Frédéric Rouille
- "The man re-defines the term 'friends in high places'."
- ―Napoleon Bonaparte on Rouille.
Frédéric Rouille (unknown – 1792) was a French Army captain, and a member of the Templar Order. He was a leading figure in the September Massacres of 1792.
Biography
Joining the Templars
Rouille was present at Mirabeau's speech at the Tennis Court Oath. Impressed by Mirabeau's political determination, Rouille wanted to shake hands with him, but was brushed off. At that moment, he met François-Thomas Germain, who offered induction into his faction within the Templar Order, which Rouille accepted.
At a Templar meeting at a hotel, Rouille was interrogating a Girondist member, and received the location Palais du Luxembourg. After getting the information he needed, Rouille had his men throw the Girondist out of the window, much to his fellow Templar, Aloys la Touche's annoyance.
Reporting at the meeting, Rouille reported the information he received to Germain, stating King Louis XVI's declining popularity. While Rouille suggested murdering the King could progress Templar control, Germain wanted the King to die a condemned man, meaning a public execution.
Rouille also discussed his concerns about the conservative faction of the Templars being rallied to oppose them. Germain, however, reassures that the opposing Templars would no longer be a concern.
As Germain encountered the Assassin Arno Dorian the same day, Rouille promised to tighten security and ensure Germain's safety.
The Revolution
On 10 August 1792, Rouille and Antoine Joseph Santerre led an open insurrection against King Louis XVI in the Tuileries Palace, with thousands of armed revolutionary extremists storming the palace. Rouille was tasked to capture the king and find documents belonging to Mirabeau, which could give the Templars the opportunity to expose and purge the Assassins across France.
However, King Louis XVI and his family had already fled by the time of the storming of the Palace. Accompanying this, the Assassin Arno Dorian had also infiltrated the Palace and destroyed the documents before Rouille could find them. Following on from this event, Napoleon attempted to have Rouille sent to some far-away garrison in 1792, but because of the Templar influence on the government, he was allowed to remain in Paris.
Death
On 2 September 1792, Rouille led a band of Jacobins to the Grand Châtelet prison, where they began to slaughter guards during the September Massacres. At the top of the prison, Rouille captured the prison warden.
While taunting the warden, Rouille was assassinated at the top of the prison by Arno Dorian. Through Rouille's memories, Arno discovered the involvement of another Templar, Marie Lévesque, who was secretly hoarding grain to starve Paris's citizens. Rouille's halberd was also claimed by Arno.
Reference