Templar ring

"A ring with a red cross pattée in a white circle. The Order of the Knights Templar!"

―William Robert Woodman^[src]^-[m]

A Templar ring

The Templar ring was an adornment worn by members of the Templar Order since at least the 18th century, that signified the membership in the Order. Typically, the rings bore a simple design: a red cross pattée.

History

In 1712, the British Templar Wilson wore a ring that left a cross-shaped scar on Edward Kenway's face after Wilson punched Edward while escaping the burning Kenway farmstead. Edward later encountered another Templar ring, this time worn by Benjamin Pritchard, when Pritchard was captured by the crew of the pirate ship, the Emperor. Edward's rival and fellow pirate Blaney stole the ring from Pritchard soon after.^[1]

In 1715, the Grand Master of the Caribbean Rite, Laureano de Torres y Ayala, gave three rings to the new recruits, Julien du Casse, Woodes Rogers, and Edward Kenway—the latter having impersonated the former Assassin Duncan Walpole.^[2] After Edward was revealed as an imposter, his ring was taken back by Torres.^[1]

Templar rings had their greatest usage in the United States before and during the American Revolution. During the Seven Years' War, the British General Edward Braddock wore one of these rings to signify his membership in the Order. Braddock was killed by fellow Templar Haytham Kenway during the Braddock Expedition in 1754 for his ruthlessness, following which Kenway took the ring from Braddock's body and awarded it to Charles Lee upon his induction into the Order.^[3] Before his death in 1757, George Monro gave his Templar ring to Shay Cormac, and Shay was later inducted into the Colonial Rite.^[4] Finally, a British Templar naval captain in the Royal Navy possessed a Templar ring until he was killed by the Assassin Ratonhnhaké:ton in 1776.^[5]

Towards the end of the 18th century, the wearing of Templar rings was discontinued by the French Rite. In their place, silver pins crafted by the Templar and Sage François-Thomas Germain became the main symbol of recognition for the Order.^[6]

During the early 20th century, Templar rings were worn by the Secret Chiefs of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, though the Hermeticists were unaware of the Templar Order's existence or its influence in their organization.^[7]

General Erich Albert of the German Army wore a Templar ring during the First World War. During the Christmas truce of 1914, Albert enlisted the aid of an enemy medic to perform surgery on a German soldier. After the surgery, Albert noticed the medic's interest in his Templar ring, and offered to trade it with him until he noticed the medic's Assassin burn mark around his finger, and was assassinated.^[8]

John Roberts wore a Templar ring during the 21st century.^[9]

After uploading Shay Cormac's file to the Assassin network, Melanie Lemay presented a Templar ring to the Helix research analyst "Numbskull", offering them a place in the Order.^[4]

Behind the scenes

The Templar rings in Assassin's Creed franchise can be seen as a counterpart to the marks Assassins used, beginning in the Ptolemaic Kingdom with finger amputations up until the Middle Ages, then burn marks during the Renaissance, and eventually Assassin rings in the Victorian era.

In Assassin's Creed III memories "The Braddock Expedition" and "Mister Walpole, I Presume?", Templar rings are placed upon the right ring finger of the initiates, in contrast to the left ring finger favored by the Assassins.