Edward Kenway

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Edward Kenway (unknown - 1735) was a British privateer-turned-pirate, and a member of the Assassin Order. Early in his life, he joined the British Royal Navy, and once accepted, Edward was stationed in the Caribbean. However, the lure of gold, glory and fame eventually seduced him into a life of piracy; it was as a pirate that Edward first encountered the Assassin Order, to which he became enamored with their struggle.

Edward was also the father of Haytham Kenway and the grandfather of Ratonhnhaké:ton; through this line, he was an ancestor of Desmond Miles.

Biography

Edward was a charming and charismatic individual, born to an English father and a Welsh mother. Growing up in poverty, Edward became quite reckless and selfish, and also developed a penchant for drinking.

By the time Edward was in his early teens, his family moved to Bristol in the south-east of England, where he eventually met and married Caroline Scott, a woman two years his senior, and with whom he had a daughter, Jenny Kenway. Although a lively marriage by all accounts, Caroline soon grew tired of Edward's inability to find steady work or take his responsibilities as a husband seriously, though it was Edward's grandiose ideas about sailing as a privateer in the West Indies and earning a fortune in gold that eventually disrupted the marriage.

Following this, Edward pursued his dreams of being a privateer, and in late 1712, he boarded a ship and chartered for Jamaica to sail with the renowned privateer, Benjamin Hornigold. He remained in Jamaica for six months until the Treaty of Utrecht in early 1713, which effectively ended all conflict between the major empires, and as such, British privateers were no longer needed or indeed tolerated in the West Indies, causing Edward to find himself out of work. By 1715, Edward had already been a sailor for 2 years.

Some time afterwards, Edward wed his second wife, Tessa Stephenson-Oakley. Through Tessa's family connections, she had assisted him in purchasing a manor in Queen Anne's Square in London, and the two had a son, Haytham, in 1725. Edward trained Haytham to become an Assassin from an early age, through things such as swordsmanship tutelage, despite Haytham barely being six years old at the time. Edward would also encourage his son to think for himself, and dispute others' opinions.

On December 4, 1733, on Haytham's eighth birthday, the Kenway family was walking home from a trip to White's Chocolate House on Chesterfield Street, when the group was attacked by a mugger. Reginald Birch, an associate of Edward's who also accompanied them, threatened to kill the man, whose attempt to rob Tessa of her necklace had failed. However, he was dissuaded by Edward, who was infuriated at Reginald's harsh vigilantism. When the family returned home that night, Edward asked his son whether he thought that the thief should have been allowed to go free. Haytham replied that he had initially held feelings to enact revenge, but would have offered the man clemency, to which Edward presented Haytham with a steel short sword.

During another of Birch's visits, the two men engaged in a loud argument some time after Reginald had Haytham unknowingly reveal the location of Edward's most prized and hidden possessions. This argument ended with Birch storming out of the office.

On 3 December 1735, the Kenway household was infiltrated by masked men, who kidnapped his daughter, Jenny, and killed several of the servants. During this time, two of the assailants cornered Edward in the games room, and after a prolonged fight, the men managed to kill the Assassin, with one of them impaling Edward through the chest with his sword.

Trivia

• At some point in Haytham's childhood, Edward took him to see The Beggar's Opera at the Theatre Royal in London.
• During his time as a privateer, Edward has been shown to have had at least four flintlock pistols and two swords on him at one given time.
• "Edward" means "rich guard", derived from the Old English elements ead "rich, blessed" and weard "guard."
• "Kenway" is an Old English name meaning "brave royal fighter."
• Unlike many known Assassins, Edward did not wear a beaked hood.
• Edward has been shown to bear multiple facial scars: one through his right eyebrow and the corner of his eye, another across the bridge of his nose, and a third from his right ear through his cheek.
  • However, unlike other Assassins such as Desmond Miles, Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad, Ezio Auditore da Firenze and Aveline de Grandpré, Edward did not possess a scar across his lip, much like his son, Haytham, and his grandson, Ratonhnhaké:ton, who too did not possess scars on their lips.
  • Edward is the only playable blonde character in the series. He is also the only appearing blonde besides Lucy Stillman and Subject 16.
  • Edward is also the first main character in the series to feature blue eyes.

Gallery

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  Edward aboard the Jackdaw as a whale breaches the water ahead.
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  Edward searching for treasure underwater.
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  Edward holding his two cutlasses.
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  Edward gazing over at some Mayan ruins.
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  Edward in combat, wielding dual pistols.
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  Edward boarding an enemy vessel.
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  Edward alongside Blackbeard.
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  Edward assassinating a British soldier.
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  Edward walking from amongst the water, with a slain British soldier on the sand.