Madeleine de L'Isle
- "You, who know so well the pain of a life lived in secret, shrouding your power in petticoats and lace, pretending obedience to men who deny you the right to your own abilities. Am I really so strange to you?"
- ―Madeleine, pointing to the similarities between her and Aveline, 1777.[src]
Madeleine de L'Isle (1732 - 1777) was the head Templar of Louisiana, operating under the alias of the "Company Man". Living in New Orleans, she was the first legally recognized, but actually second wife of the wealthy French merchant Philippe Olivier de Grandpré.
Having married Philippe in 1752 for the benefit of her family business, Madeleine was content to use the association to hide her Templar ambitions. After she discovered proof that a First Civilization artifact was located in Mexico, Madeleine devised a plan to excavate it, the execution of which she entrusted to her right-hand man, Rafael Joaquín de Ferrer.
Simultaneously, she noticed the potential of her stepdaughter, Aveline de Grandpré, and decided to groom her for membership in the Templar Order. Manipulating Aveline's biological mother Jeanne into leaving New Orleans, Madeleine then adopted the role of doting stepmother.
When Aveline joined the Assassins in 1759, Madeleine was able to subtly gain information on the Brotherhood's activities, which allowed her to secure the leadership of the Templars in Louisiana.
Biography
Early life and marriage to Philippe
- "You know my arrangement with Madeleine was... business. She convinced me... If the law was different..."
- ―Philippe, on his marriage with Madeleine, 1776.[src]
The cherished daughter of a wealthy merchant family, Madeleine was born in New Orleans in 1732. At some point, she came into contact with the Templar Order and subsequently joined it, becoming a dedicated member.[1] However, Madeleine would also make sure that her secret identity remained hidden from her relatives.[2]
In 1750, Philippe de Grandpré, one of Madeleine's father's business partners, began to have financial problems, causing Madeleine to become a frequent visitor of the de Grandpré family. Seeing an opportunity, Madeleine spent the next year convincing Philippe to marry her, to benefit both his business and that of her family's. Eventually, he acquiesced and married Madeleine in 1752, causing his relationship with his plaçée, Jeanne, to become strained. Unbeknownst to Philippe, however, Madeleine also used the marriage to conceal her own Templar goals.[1]
Madeleine subsequently moved into the de Grandpré villa, though both Jeanne and her daughter Aveline were permitted to stay at the mansion, receiving their own private quarters. By taking on the responsibility of her stepdaughter's education, while also employing Jeanne as her personal handmaid, Madeleine managed to cleverly integrate herself into the family.[1]
Excavation at Chichen Itza
Some years later, Madeleine discovered evidence that a valuable First Civilization artifact called the Prophecy Disk was buried somewhere in the ancient Mayan city of Chichen Itza, Mexico. Realizing the amount of manpower it would require to unearth the relic, she came up with a scheme to procure workers from around the Caribbean. She subsequently entrusted this task to Rafael Rafael Joaquín de Ferrer, her most trusted agent.[1]
While de Ferrer began setting up their slave trafficking operation, Madeleine was growing closer to Jeanne, regularly conversing with her on her life as a slave in Saint-Domingue. Aware that Jeanne was afraid of the Assassins, Madeleine feeded the plaçée's paranoia by telling her the Assassin Mentor François Mackandal, a former acquaintance of Jeanne, had been seen boarding a ship bound for Louisiana. In doing so, Madeleine endeavored to have Jeanne removed from New Orleans, so that Madeleine could raise Aveline, whom she had noticed to possess great potential, as her own.[1]
Madeleine's machinations proved to be a success, with Jeanne eventually succumbing to her fears. After consulting Madeleine for aid, Jeanne left New Orleans in 1757 and was escorted to the work camp in Chichen Itza, being one of the first slaves to arrive there. Having fooled the plaçée into thinking the arrangement was temporary, Madeleine neglected to stay in touch with Jeanne and dedicated herself to raising Aveline, preparing her for her eventual induction into the Templar Order.[1]
Manipulating Aveline
After discovering that Aveline had joined the Assassins, Madeleine used her stepdaughter's relationship with the Assassin Mentor Agaté to uncover information relating to the Brotherhood's activities. This helped Madeleine secure the leadership of the Templar Order in Louisiana.[1]
In 1773, after Madeleine's husband Philippe discovered her true identity and the interference of the Templars in his business, she poisoned him. Following this, in 1777, Aveline finally discovered that the "Company Man", the person she had been searching for, was in fact Madeleine; she returned to New Orleans at once and confronted her stepmother in their mansion. During the encounter, Madeleine reacted with amusement, as she revealed that she knew all along of Aveline's affiliations, and that the reason she was still alive was because Madeleine was in need of her skills.[1]
Death
Afterwards, Aveline refused her order to stay and ran outside, where the Assassin began a brief skirmish with Madeleine's guards. Forthwith, Madeleine warned her stepdaughter to cease her struggling or she would die, and the Brotherhood with her; she then proceeded to question Aveline's motivations. Maintaining an air of hostility, Aveline retorted that Madeleine kept her slaves for her own selfish purposes, though Madeleine tried to convince Aveline that she had ended the operation and that de Ferrer did not represent the Templars when he abused his authority, so she allowed her to eliminate him, to Aveline's disbelief.[1]
Madeleine insisted that she genuinely cared for Aveline but her stepdaughter angrily accused her of lying. She defended that she was trying to protect her and attempted to persuade Aveline to join the Templars. Aveline then confessed that she had disobeyed her Mentor, Agaté, stating that de Ferrer would still be alive if she had obeyed him. Madeleine then claimed this as proof that their goals were the same and repeated her offer.[1]
Ultimately, Aveline agreed and traveled to the bayou to confront Agaté. She later returned with his necklace as proof of his death, and Madeleine inducted her into the Templar Order inside Saint Louis Cathedral. Aveline then handed Madeleine the Prophecy Disk, the artifact she had recovered from Chichen Itza. However, Madeleine soon grew frustrated as the artifact failed to work as she had intended it to, allowing Aveline to strike, as her induction was merely a ploy to eradicate the Templar Order from within.[1]
Aveline eliminated all the Templars present and confronted Madeleine, who asked her why she had done what she had. Aveline responded by blaming Madeleine for having secretly killed her father with poison, enslaved her mother and attempted to force Aveline into the Templar Order. Madeleine insisted that it was for the benefit of humanity, but Aveline refused to serve her and assassinated Madeleine.[1]
Legacy
In the 21st century, the Templar corporate giant, Abstergo Industries attempted to vindicate her memory, naming her as an unappreciated abolitionist of slavery, and in their product, Liberation, deliberately omitted key events to validate her actions and Templar views.[1] In a file retrieved from a computer at their Montreal facility, Abstergo also claim that Aveline was an orphan that Madeleine took in.[3]
Characteristics and personality
Madeleine was an intelligent person, possessing a keen intellect and a sharp sense for business. She spoke cautiously, careful not to reveal herself through her actions or words. She was also especially skilled at manipulation, being able to control those around her in order to achieve her goals, in particular her stepdaughter Aveline, who she had secretly manipulated to groom her for induction into the Templar Order.[1]
Trivia
- Madeleine is a French variant of the name Magdalene, meaning "of Magdala", originally an Aramaic word meaning "tower". De l'Isle means "of the Island", "Isle" being an archaic script for "Île" meaning "Island", or a region isolated by marshes or rivers in Middle French.
Gallery
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Concept art of Madeleine in her Master Templar outfit
References
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