]</ref> The nascent Templars quickly came into conflict with the well-established Assassins. Beginning as a proxy war between the Templars and [[Mercenary|mercenaries]] recruited by the Assassins, the conflict escalated when the two factions sided with opposing [[Europe]]an powers during the [[Seven Years' War]].<ref name="ACRG"/> | |||
===Turning the tide=== | ===Turning the tide=== | ||
From 1757 onward, | From 1757 onward, a disillusioned Shay Cormac, having left the Assassins, helped the Templars track down and kill several of his former comrades, including the high-ranking Assassins [[Kesegowaase]],<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed: Rogue]]'' – [[Scars]]</ref> [[Hope Jensen]],<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed: Rogue]]'' – [[Caress of Steel]]</ref> and [[Louis-Joseph Gaultier, Chevalier de la Vérendrye|Chevalier de la Vérendrye]].<ref name="ColdFire">''[[Assassin's Creed: Rogue]]'' – [[Cold Fire]]</ref> In addition to his former brethren, Shay also eliminated [[Adéwalé]], a legendary member of the [[West Indies Brotherhood of Assassins|Caribbean Brotherhood]].<ref name="Bravado">''[[Assassin's Creed: Rogue]]'' – [[Bravado]]</ref> | ||
Shay also used his [[ship]] ''[[Morrigan]]'', a heavily modified {{Wiki|sloop-of-war}}, to cripple the Assassin navy. Among the ships which fell victim to his actions were Adéwalé's vessel the ''[[Experto Crede]]'',<ref name="Bravado"/> the [[Man O' War]] ''[[Gerfaut]]'' captained by Chevalier de la Vérendrye,<ref name="ColdFire"/> and the Assassins' flagship ''[[Storm Fortress]]''.<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed: Rogue]]'' – [[The Storm Fortress]]</ref> Shay also eliminated seven Assassin-allied gangs within [[New York City]], liberated many forts in the [[River Valley]] and along the Atlantic coast, intercepted a number of [[assassination contract]]s, and killed any [[stalker]]s sent after him personally, weakening the Assassin presence further.<ref name="ACRG"/> | |||
[[File:Non Nobis Domine 18.png|thumb|250px|Haytham and Shay sparing Achilles' life]] | |||
In 1760, following a battle at a [[Arctic Temple|Precursor vault]] in the [[Arctic Ocean|Arctic]], the Brotherhood's leadership was broken. The Assassin [[Liam O'Brien]] was killed and Haytham crippled Achilles. Thereafter, the Brotherhood's influence in the Colonies was severely diminished and they were left on the brink of destruction, while the Templars' power continued to grow. Confident that he was no longer a threat, the Templars spared Achilles' life on the condition that the Assassins stop searching for [[Isu]] [[Temple (Isu)|Temples]].<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed: Rogue]]'' – [[Non Nobis Domine]]</ref> | |||
===Final assault=== | |||
In 1763,<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed III]]'' – [[Database: Achilles Davenport]]</ref> three years after the Assassins' defeat in the Arctic, the Templars launched their final attack on the [[Davenport Homestead]], killing all of the remaining Assassins save for Achilles<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed III]]'' – [[Database: Davenport Homestead]]</ref> and [[Robert Faulkner]].<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed III]]'' – [[Database: Robert Faulkner]]</ref> Convinced that the lone Mentor no longer posed any threat, the Templars spared Achilles' life again, this time on the condition that he give up life as an Assassin. | |||
However, some other Assassins like [[Benjamin Tallmadge, Sr.]] and [[Lawrence Cato]] survived by going into hiding.<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed III]]'' – [[Something on the Side]]</ref><ref>''[[Assassin's Creed: Nexus VR]]'' – [[A Greater Cause]]</ref> The [[Parisian Brotherhood of Assassins|French Assassin]] [[Pierre Bellec]], who was training in the colonies at the time, left for [[France]] before the Templars could claim his life.<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed: Unity]]'' – [[Database: Pierre Bellec]]</ref> Nevertheless, the ruthless acts ordered by Haytham during the purge had a lasting effect on Bellec, who later claimed to his [[Assassin apprentice|apprentice]] [[Arno Dorian]] that he had seen Templars "put entire villages to the [[sword]], just for the chance of killing one Assassin".<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed: Unity]]'' – [[Confrontation]]</ref> These experiences deepened his hatred for the Templars and made him resistant to the very idea of truces proposed by his Mentor [[Honoré Gabriel Riqueti, comte de Mirabeau|Mirabeau]]<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed: Unity]]'' – [[Graduation (Unity)|Graduation]]</ref> or Arno.<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed: Unity]]'' – [[A Cautious Alliance]]</ref> | |||
[[File:ACIII-BoorishMan 3.png|thumb|250px|left|Achilles in self-imposed exile]] | |||
A depressed and embittered Achilles spent the next six years in isolation at his manor, allowing it to fall into disrepair. It was not until the arrival of Haytham's son [[Ratonhnhaké:ton]] in 1769 that the Colonial Brotherhood would rise from the ashes.<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed III]]'' – [[A Boorish Man]]</ref> Under Achilles' training, Ratonhnhaké:ton would go on to exterminate most of the Colonial Templars and rebuild the Colonial Brotherhood during the American Revolutionary War.<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed III]]''</ref> | |||
== | ==Behind the scenes== | ||
The Great Purge is an event that was first indirectly mentioned in the 2012 video game ''[[Assassin's Creed III]]'', occurring off-screen during the time skip from players controlling Haytham Kenway in 1755 to playing as a young Ratonhnhaké:ton in 1769. Further vague details are provided by the Assassin historian [[Shaun Hastings]] in some of the [[database]] entries, but the purge would not be depicted until the 2014 video game ''[[Assassin's Creed: Rogue]]'', where it serves as the main focus for the latter half of the story. | |||
Even then, the purge's final stages are not shown due to Shay Cormac leaving for Europe in 1760, and it would not be named until the release of the 2017 French artbook ''[[Assassin's Creed: Infographics]]'', which reuses the name of the 2000 global Assassin purge depicted in the 2010–2011 [[Ubiworkshop]] comic ''[[Assassin's Creed: The Fall]]''. | |||
Although ''Assassin's Creed: Rogue'' shows Haytham as being the one to cripple Achilles Davenport, in the 2016 novel ''[[Assassin's Creed: Last Descendants]]'' by [[Matthew J. Kirby]], the Brotherhood believed the culprit to be Shay. During the [[New York City draft riots]], the Assassin [[Varius]] sought revenge on Shay's family for this reason and attempted to kill Shay's grandson [[Cudgel Cormac]].<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed: Last Descendants]]'' – Chapter 12</ref> | |||
==Appearances== | |||
*''[[Assassin's Creed III]]'' {{1stm}} {{Imo}} | |||
*''[[Assassin's Creed: Forsaken]]'' {{Mo}} | |||
*''[[Assassin's Creed: Rogue]]'' {{1st}} | |||
*''[[Assassin's Creed: Unity]]'' {{Mo}} | |||
*''[[Assassin's Creed: Templars]]'' {{Imo}} | |||
*''[[Assassin's Creed: Last Descendants]]'' {{Mo}} | |||
*''[[Assassin's Creed: Rebellion]]'' {{Imo}} | |||
*''[[Assassin's Creed: Nexus VR]]'' {{Imo}} | |||
==References== | ==References== | ||
{{Reflist}} | {{Scroll box|content={{Reflist}}}} | ||
{{Timeline}} | {{Timeline}} | ||
{{ACRG}} | |||
<!--[fr:Purge des Assassins coloniaux]--> | |||
[[Category:Timeline]] | |||
[[Category:Assassin purges]] | [[Category:Assassin purges]] | ||
[[Category:Templar conspiracies]] | |||
[[Category:French and Indian War]] | |||
[[Category:Seven Years' War]] | |||
[[Category:Assassin-Templar War]] | |||
Latest revision as of 15:18, 12 May 2026
The Great Purge[1] (1757–1763) was a full-scale assault by the Colonial Templars under Grand Master Haytham Kenway against the Colonial Assassins in the Thirteen Colonies. With the Templars greatly aided by the Assassin turncoat Shay Cormac, the Colonial Brotherhood was effectively destroyed, reduced to its Mentor Achilles Davenport and a mere handful of surviving members, and would not return to its former strength until almost two decades later during the American Revolutionary War.
History[edit | edit source]
Haytham's arrival[edit | edit source]
Following their founding in 1746,[2] the Colonial Brotherhood under their Mentor Achilles Davenport rapidly expanded their influence. By 1752, they controlled a number of forts and settlements along North America's Atlantic coast and maintained their hold through the use of gangs as enforcers. The Assassins also possessed a network of spies and allies. As such, they were more powerful than the Templars in the area.[3]
From 1752 to 1754, the high-ranking Templars Lawrence Washington,[4] Samuel Smith,[5] and James Wardrop[6] were assassinated by the young Assassin Shay Cormac after they stole the Precursor box and Voynich manuscript from the local Assassinsd in Saint-Domingue following the 1751 Port-au-Prince earthquake.[7] This left the Templars in the colonies weakened and leaderless while Assassin influence thrived.[6]
In 1754, Haytham Kenway arrived in the Americas[8] and established a Colonial Rite independent from the British Templars as its first Grand Master.[9] The nascent Templars quickly came into conflict with the well-established Assassins. Beginning as a proxy war between the Templars and mercenaries recruited by the Assassins, the conflict escalated when the two factions sided with opposing European powers during the Seven Years' War.[3]
Turning the tide[edit | edit source]
From 1757 onward, a disillusioned Shay Cormac, having left the Assassins, helped the Templars track down and kill several of his former comrades, including the high-ranking Assassins Kesegowaase,[10] Hope Jensen,[11] and Chevalier de la Vérendrye.[12] In addition to his former brethren, Shay also eliminated Adéwalé, a legendary member of the Caribbean Brotherhood.[13]
Shay also used his ship Morrigan, a heavily modified sloop-of-war, to cripple the Assassin navy. Among the ships which fell victim to his actions were Adéwalé's vessel the Experto Crede,[13] the Man O' War Gerfaut captained by Chevalier de la Vérendrye,[12] and the Assassins' flagship Storm Fortress.[14] Shay also eliminated seven Assassin-allied gangs within New York City, liberated many forts in the River Valley and along the Atlantic coast, intercepted a number of assassination contracts, and killed any stalkers sent after him personally, weakening the Assassin presence further.[3]
In 1760, following a battle at a Precursor vault in the Arctic, the Brotherhood's leadership was broken. The Assassin Liam O'Brien was killed and Haytham crippled Achilles. Thereafter, the Brotherhood's influence in the Colonies was severely diminished and they were left on the brink of destruction, while the Templars' power continued to grow. Confident that he was no longer a threat, the Templars spared Achilles' life on the condition that the Assassins stop searching for Isu Temples.[15]
Final assault[edit | edit source]
In 1763,[16] three years after the Assassins' defeat in the Arctic, the Templars launched their final attack on the Davenport Homestead, killing all of the remaining Assassins save for Achilles[17] and Robert Faulkner.[18] Convinced that the lone Mentor no longer posed any threat, the Templars spared Achilles' life again, this time on the condition that he give up life as an Assassin.
However, some other Assassins like Benjamin Tallmadge, Sr. and Lawrence Cato survived by going into hiding.[19][20] The French Assassin Pierre Bellec, who was training in the colonies at the time, left for France before the Templars could claim his life.[21] Nevertheless, the ruthless acts ordered by Haytham during the purge had a lasting effect on Bellec, who later claimed to his apprentice Arno Dorian that he had seen Templars "put entire villages to the sword, just for the chance of killing one Assassin".[22] These experiences deepened his hatred for the Templars and made him resistant to the very idea of truces proposed by his Mentor Mirabeau[23] or Arno.[24]
A depressed and embittered Achilles spent the next six years in isolation at his manor, allowing it to fall into disrepair. It was not until the arrival of Haytham's son Ratonhnhaké:ton in 1769 that the Colonial Brotherhood would rise from the ashes.[25] Under Achilles' training, Ratonhnhaké:ton would go on to exterminate most of the Colonial Templars and rebuild the Colonial Brotherhood during the American Revolutionary War.[26]
Behind the scenes[edit | edit source]
The Great Purge is an event that was first indirectly mentioned in the 2012 video game Assassin's Creed III, occurring off-screen during the time skip from players controlling Haytham Kenway in 1755 to playing as a young Ratonhnhaké:ton in 1769. Further vague details are provided by the Assassin historian Shaun Hastings in some of the database entries, but the purge would not be depicted until the 2014 video game Assassin's Creed: Rogue, where it serves as the main focus for the latter half of the story.
Even then, the purge's final stages are not shown due to Shay Cormac leaving for Europe in 1760, and it would not be named until the release of the 2017 French artbook Assassin's Creed: Infographics, which reuses the name of the 2000 global Assassin purge depicted in the 2010–2011 Ubiworkshop comic Assassin's Creed: The Fall.
Although Assassin's Creed: Rogue shows Haytham as being the one to cripple Achilles Davenport, in the 2016 novel Assassin's Creed: Last Descendants by Matthew J. Kirby, the Brotherhood believed the culprit to be Shay. During the New York City draft riots, the Assassin Varius sought revenge on Shay's family for this reason and attempted to kill Shay's grandson Cudgel Cormac.[27]
Appearances[edit | edit source]
- Assassin's Creed III (first mentioned) (indirect mention only)
- Assassin's Creed: Forsaken (mentioned only)
- Assassin's Creed: Rogue (first appearance)
- Assassin's Creed: Unity (mentioned only)
- Assassin's Creed: Templars (indirect mention only)
- Assassin's Creed: Last Descendants (mentioned only)
- Assassin's Creed: Rebellion (indirect mention only)
- Assassin's Creed: Nexus VR (indirect mention only)
References[edit | edit source]
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