Great Purge (1757-1763)

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.

"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 1763 attack, 2012.

The 1763 Colonial Assassin purge was a full-scale assault on the Assassin Brotherhood in the Thirteen Colonies by the Colonial Rite of the Templar Order, led by Grand Master Haytham Kenway.

History

Haytham's arrival

Before Haytham arrived in the colonies, and under the rule of the Mentor Achilles Davenport, the Colonial Assassins controled the Atlantic coast of North America with the aid of gangs, controling a number of forts and settlements. The Assassins also possessed an established network of spies and allies. As such, they were the dominant faction of the two in the colonies, able to eliminate attempts of Templar plots. One such event occured in 1752, when Lawrence Washington, Samuel Smith, and James Wardrop were assassinated after stealing the Precursor box and Voynich manuscript from the Assassins in Haiti, following an earthquake a year prior.

In 1754, following Haytham's arrival in the New World, and the creation of an independant Colonial Rite, the Templars and their new Grand Master quickly came into conflict with the already established branch of Assassins. Beginning as a proxy war between the Templars and mercenaries recruited by the Assassins, the conflict escalated as the two factions sided with the opposing European powers during the Seven Years' War.

Turning the tide

From 1757 onward, Shay Cormac, a former Assassin, helped the Templars track down and kill several of his former comrades, including the high ranking Assassins Kesegowaase, Hope Jensen, and Chevalier de la Vérendrye. In addition to his former colonial brothers, Shay also eliminated Adéwalé, a member of the Caribbean branch of the Assassin Brotherhood.

Shay also used his ship, the Morrigan, to cripple the Assassin navy. Among the ships which fell victim to his actions were Adéwalé's vessel, the Experto Crede, and the Gerfaut captained by Chevalier de la Vérendrye. Shay also managed to sink the Storm Fortress, the flagship of the Assassin navy.

Furthermore, Shay also eliminated seven Assassin-allied gangs in New York, liberated several forts in the River Valley and along the Atlantic coast, intercepted several Assassins during their missions, and killed a number of stalkers sent after him personally, weakening the Assassin presence further.

In 1760, after the battle at the Precursor Temple in the Arctic, the conflict turned in favor of the Templars. With the death of Liam O'Brien and Achilles crippled after a duel with Haytham, the Brotherhood had been brought to the point of destruction. However, the Templars spared Achilles' life, on the condition that the Assassins would stop looking for the First Civilization sites.

Final assault

Six years after Shay's defection, the Templars launched their final attack on the Davenport Homestead, killing all the remaining Assassins, with the exception of Achilles. Convinced that the lone Mentor no longer posed any threat, the Templars spared Achilles' life once again, this time on the condition that he gave up his life as an Assassin.

However, some Assassins survived the purge, such as Benjamin Tallmadge who went into hiding, or Pierre Bellec who was training in the colonies, but left for France shortly before the attack happened. After having spent six years in isolation at the manor until the arrival of Haytham's son, Ratonhnhaké:ton, Achilles decided to train the boy, beginning to rebuild the Colonial Brotherhood.

References

• Assassin's Creed III
• Assassin's Creed: Rogue