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imported>ACsenior
Removing local, the Grand Master page already explains the regional and goes as far as explaining their international relations, maybe I`ll create an Abstergo section instead given lack of Grand Master sources on the topic.
imported>Gener4l Cl4ank4
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{{Stub}}
{{Era|Organizations|Templars|Abstergo}}
{{Era|Organizations|Templars|Abstergo}}
{{Dialogue2|Manuel|I should have been Constantine's successor. I had so many plans.|Ezio|Your dream dies with you, Manuel. Your empire is gone.|Ah, but I am not the only one with this vision, Assassin. The dream of our Order is universal. Ottoman, Byzantine... these are only labels. Costumes and facades. Beneath these trappings, all Templars are part of the same family.|[[Manuel Palaiologos]] talking to [[Ezio Auditore da Firenze|Ezio Auditore]] about the universality of Templars, 1512.|Assassin's Creed: Revelations|Last of the Palaiologi}}
{{Dialogue2|Manuel|I should have been Constantine's successor. I had so many plans.|Ezio|Your dream dies with you, Manuel. Your empire is gone.|Ah, but I am not the only one with this vision, Assassin. The dream of our Order is universal. Ottoman, Byzantine... these are only labels. Costumes and facades. Beneath these trappings, all Templars are part of the same family.|[[Manuel Palaiologos]] talking to [[Ezio Auditore da Firenze|Ezio Auditore]] about the universality of Templars, 1512.|Assassin's Creed: Revelations|Last of the Palaiologi}}
{{Faction Infobox
{{Faction Infobox
|image = Castel Sant Angelo 1.png
|image = Castel Sant Angelo 1.png
|leader = [[Inner Sanctum of the Templar Order|Inner Sanctum]] {{c|c. 17th century – Present}}<br>[[Black Cross]] {{c|? -1927/2016 – Present}}
||leader = [[Grand Master of the Templar Order|Grand Master]]<br>[[Templar leader]]  
|locations =  
|locations = Regional {{c|c. 878 – present}}
Regional {{c|c. 878 – present}}
Worldwide {{c|c. 17th century – present}}
Worldwide {{c|c. 17th century – present}}
|related =  
|parent = [[Inner Sanctum of the Templar Order|Inner Sanctum]] {{c|c. 17th century – present}}<br>[[Black Cross]] {{c|? -1927/2016 – present}}
|formed =
|collapsed =
|reorganized = 
|notable =
}}
}}
A '''Templar Rite''', otherwise known as a '''Rite of the Templar Order''' and collectively known as the '''Outer Temple of the Templar Order''', is a regional, usually country-specific branch of the [[Templars]] and collectively a separate governing structure from the [[Inner Sanctum of the Templar Order|Inner Sanctum]]. As the Order spread across the globe, Rites were established in virtually every country. All Rites are led by a single [[Grand Master of the Templar Order|Grand Master]] or, in the absence of one, a [[Master Templar]].<ref name="TEG">''[[Assassin's Creed: The Essential Guide]]'' - ''Chapter 5'' </ref>
A '''Templar Rite''', otherwise known as a '''Rite of the Templar Order''' and collectively known as the '''Outer Temple of the Templar Order''', is a regional, usually country-specific branch of the [[Templars]] and collectively a separate governing structure from the [[Inner Sanctum of the Templar Order|Inner Sanctum]]. As the Order spread across the globe, Rites were established in virtually every country. All Rites are led by a single [[Grand Master of the Templar Order|Grand Master]] or, in the absence of one, a [[Master Templar]].<ref name="TEG">''[[Assassin's Creed: The Essential Guide]]'' – Chapter 5 </ref>


The regional administration of a Rite mirrors that of its [[Assassin Guild|counterpart]] in the [[Assassins|Assassin Order]], with [[Templar leader|Rite leaders]] being the supreme authority of the branch and overseeing all of the Rite's activities from a main headquarters, while their subodrinates typically operate in an assigned district or administritative division. These subodrinates are directly answerable to the Rite's leader and oversee the Templar facilities in their assigned district to ensure the Order can efficiently maintain control over the local population. Over the centuries, these facilities have varied from [[Borgia tower|towers]], [[Assassin Den|dens]] taken from the Assassins, [[Gang|gang]] [[Gang headquarters|headquarters]], and even public and military offices.
The regional administration of a Rite mirrors that of its [[Assassin Guild|counterpart]] in the [[Assassins|Assassin Order]], with [[Templar leader|Rite leaders]] being the supreme authority of the branch and overseeing all of the Rite's activities from a main headquarters, while their subodrinates typically operate in an assigned district or administritative division. These subodrinates are directly answerable to the Rite's leader and oversee the Templar facilities in their assigned district to ensure the Order can efficiently maintain control over the local population. Over the centuries, these facilities have varied from [[Borgia tower|towers]], [[Assassin Den|dens]] taken from the Assassins, [[Gang|gang]] [[Gang headquarters|headquarters]], and even public and military offices.
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==Structure==
==Structure==
===Founding===
===Founding===
In the the [[United States|Thirteen Colonies]], [[James Wardrop]] main role in the Order was to secure land and wealth, slowly and surely to build up the foundation for the [[American Rite of the Templar Order|Colonial Rite]]<ref name="Wardrop">''[[Assassin's Creed: Rogue]]'' – [[Database: James Wardrop]]</ref> After [[Lawrence Washington]] returned as Master Templar,<ref name="LW">''[[Assassin's Creed: Rogue]]'' – [[War Letters|: "Lawrence of America"]]</ref> Wardrop began to build a trade network that ran from the American colonies to the [[Caribbean|West Indies]].<ref name="Wardrop"/> By 1746, Washington had recruited [[Christopher Gist]] while discussing one or a series of companies to double as a communications network and Gist was tasked to expand the network by recruiting [[William Johnson]] into the Order. Johnson, who had been appointed Colonel of the Warriors of the [[Iroquois|Six Nations]], used his relations with the [[Kanien'kehá:ka]] to help the Templars build an infrastructure in the colonies.<ref name="LW2">''[[Assassin's Creed: Rogue]]'' – [[War Letters|: "Front Company"]]</ref> A year later, Lawrence began working with his father-in-law and other prominent businessmen, and created the {{Wiki|Ohio Company}}, opening trade to the interior of the American continent.<ref name="LW-D">''[[Assassin's Creed: Rogue]]'' – [[Database: Lawrence Washington]]</ref> Around this period, he hired [[Samuel Smith]] as the treasurer of one his businesses, and the Colonial Templars by extension.<ref>''Assassin's Creed: Rogue'' – [[Database: Samuel Smith]]</ref>  
{{Quote|We need to redouble our efforts and expand our order, and establish a permanent base here. Although the site eludes us, I am confident we will find it.|Haytham Kenway discussing the establishemnt of a permanent Templar presence in the Thirteen Colonies, 1755.|Assassin's Creed III|The Braddock Expedition (memory)}}
In 1750, Lawrence received another letter from Birch, who transferred his agent, [[George Monro]], to the colonies in order to assist him duo the former's lack of progress in discovering Precursor artifacts and sites, as well as the founding of a new [[American Brotherhood of Assassins|Colonial Brotherhood]] of [[Assassins]].<ref>''Assassin's Creed: Rogue'' – War Letters: "Monro"</ref>
[[File:ACV The Poor Fellow-Soldier 12.png|thumb|250px|left|Alfred the Great laying the foundations of the Templar Order]]
The establishment of a Templar Rite varies from region to region. The oldest organized Templar branch is the [[British Rite of the Templar Order|British Rite]], which was founded around 878 CE by King [[Alfred the Great|Alfred]] of [[Wessex]] following the destruction of the [[Order of the Ancients]]. Seeking to reform the Order into an organization that more closely followed his [[Christianity|Christian]] beliefs, Alfred slowly built it up over the next several years by recruiting members from all walks of life and of all religions, who were united by a common desire to seek the betterment of [[human]]ity through the establishment of a [[New World Order]].<ref name="Poor Fellow Soldier">''[[Assassin's Creed: Valhalla]]'' – [[The Poor Fellow-Soldier]]</ref>
 
While Alfred's new Order adopted the name of the Templars by the late 10th century and spread its influence across [[Europe]],<ref name="SHastings">''[[Assassin's Creed: Valhalla]]'' – [[Layla Hassan's personal files]]: "Session Report: SHastings"</ref> it is unknown at which exact moment in time the individual Rites began to take shape. During the public era of the organization between the 12th and 14th centuries, the Templars took advantage of the [[Crusades]] to spread their reach to [[Asia]], beginning with the [[Levant]], where the [[Levantine Rite of the Templar Order|Levantine Rite]] was established by the late 12th century.<ref name="AC">''[[Assassin's Creed]]''</ref>
 
[[File:Siege of Masyaf Templars.png|thumb|250px|Grand Master [[Robert de Sablé]] leading the Knights Templar]]
Posing as a knightly order with headquarters in both [[Jerusalem]]<ref name="AC"/> and on [[Cyprus]],<ref name="Bloodlines">''[[Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines]]''</ref> the Levantine Rite secretly comprised both [[Crusaders]] and [[Saracens]] and was led by a Grand Master, whose primary goal was acquiring an [[Apple of Eden 2|Apple of Eden]] that would allow the Templars to realize their vision of a New World Order by brainwashing all of humanity. However, their efforts were opposed by the [[Levantine Brotherhood of Assassins|Levantine Assassins]],<ref name="AC"/> eventually resulting in the Order losing their influence in the Levant by the early 13th century.<ref name="ACR">''[[Assassin's Creed: Revelations]]''</ref>
 
In 1241, the [[Mongolian Rite of the Templar Order|Mongolian Rite]] was established by [[Möngke Khan]], future ruler of the [[Mongol Empire]], after he learned about and came to embrace the Templar ideals thanks to a knight captured during the [[Battle of Legnica]]. After Möngke became Great Khan of the Mongol Empire a decade later, he began recruiting members of the imperial guard, the Kheshigs, into the Mongolian Rite.<ref name="Tomb of the Khan">''[[Assassin's Creed: Last Descendants – Tomb of the Khan]]''</ref>
 
When the Templars were driven underground following their [[Persecution of the Templars|public persecution]] in the early 14th century,<ref name="TheTragedy">''[[Assassin's Creed: Unity]]'' – [[The Tragedy of Jacques de Molay]]</ref> Rites became the main organizatory form of the Order as it continued to conduct its operations in secret. The [[Renaissance]] period saw the rise of numerous country-specific Rites, most prominently the [[Roman Rite of the Templar Order|Roman Rite]] in [[Italy]] led by the [[House of Borgia]],<ref name="AC2">''[[Assassin's Creed II]]''</ref> and the [[Byzantine Rite of the Templar Order|Byzantine Rite]] in the [[Byzantine Empire|Byzantine]] and later the [[Ottoman Empire]].<ref name="ACR"/> However, in the late 15th and early 16th centuries, the Roman Rite became corrupted by the actions of two of its Grand Masters, [[Rodrigo Borgia]] and his son [[Cesare Borgia|Cesare]], who were more interested in accumlating power than furthering the Templar cause; this caused future generations of Templars to look down on the Borgia's rule over the Roman Rite, regarding it as the "Dark Age of the Order".<ref name="Encyclopedia">''[[Assassin's Creed Encyclopedia]]''</ref>
 
[[File:Cappadocia-inside.png|thumb|250px|left|Derinkuyu, the hideout of the Byzantine Templars]]
Meanwhile, the Byzantine Rite was met with a streak of defeats, beginning with the 1453 [[Fall of Constantinople|conquest]] of [[Constantinople]] by the Ottomans, which forced the Templars to abandon the city and establish a secret base of operations in [[Derinkuyu]], [[Cappadocia]]. Following the Roman Rite's defeat by the [[Italian Brotherhood of Assassins|Italian Assassins]] in the early 16th century, the Byzantine Templars became the foremost Rite in Europe and plotted to restore their former power, but faced opposition from both the [[Ottoman Brotherhood of Assassins|Ottoman Assassins]] and [[Ezio Auditore da Firenze]], the [[Mentor]] of the Italian Brotherhood, culminating the Byzantine Rite's destruction by 1512.<ref name="ACR"/>
 
In the mid-16th century, a number of European Templars, including [[Francis Xavier]], [[Alessandro Valignano]], [[Gaspar Vilela]] and others, took an uninterest in the largely unexplored regions of the world, primarily [[Japan]]. Posing as [[Jesuits|Jesuit]] missionaries, these Templars cultivated alliances with the local warlords and clans and used them to spread the Templar ideology in the country, laying the foundations of the [[Japanese Rite of the Templar Order|Japanese Rite]].<ref name="ACM">''[[Assassin's Creed: Memories]]''</ref>
 
[[File:Mister Walpole I Presume 9.png|thumb|250px|Laureano Torres with his fellow Caribbean Templars]]
In the late 17th century, the [[West Indies Rite of the Templar Order|West Indies Rite]] was established by [[Laureano de Torres y Ayala]], a [[Spanish Rite of the Templar Order|Spanish Templar]] and Governor of [[Cuba]], who had been tasked by the [[Council of Elders]] to locate the [[Observatory (Isu)|Observatory]], an [[Isu]] surveillance facility hidden in the [[Caribbean]].<ref name="Mister Walpole">''[[Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag]]'' – [[Mister Walpole, I Presume?]]</ref> Over the course of nearly five decades, Torres recruited numerous allies to help him in his search, as well as restore order to the Caribbean amidst the [[Golden Age of Piracy]]. However, their efforts were undone in the early 18th century by the [[West Indies Brotherhood of Assassins|West Indies Assassins]], in particular [[Edward Kenway]], who eliminated most of the West Indies Rite's high-ranking members,<ref name="AC4">''[[Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag]]''</ref> leading to the branch's collapse by 1722.<ref name="Splinter">''[[Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag]]'' – [[Ever a Splinter]]</ref>
 
The mid-18th century saw the formation of two new Templar Rites: the [[Louisiana Rite of the Templar Order|Louisiana Rite]] and the [[American Rite of the Templar Order|Colonial Rite]]. The former was established in the 1750s by [[Madeleine de L'Isle]] at the behest of the [[Parisian Rite of the Templar Order|Parisian Rite]],<ref name="Audition">''[[Assassin's Creed: Rogue]]'' – [[War Letters]]: "Audition"</ref> and was the main Templar branch operating in southern [[North America]], primarily in [[New Orleans]] and [[Chichen Itza]], where Madeleine had set up an excavation to locate an Isu artifact known as the [[Prophecy Disk]]. However, this Rite would be completely dismantled by 1777 through the actions of the [[Louisiana Brotherhood of Assassins|Louisianan Assassin]] [[Aveline de Grandpré]], Madeleine's stepdaughter.<ref name="AC3L">''[[Assassin's Creed III: Liberation]]''</ref>
 
[[File:By Invitation Only 6.png|thumb|250px|left|Lawrence Washington meeting with his associates at [[Mount Vernon]]]]
Meanwhile, the Colonial Rite was established over the course of multiple years, beginning in 1738, when [[Lawrence Washington]] was sent to the [[United States|Thirteen Colonies]] by [[Reginald Birch]], Grand Master of the British Rite, to locate the fabled [[Grand Temple]].<ref name="LW">''[[Assassin's Creed: Rogue]]'' – [[War Letters]]: "Lawrence of America"</ref> By the 1750s, Washington had recruited numerous allies, many of whom were inducted into the Templar Order, including [[Christopher Gist]], [[William Johnson]], [[Samuel Smith]] and [[James Wardrop]], and laid the foundations of a Templar network in the New World, though he came no closer to his main objective of finding the Grand Temple.<ref name="Monro">''[[Assassin's Creed: Rogue]]'' – [[War Letters]]: "Monro"</ref>
 
Following Washington's assassination by the [[American Brotherhood of Assassins|Colonial Assassins]] in 1752, Wardrop replaced him as ''de facto'' leader of the Templars in the Thirteen Colonies<ref name="We the People">''[[Assassin's Creed: Rogue]]'' – [[We the People]]</ref> while Birch assigned the task of the Grand Temple's discovery to [[Haytham Kenway]].<ref name="A Deadly Performance">''[[Assassin's Creed III]]'' – [[A Deadly Performance]]</ref> Arriving in the colonies in 1754, Haytham continued Washington and Wardrop's work and officially founded the Colonial Rite as its first Grand Master,<ref name="AC3">''[[Assassin's Creed III]]''</ref> leading it for almost three decades, until his death in 1781 at the hands of his Assassin son, [[Ratonhnhaké:ton]].<ref name="Lee's Last Stand">''[[Assassin's Creed III]]'' – [[Lee's Last Stand]]</ref> Shortly after Haytham's death, the Colonial Rite collapsed due to Ratonhnhaké:ton's actions,<ref name="AC3"/> though it would reform itself several years later as the American Rite, continuing to operate in the newly-established [[United States]].<ref name="Unity novel">[[Assassin's Creed: Unity (novel)|''Assassin's Creed: Unity'' novel]]</ref>


===Authority===
===Authority===
{{Main|Grand Master of the Templar Order}}
{{Main|Grand Master of the Templar Order}}
{{Main|Master Templar}}
{{Main|Master Templar}}
{{Dialogue|Rodrigo|Enough with your inane prattle! The choice of Doge was never up to any of you, and you were never given permission to make plans.|Marco|Forgive us, Maestro. We wish only to serve.|Rodrigo and Marco on the plan of the Roman Rite.|Assassin's Creed II|Birds of a Feather}}
{{Dialogue|Rodrigo|Enough with your inane prattle! The choice of Doge was never up to any of you, and you were never given permission to make plans.|Marco|Forgive us, Maestro. We wish only to serve.|Rodrigo Borgia and [[Marco Barbarigo]], on the plans of the Roman Rite, 1485.|Assassin's Creed II|Birds of a Feather}}
A Grand Master controls a specific geographic region and their Rite is named after it.<ref name="TEG"/> Under their leadership was the ability to appoint a [[Lieutenant of the Templar Order|Lieutenant]] as their second-in-command.<ref name="P307-324">[[Assassin's Creed: Unity (novel)|''Assassin's Creed: Unity'' (novel)]] – 5 October 1789</ref><ref>''Assassin's Creed: Unity'' – [[A Cautious Alliance]]</ref> Despite holding the highest attainable rank within their Rite, a Grand Master is not all-powerful and is dependent on the support of their fellow Templars and other Rites around the world. Nevertheless, their duties are essential to the proper functioning of the Templar Order as a whole, so Grand Masters may elect to have bodyguards to protect them at all times, as were the cases with [[Frederick Weatherall]] for the [[de la Serre family]],<ref name="ACUN">''[[Assassin's Creed: Unity (novel)]]''</ref> and [[El Tiburón]] for [[Laureano de Torres y Ayala]].<ref name="AC4BF">''[[Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag]]''</ref> With the Grand Master themselves being the ruling authority for their own Rite's plans, all members required their superior's approval to enact any changes.<ref name="authority">''[[Assassin's Creed II]]'' - [[Birds of a Feather]]</ref><ref name="Kenway">''[[Assassin's Creed III]]'' – [[The Braddock Expedition (memory)]]</ref><ref>''[[Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag]]'' – [[Mister Walpole, I Presume?]]</ref>
A Grand Master controls a specific geographic region and their Rite is named after it.<ref name="TEG"/> Under their leadership was the ability to appoint a [[Lieutenant of the Templar Order|Lieutenant]] as their second-in-command,<ref name="P307-324">[[Assassin's Creed: Unity (novel)|''Assassin's Creed: Unity'' (novel)]] – 5 October 1789</ref><ref>''[[Assassin's Creed: Unity]]'' – [[A Cautious Alliance]]</ref> as well as promote any Templar serving under them through the Order's ranks, up to and including the position of [[Master Templar]].<ref name="ACT"/> In the absence of a Grand Master, a Master Templar holds the authority to oversee a Rite as its ''de facto'' leader on behalf of another Rite's Grand Master.<ref name="TEG"/>
 
Despite holding the highest attainable rank within their Rite, a Grand Master is not all-powerful and is dependent on the support of their fellow Templars and other Rites around the world. Nevertheless, their duties are essential to the proper functioning of the Templar Order as a whole, so Grand Masters may elect to have bodyguards to protect them at all times, as were the cases with [[Frederick Weatherall]] for the [[de la Serre family]],<ref name="ACUN">''[[Assassin's Creed: Unity (novel)]]''</ref> and [[El Tiburón]] for Laureano de Torres y Ayala.<ref name="AC4BF">''[[Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag]]''</ref> With the Grand Master themselves being the ruling authority for their own Rite's plans, all members required their superior's approval to enact any changes.<ref name="Birds of a Feather">''[[Assassin's Creed II]]'' – [[Birds of a Feather]]</ref><ref name="The Braddock Expedition">''[[Assassin's Creed III]]'' – [[The Braddock Expedition (memory)]]</ref><ref name="Mister Walpole"/>


====Rite Council====
====Rite Council====
{{Dialogue|Guard|Floyrac, the Council's message was absolute. You're not welcome here.|Floyrac|I must speak with the [[Grand Master of the Templar Order|Grand Master]].|Floyrac and a guard discussing the Council of the Parisian Rite.|Assassin's Creed: Unity|The Tragedy of Jacques de Molay}}
{{Dialogue|Guard|Floyrac, the Council's message was absolute. You're not welcome here.|Floyrac|I must speak with the Grand Master.|[[Esquieu de Floyrac]] and a guard discussing the Council of the Parisian Rite, 1307.|Assassin's Creed: Unity|The Tragedy of Jacques de Molay}}
During the end of the Golden Age of the Templar Order,<ref name="TEG"/><ref name="Encyclopaedia">''[[Assassin's Creed Encyclopedia]]'' - ''Chapter 2''</ref><ref name="File.0.02">''[[Assassin's Creed: Revelations]] – [[Abstergo Files]]:File.0.02\Hst_Beginning''</ref> was the only known Council of a Rite, this Council of the Parisian Rite under the leadership of Grand Master and [[Sage]], [[Jacques de Molay]], were one of his [[Jacques de Molay's advisor|Advisors]] served. Had in a previous session about [[Esquieu de Floyrac]] made an decision to not welcome him in their headquarters, in the [[Temple, Paris|Temple]] in [[Paris]].<ref name="TheTragedy">''Assassin's Creed: Unity'' – [[The Tragedy of Jacques de Molay]]</ref>
During the end of the Golden Age of the Templar Order,<ref name="TEG"/><ref name="Encyclopaedia">''[[Assassin's Creed Encyclopedia]]'' - Chapter 2</ref><ref name="File.0.02">''[[Assassin's Creed: Revelations]] – [[Abstergo Files]]:File.0.02\Hst_Beginning''</ref> the Parisian Rite maintained a ruling Council, which was overseen by Grand Master [[Jacques de Molay]] and included his closest [[Jacques de Molay's advisor|advisor]] among its members. Any decision made by the Council was deemed absolute, such as [[Esquieu de Floyrac]]'s banishment from the Order's headquarters at the [[Temple, Paris|Temple]] in [[Paris]] in 1307.<ref name="Tragedy"/>


====Local====
====Local====
[[File:ACB Borgia Tower.png|thumb|250px|A Borgia Tower in the Campagna district]]
[[File:ACB Borgia Tower.png|thumb|250px|A Borgia Tower in the Campagna district]]
During the [[Renaissance]], in the city of [[Rome]], the Roman Rite had established [[Borgia tower|Borgia towers]] that were [[Fort|fortified]] and lead by [[Borgia captain|Borgia captains]]. These areas were taken by the [[House of Borgia|Borgia family]] for their desirability of the areas and for themselves,<ref name="Borgia control">''Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood'' – [[New Man in Town]]</ref> lead by twelve captains in total and in the districts of [[Centro District]] with [[Iacopo de Grassi]], [[Pietro da Siena]], [[Valentino da Siena]], [[Belardino da Verona]] and [[Domenico da Padova]] as the five captains of the district. <ref>''Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood''</ref> With captain Iacopo de Grassi being the first assassinated by the Assassin [[Ezio Auditore da Firenze]] after his arrival in 1500.<ref name="Borgia control"/>
During the Renaissance, in the city of [[Rome]], the Roman Rite had established [[Borgia tower]]s that were [[Fort|fortified]] and lead by [[Borgia captain|Borgia captains]]. These areas were taken by the [[House of Borgia|Borgia family]] for their desirability of the areas and for themselves,<ref name="New Man in Town">''[[Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood]]'' – [[New Man in Town]]</ref> lead by twelve captains in total and in the districts of [[Centro District]] with [[Iacopo de Grassi]], [[Pietro da Siena]], [[Valentino da Siena]], [[Belardino da Verona]] and [[Domenico da Padova]] as the five captains of the district.<ref name="ACB">''[[Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood]]''</ref> With captain Iacopo de Grassi being the first assassinated by the Assassin [[Ezio Auditore da Firenze]] after his arrival in 1500.<ref name="New Man in Town"/>


In the [[Ottoman Empire]], the [[Byzantine Rite of the Templar Order|Byzantine Rite]] fought over districts in [[Constantinople]] and since 1506 had been growing in numbers from being a small faction.<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed: Revelations]] – [[A Warm Welcome (Revelations)]]</ref>
In the [[Ottoman Empire]], the [[Byzantine Rite of the Templar Order|Byzantine Rite]] fought over districts in [[Constantinople]] and since 1506 had been growing in numbers from being a small faction.<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed: Revelations]] – [[A Warm Welcome (Revelations)]]</ref>
.


==Known Rites==
==Known Rites==
*[[Algerian Rite of the Templar Order|Algerian]] Rite<ref name="Mediterranean Defense">''[[Assassin's Creed: Revelations]] – [[Mediterranean Defense]]</ref>
*[[Algerian Rite of the Templar Order|Algerian]] Rite<ref name="Mediterranean Defense">''[[Assassin's Creed: Revelations]]'' – [[Mediterranean Defense]]</ref>
*[[American Rite of the Templar Order|American]] Rite ''(formerly known as the Colonial Rite)''<ref name="AC3">''[[Assassin's Creed III]]''</ref>
*[[American Rite of the Templar Order|American]] Rite ''(formerly known as the Colonial Rite)''<ref name="AC3"/>
*[[Austrian Rite of the Templar Order|Austrian]] Rite<ref name="Magus Conspiracy">''[[Assassin's Creed: The Engine of History – The Magus Conspiracy]]''</ref>
*[[Austrian Rite of the Templar Order|Austrian]] Rite<ref name="Magus Conspiracy">''[[Assassin's Creed: The Engine of History – The Magus Conspiracy]]''</ref>
*[[British Rite of the Templar Order|British]] Rite<ref name="AC3" />
*[[British Rite of the Templar Order|British]] Rite<ref name="AC3"/>
*[[Canadian Rite of the Templar Order|Canadian]] Rite<ref name="ACRev DYL">''[[Assassin's Creed: Revelations – Discover Your Legacy]]''</ref>
*[[Canadian Rite of the Templar Order|Canadian]] Rite<ref name="ACRev DYL">''[[Assassin's Creed: Revelations – Discover Your Legacy]]''</ref>
*[[Shanghai Rite of the Templar Order|Chinese]] Rite ''(also known as the Shanghai Rite)''<ref name="ACCC">''[[Assassin's Creed Chronicles: China]]</ref><ref name="Templars">''[[Assassin's Creed: Templars]]''</ref>
*[[Shanghai Rite of the Templar Order|Chinese]] Rite ''(also known as the Shanghai Rite)''<ref name="ACCC">''[[Assassin's Creed Chronicles: China]]</ref><ref name="ACT"/>
*[[Egyptian Rite of the Templar Order|Egyptian]] Rite<ref name="Hawk">''[[Assassin's Creed – The Hawk Trilogy]]''</ref>
*[[Egyptian Rite of the Templar Order|Egyptian]] Rite<ref name="Hawk">''[[Assassin's Creed – The Hawk Trilogy]]''</ref>
*[[German Rite of the Templar Order|German]] Rite<ref name="Conspiracies">''[[Assassin's Creed: Conspiracies]]''</ref>
*[[German Rite of the Templar Order|German]] Rite<ref name="Conspiracies">''[[Assassin's Creed: Conspiracies]]''</ref>
*[[Greek Rite of the Templar Order|Greek]] Rite<ref name="Mediterranean Defense" />
*[[Greek Rite of the Templar Order|Greek]] Rite<ref name="Mediterranean Defense" />
*[[Japanese Rite of the Templar Order|Japanese]] Rite<ref name="ACM">''[[Assassin's Creed: Memories]]''</ref>
*[[Japanese Rite of the Templar Order|Japanese]] Rite<ref name="ACM"/>
*[[Levantine Rite of the Templar Order|Levantine]] Rite ''(also known as the Knights Templar)''<ref name="AC">''[[Assassin's Creed]]''</ref>
*[[Levantine Rite of the Templar Order|Levantine]] Rite ''(also known as the Knights Templar)''<ref name="AC"/>
*[[Libyan Rite of the Templar Order|Libyian]] Rite<ref name="Mediterranean Defense" />
*[[Libyan Rite of the Templar Order|Libyian]] Rite<ref name="Mediterranean Defense"/>
*[[Mexican Rite of the Templar Order|Mexican]] Rite<ref name="Assassins">[[Assassin's Creed (Titan Comics)|''Assassin's Creed'' comic]]</ref>
*[[Mexican Rite of the Templar Order|Mexican]] Rite<ref name="Assassins">[[Assassin's Creed (Titan Comics)|''Assassin's Creed'' comic]]</ref>
*[[Mongolian Rite of the Templar Order|Mongolian]] Rite<ref name="Tomb of the Khan">''[[Assassin's Creed: Last Descendants – Tomb of the Khan]]''</ref>
*[[Mongolian Rite of the Templar Order|Mongolian]] Rite<ref name="Tomb of the Khan"/>
*[[Parisian Rite of the Templar Order|Parisian]] Rite<ref name="ACU">''[[Assassin's Creed: Unity]]''</ref>
*[[Parisian Rite of the Templar Order|Parisian]] Rite<ref name="ACU">''[[Assassin's Creed: Unity]]''</ref>
*[[Portuguese Rite of the Templar Order|Portuguese]] Rite<ref name="Mediterranean Defense" />
*[[Portuguese Rite of the Templar Order|Portuguese]] Rite<ref name="Mediterranean Defense"/>
*[[Roman Rite of the Templar Order|Roman]] Rite<ref name="AC2">''[[Assassin's Creed II]]''</ref>
*[[Roman Rite of the Templar Order|Roman]] Rite<ref name="AC2"/>
*[[Russian Rite of the Templar Order|Russian]] Rite<ref name="The Fall">''[[Assassin's Creed: The Fall]]''</ref>
*[[Russian Rite of the Templar Order|Russian]] Rite<ref name="The Fall">''[[Assassin's Creed: The Fall]]''</ref>
*[[Spanish Rite of the Templar Order|Spanish]] Rite<ref name="Movie">[[Assassin's Creed (film)|''Assassin's Creed'' film]]</ref>
*[[Spanish Rite of the Templar Order|Spanish]] Rite<ref name="Movie">[[Assassin's Creed (film)|''Assassin's Creed'' film]]</ref>
*[[Swedish Rite of the Templar Order|Swedish]] Rite<ref name="Fate of the Gods">''[[Assassin's Creed: Last Descendants – Fate of the Gods]]''</ref>
*[[Swedish Rite of the Templar Order|Swedish]] Rite<ref name="Fate of the Gods">''[[Assassin's Creed: Last Descendants – Fate of the Gods]]''</ref>
*[[Tunisian Rite of the Templar Order|Tunisian]] Rite<ref name="Mediterranean Defense" />
*[[Tunisian Rite of the Templar Order|Tunisian]] Rite<ref name="Mediterranean Defense" />
*[[West Indies Rite of the Templar Order|West Indies]] Rite ''(also known as the Caribbean Rite)''<ref name="AC4">''[[Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag]]''</ref>
*[[West Indies Rite of the Templar Order|West Indies]] Rite ''(also known as the Caribbean Rite)''<ref name="AC4"/>


=== Former Rites ===
===Former Rites===
*[[Byzantine Rite of the Templar Order|Byzantine]] Rite<ref name="ACRev">''[[Assassin's Creed: Revelations]]''</ref>
*[[Byzantine Rite of the Templar Order|Byzantine]] Rite<ref name="ACR"/>
*[[Louisiana Rite of the Templar Order|Louisiana]] Rite ''(also known as the Templar Order of New Orleans)''<ref name="AC3L">''[[Assassin's Creed III: Liberation]]''</ref>
*[[Louisiana Rite of the Templar Order|Louisiana]] Rite ''(also known as the Templar Order of New Orleans)''<ref name="AC3L"/>


==Trivia==
==Trivia==

Revision as of 21:29, 8 October 2024

Manuel: "I should have been Constantine's successor. I had so many plans."
Ezio: "Your dream dies with you, Manuel. Your empire is gone."
Manuel: "Ah, but I am not the only one with this vision, Assassin. The dream of our Order is universal. Ottoman, Byzantine... these are only labels. Costumes and facades. Beneath these trappings, all Templars are part of the same family."
—Manuel Palaiologos talking to Ezio Auditore about the universality of Templars, 1512.[src]-[m]

A Templar Rite, otherwise known as a Rite of the Templar Order and collectively known as the Outer Temple of the Templar Order, is a regional, usually country-specific branch of the Templars and collectively a separate governing structure from the Inner Sanctum. As the Order spread across the globe, Rites were established in virtually every country. All Rites are led by a single Grand Master or, in the absence of one, a Master Templar.[1]

The regional administration of a Rite mirrors that of its counterpart in the Assassin Order, with Rite leaders being the supreme authority of the branch and overseeing all of the Rite's activities from a main headquarters, while their subodrinates typically operate in an assigned district or administritative division. These subodrinates are directly answerable to the Rite's leader and oversee the Templar facilities in their assigned district to ensure the Order can efficiently maintain control over the local population. Over the centuries, these facilities have varied from towers, dens taken from the Assassins, gang headquarters, and even public and military offices.

Since at least the 17th century, following the creation of the Inner Sanctum and the Council of Elders, the entire collective of Rites became the Outer Temple and were not given access to the complete plans of the Templar Order going forward.[1] With the creation of the Black Cross, their service in the Outer Temple shifted to combating corruption and searching for Pieces of Eden while securing the Inner Sanctum's plans and maintaining the Order's integrity[2] by enforcing the Templar principles within the various Rites' governing structures.[1]

Structure

Founding

"We need to redouble our efforts and expand our order, and establish a permanent base here. Although the site eludes us, I am confident we will find it."
―Haytham Kenway discussing the establishemnt of a permanent Templar presence in the Thirteen Colonies, 1755.[src]-[m]
Alfred the Great laying the foundations of the Templar Order

The establishment of a Templar Rite varies from region to region. The oldest organized Templar branch is the British Rite, which was founded around 878 CE by King Alfred of Wessex following the destruction of the Order of the Ancients. Seeking to reform the Order into an organization that more closely followed his Christian beliefs, Alfred slowly built it up over the next several years by recruiting members from all walks of life and of all religions, who were united by a common desire to seek the betterment of humanity through the establishment of a New World Order.[3]

While Alfred's new Order adopted the name of the Templars by the late 10th century and spread its influence across Europe,[4] it is unknown at which exact moment in time the individual Rites began to take shape. During the public era of the organization between the 12th and 14th centuries, the Templars took advantage of the Crusades to spread their reach to Asia, beginning with the Levant, where the Levantine Rite was established by the late 12th century.[5]

Grand Master Robert de Sablé leading the Knights Templar

Posing as a knightly order with headquarters in both Jerusalem[5] and on Cyprus,[6] the Levantine Rite secretly comprised both Crusaders and Saracens and was led by a Grand Master, whose primary goal was acquiring an Apple of Eden that would allow the Templars to realize their vision of a New World Order by brainwashing all of humanity. However, their efforts were opposed by the Levantine Assassins,[5] eventually resulting in the Order losing their influence in the Levant by the early 13th century.[7]

In 1241, the Mongolian Rite was established by Möngke Khan, future ruler of the Mongol Empire, after he learned about and came to embrace the Templar ideals thanks to a knight captured during the Battle of Legnica. After Möngke became Great Khan of the Mongol Empire a decade later, he began recruiting members of the imperial guard, the Kheshigs, into the Mongolian Rite.[8]

When the Templars were driven underground following their public persecution in the early 14th century,[9] Rites became the main organizatory form of the Order as it continued to conduct its operations in secret. The Renaissance period saw the rise of numerous country-specific Rites, most prominently the Roman Rite in Italy led by the House of Borgia,[10] and the Byzantine Rite in the Byzantine and later the Ottoman Empire.[7] However, in the late 15th and early 16th centuries, the Roman Rite became corrupted by the actions of two of its Grand Masters, Rodrigo Borgia and his son Cesare, who were more interested in accumlating power than furthering the Templar cause; this caused future generations of Templars to look down on the Borgia's rule over the Roman Rite, regarding it as the "Dark Age of the Order".[11]

Derinkuyu, the hideout of the Byzantine Templars

Meanwhile, the Byzantine Rite was met with a streak of defeats, beginning with the 1453 conquest of Constantinople by the Ottomans, which forced the Templars to abandon the city and establish a secret base of operations in Derinkuyu, Cappadocia. Following the Roman Rite's defeat by the Italian Assassins in the early 16th century, the Byzantine Templars became the foremost Rite in Europe and plotted to restore their former power, but faced opposition from both the Ottoman Assassins and Ezio Auditore da Firenze, the Mentor of the Italian Brotherhood, culminating the Byzantine Rite's destruction by 1512.[7]

In the mid-16th century, a number of European Templars, including Francis Xavier, Alessandro Valignano, Gaspar Vilela and others, took an uninterest in the largely unexplored regions of the world, primarily Japan. Posing as Jesuit missionaries, these Templars cultivated alliances with the local warlords and clans and used them to spread the Templar ideology in the country, laying the foundations of the Japanese Rite.[12]

Laureano Torres with his fellow Caribbean Templars

In the late 17th century, the West Indies Rite was established by Laureano de Torres y Ayala, a Spanish Templar and Governor of Cuba, who had been tasked by the Council of Elders to locate the Observatory, an Isu surveillance facility hidden in the Caribbean.[13] Over the course of nearly five decades, Torres recruited numerous allies to help him in his search, as well as restore order to the Caribbean amidst the Golden Age of Piracy. However, their efforts were undone in the early 18th century by the West Indies Assassins, in particular Edward Kenway, who eliminated most of the West Indies Rite's high-ranking members,[14] leading to the branch's collapse by 1722.[15]

The mid-18th century saw the formation of two new Templar Rites: the Louisiana Rite and the Colonial Rite. The former was established in the 1750s by Madeleine de L'Isle at the behest of the Parisian Rite,[16] and was the main Templar branch operating in southern North America, primarily in New Orleans and Chichen Itza, where Madeleine had set up an excavation to locate an Isu artifact known as the Prophecy Disk. However, this Rite would be completely dismantled by 1777 through the actions of the Louisianan Assassin Aveline de Grandpré, Madeleine's stepdaughter.[17]

Lawrence Washington meeting with his associates at Mount Vernon

Meanwhile, the Colonial Rite was established over the course of multiple years, beginning in 1738, when Lawrence Washington was sent to the Thirteen Colonies by Reginald Birch, Grand Master of the British Rite, to locate the fabled Grand Temple.[18] By the 1750s, Washington had recruited numerous allies, many of whom were inducted into the Templar Order, including Christopher Gist, William Johnson, Samuel Smith and James Wardrop, and laid the foundations of a Templar network in the New World, though he came no closer to his main objective of finding the Grand Temple.[19]

Following Washington's assassination by the Colonial Assassins in 1752, Wardrop replaced him as de facto leader of the Templars in the Thirteen Colonies[20] while Birch assigned the task of the Grand Temple's discovery to Haytham Kenway.[21] Arriving in the colonies in 1754, Haytham continued Washington and Wardrop's work and officially founded the Colonial Rite as its first Grand Master,[22] leading it for almost three decades, until his death in 1781 at the hands of his Assassin son, Ratonhnhaké:ton.[23] Shortly after Haytham's death, the Colonial Rite collapsed due to Ratonhnhaké:ton's actions,[22] though it would reform itself several years later as the American Rite, continuing to operate in the newly-established United States.[24]

Authority

Main article: Grand Master of the Templar Order
Main article: Master Templar
Rodrigo: "Enough with your inane prattle! The choice of Doge was never up to any of you, and you were never given permission to make plans."
Marco: "Forgive us, Maestro. We wish only to serve."
—Rodrigo Borgia and Marco Barbarigo, on the plans of the Roman Rite, 1485.[src]-[m]

A Grand Master controls a specific geographic region and their Rite is named after it.[1] Under their leadership was the ability to appoint a Lieutenant as their second-in-command,[25][26] as well as promote any Templar serving under them through the Order's ranks, up to and including the position of Master Templar.[2] In the absence of a Grand Master, a Master Templar holds the authority to oversee a Rite as its de facto leader on behalf of another Rite's Grand Master.[1]

Despite holding the highest attainable rank within their Rite, a Grand Master is not all-powerful and is dependent on the support of their fellow Templars and other Rites around the world. Nevertheless, their duties are essential to the proper functioning of the Templar Order as a whole, so Grand Masters may elect to have bodyguards to protect them at all times, as were the cases with Frederick Weatherall for the de la Serre family,[27] and El Tiburón for Laureano de Torres y Ayala.[28] With the Grand Master themselves being the ruling authority for their own Rite's plans, all members required their superior's approval to enact any changes.[29][30][13]

Rite Council

Guard: "Floyrac, the Council's message was absolute. You're not welcome here."
Floyrac: "I must speak with the Grand Master."
—Esquieu de Floyrac and a guard discussing the Council of the Parisian Rite, 1307.[src]-[m]

During the end of the Golden Age of the Templar Order,[1][31][32] the Parisian Rite maintained a ruling Council, which was overseen by Grand Master Jacques de Molay and included his closest advisor among its members. Any decision made by the Council was deemed absolute, such as Esquieu de Floyrac's banishment from the Order's headquarters at the Temple in Paris in 1307.[33]

Local

A Borgia Tower in the Campagna district

During the Renaissance, in the city of Rome, the Roman Rite had established Borgia towers that were fortified and lead by Borgia captains. These areas were taken by the Borgia family for their desirability of the areas and for themselves,[34] lead by twelve captains in total and in the districts of Centro District with Iacopo de Grassi, Pietro da Siena, Valentino da Siena, Belardino da Verona and Domenico da Padova as the five captains of the district.[35] With captain Iacopo de Grassi being the first assassinated by the Assassin Ezio Auditore da Firenze after his arrival in 1500.[34]

In the Ottoman Empire, the Byzantine Rite fought over districts in Constantinople and since 1506 had been growing in numbers from being a small faction.[36]

Known Rites

Former Rites

Trivia

  • Although the Templars' predecessors, the Order of the Ancients, also maintained multiple regional branches, it is unknown if these branches were called Rites or if another term was used.

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Assassin's Creed: The Essential Guide – Chapter 5
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Assassin's Creed: Templars
  3. ↑ Assassin's Creed: Valhalla – The Poor Fellow-Soldier
  4. ↑ Assassin's Creed: Valhalla – Layla Hassan's personal files: "Session Report: SHastings"
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 Assassin's Creed
  6. ↑ Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 Assassin's Creed: Revelations
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Assassin's Creed: Last Descendants – Tomb of the Khan
  9. ↑ Assassin's Creed: Unity – The Tragedy of Jacques de Molay
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Assassin's Creed II
  11. ↑ Assassin's Creed Encyclopedia
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 Assassin's Creed: Memories
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag – Mister Walpole, I Presume?
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag
  15. ↑ Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag – Ever a Splinter
  16. ↑ Assassin's Creed: Rogue – War Letters: "Audition"
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 Assassin's Creed III: Liberation
  18. ↑ Assassin's Creed: Rogue – War Letters: "Lawrence of America"
  19. ↑ Assassin's Creed: Rogue – War Letters: "Monro"
  20. ↑ Assassin's Creed: Rogue – We the People
  21. ↑ Assassin's Creed III – A Deadly Performance
  22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 22.2 22.3 Assassin's Creed III
  23. ↑ Assassin's Creed III – Lee's Last Stand
  24. ↑ Assassin's Creed: Unity novel
  25. ↑ Assassin's Creed: Unity (novel) – 5 October 1789
  26. ↑ Assassin's Creed: Unity – A Cautious Alliance
  27. ↑ Assassin's Creed: Unity (novel)
  28. ↑ Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag
  29. ↑ Assassin's Creed II – Birds of a Feather
  30. ↑ Assassin's Creed III – The Braddock Expedition (memory)
  31. ↑ Assassin's Creed Encyclopedia - Chapter 2
  32. ↑ Assassin's Creed: Revelations – Abstergo Files:File.0.02\Hst_Beginning
  33. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Tragedy
  34. ↑ 34.0 34.1 Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood – New Man in Town
  35. ↑ Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood
  36. ↑ Assassin's Creed: Revelations – A Warm Welcome (Revelations)
  37. ↑ 37.0 37.1 37.2 37.3 37.4 Assassin's Creed: Revelations – Mediterranean Defense
  38. ↑ Assassin's Creed: The Engine of History – The Magus Conspiracy
  39. ↑ Assassin's Creed: Revelations – Discover Your Legacy
  40. ↑ Assassin's Creed Chronicles: China
  41. ↑ Assassin's Creed – The Hawk Trilogy
  42. ↑ Assassin's Creed: Conspiracies
  43. ↑ Assassin's Creed comic
  44. ↑ Assassin's Creed: Unity
  45. ↑ Assassin's Creed: The Fall
  46. ↑ Assassin's Creed film
  47. ↑ Assassin's Creed: Last Descendants – Fate of the Gods

Templars
Order of the Ancients
Notable members
Notable allies and puppets
Branches
Ranks
Affiliated groups
Other
Templar Order
Notable Templars
Notable allies and puppets
Rites
Ranks
Paramilitary groups
Affiliated groups
Other
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