Haytham. The Grand Master

The post contains spoilers for the game Assassin's Creed 3 and the book Assassin's Creed: Forsaken!

"All my previous diaries were destroyed in the fire, and therefore, starting this one, I feel like I'm taking up a pen for the first time. Since that's the case, you should start with my name. My name is Haytham. The name is Arabic"

Haytham's diary. Entry dated December 6, 1735.

A little biography

  On December 4, 1725 , a son is born in the family of Edward Kenway, a former pirate and current member of the brotherhood of assassins, a child who will have a great struggle for his ideals in the future. Ten years later, instead of celebrating his tenth birthday, the child stands at the funeral. At his father's funeral. And from that moment on, his path begins, the path of Haytham Kenway.

"Now we live in Bloomsbury, in one of my father's estates. And although our family has suffered irreparable damage, and the lives of each of us have been forever thrown out of the usual rut, we have something to be grateful for. We will stay here until our future fate is clarified. Just like restless souls on the threshold of hell"

Childhood. Haytham shows skills to Reginald Birch

  Reginald Birch, an adviser to Haytham's father, suggests that Haytham go on a long and exciting journey with him – to find those responsible and involved in that terrible night attack on the night of December 3, as a result of which Edward was killed, the house burned down, Haytham's sister Jennifer was abducted, and Haytham himself committed his first murder protecting his mother. Wanting to avenge a broken life and intrigued by Reginald's offer to join a secret order, Haytham agrees.

  Over the course of several years of wandering and searching, Haytham met a ruthless comrade, Major General Edward Braddock, a member of the Templar Order, who was supposed to find Jennifer. Haytham also met Miko, a member of the brotherhood of Assassins, in a battle with whom the first took a hidden blade from the second as a trophy. Miko was protecting the young rebel Lucio. Birch needed him so that Lucio's mother could decipher the journal that Haytham had taken from Juan Vedomir, a traitor to the Templars. From this magazine, the Templars learned about the existence of a certain amulet, which is access to the Vault of the Forerunners. And then, in 1754, Haytham visits the Covent Garden Theater, where he kills Miko and takes the amulet. From this moment, the plot of Assassin's Creed 3 begins, which you already know very well.…

Young Haytham

Feelings or practicality?

  During the course of the game's plot, we realize that Haytham is a well–mannered, gallant and cold-blooded man of his craft. Before visiting the theater, Haytham had no faith in all those Who had Been There Before, the Vaults and the miracle treasures that could be there. He was motivated only by a desire to avenge his father and find his kidnapped sister.

  While completing a mission in the colonies, Haytham gathers a team of people interested in the order – ambitious soldier Charles Lee, negotiator William Johnson, thug Thomas Hickey, military doctor Benjamin Church and officer John Pitcairn. Haytham had enough leadership skills to run such a company.

The Colonial Templars

  Despite the fact that Haytham is an ideological member of the Templar Order, who fully supports the goal of making the world prosperous by controlling the situation in the state, nevertheless, he has always remained a human being and has repeatedly shown that even though he is the ideological master of the Templars, simple human emotionality can prevail over pragmatism. In order for Gadzidzio, a Mohawk woman with whom Haytham developed mutual feelings, to show him the location of the Temple, Haytham agrees to eliminate an old acquaintance and colleague of the order, Edward Braddock. And it's not just about achieving the goal. Haytham always had unpleasant feelings for the Bulldog. Take the same moment when Haytham helped the British during the siege of Bergen op Zoom: during the departure, the soldiers could take several people with them, and one young man asked Braddock for help so that Edward would take this gentleman's family with him. But the Bulldog refused, and when he heard unflattering words from the young man, he killed him in front of his own family. Therefore, Haytham pierced Braddock with a blade with a sense of relief. But the second episode, when Haytham went against a member of his order for a personal reason, was more blatant and brazen.

  After learning from a letter from his close friend Jim Holden about where Jennifer was being held, Haytham went with him to the Ottoman Empire. During the rescue of his sister, Kenway and Jennifer escape, but the guards grab Holden, who remains to distract them. Some time later, Haytham finds Jim, who was turned into a eunuch, pulls him out of the temple, and sets the temple on fire. While the trio were holed up in the same house, Holden was in a fever, and Jennifer told her brother that it was Birch who was behind the attack. After that, the three of them went to France to Birch Castle. After committing a night attack, Haytham entered the room of the one who had been deceiving him for so many years.

"Everything I did was for the good of the order. For the benefit of humanity.

- What high ideals... at the cost of my father's life. You destroyed our family. Did you really think that I would never know the truth?

"My dear boy, the Grand Master of the Templars has to make difficult decisions. Didn't I teach you that? I helped get you elected Master of the American Colonies. I knew, Haytham, that you would have to make similar decisions and believe in your ability to make them. Decisions are made for the greater good. In the name of the ideal you believe in. I hope you haven't forgotten these basic truths. You asked if I thought you 'd never know the truth. Imagine that, yes. You're persistent and resourceful. I taught you to be like that. I should have considered the possibility that you might find out the truth one day. But I was hoping that when that happens, your view of the events of the past would be more philosophical. Considering the number of people you've killed today, I think I was wrong.

"Yes, Reginald. You made a mistake. You've twisted everything I believed in. And do you know why? You have entwined our ideals with deceit and cunning. How can we inspire faith in others when our hearts are poisoned by lies?

  Reginald Birch was killed by the Kenways. He was killed for robbing Haytham of his childhood. He was killed, despite the fact that the ideas of the Templars should be above the family.

Reginald Birch

Paternal weakness

  Haytham returned to the colonies, taking full control of the local Templar Order and becoming its Grand Master. Haytham learned from Charles Lee that his beloved Gadzidzio died fourteen years ago during the attack of George Washington's patriots on her village. Kenway learned from the other Templars that a certain boy from that tribe had appeared, who, dressed as an assassin, was actively interfering with the plans of the order.

  In 1776, Haytham ordered Thomas Hickey to eliminate George Washington. The Templar was thwarted by the assassin, Connor, but they were both caught and imprisoned in Bridewell Prison. Hickey, not surprisingly, was transferred to more "comfortable" conditions, and Connor... as soon as Haytham saw Jio's features in him and his own, he was convinced that this was his son. The dark years of exhausting work, searching, and revenge had made Haytham tougher and more cold-blooded. As befits any Templar assassin, Haytham arranged for Connor to be executed without trial. But we remember that Haytham has a weakness in front of his relatives: at the last moment, the Grand Master changed his mind and threw a knife at the rope, which was about to wring the young assassin's neck.

  Nevertheless, Haytham remained true to his ideas, so in 1778 he entered into a peace agreement with his son in order to find and kill Benjamin Church, who had betrayed the Templars for his own benefit. 

Well, we finally met, my friend. It was quite fun wading through all your tricks and traps. Wise. At least in places. I'll give you that. And for how calmly you pulled it off. We had a DREAM, Benjamin! And you wanted to DESTROY it! And for that, my fallen friend, you will pay.

Haytham's words when meeting a traitor

  Haytham's last choice in his life showed what was more important to him. Until the end of his life, Haytham believed in the possibility of taking control into his own hands, stopping wars and making the world a better place. That's why he was so eager to protect Charles Lee, whom Connor wanted to kill. Haytham sent Lee away, and he waited for his son where he expected to find Charles. Father and son got together for the last time. In the fight, Haytham showed that he is not like his son, who has much less experience, and who is driven not by any idea, but by simple aggressive revenge. Haytham knocked Connor down and clenched his hands, preventing Connor from striking with a hidden blade.

"Surrender, and I'll spare you."

"Brave words for a dying man." Even when you Celebrate the victory... we will be reborn. Do you know why? Because UNDERSTANDING brings us to the Order. We don't need the creed or the lies of desperate old men. We need the world to stay itself. That's why the Templars can't be destroyed!

  But Haytham couldn't kill his own son. Yes, he believed in his ideals to the end. But he knew he wouldn't leave here. Even when Connor was disarmed and at his father's mercy, he knew that Connor and the assassins would celebrate the victory. Instead of killing his son with one blow, Haythema removed his hands from his son's wrists and began to strangle him, giving him the opportunity to use a hidden blade.

"You have arrogated to yourself the right to judge. To decide that I and the Order are harming the world. But everything I've shown you, everything I've said and done, proves otherwise. We didn't touch your people. We did not defend the crown. We wanted to unite these lands and maintain peace. Under our rule, everyone would be equal. Don't the patriots promise the same?

"They promise freedom.

- I said – and I repeat again – she is dangerous! Those whom you, my son, helped to rise, will never come to an agreement. They all disagree on freedom. The peace you crave cannot be.

- no. Together they will create something new – better than the old.

- These people share a common goal. But when this battle is over, discord will begin – everyone has their own views on how to strengthen power. And it will lead to war. You'll see.

- The patriot leaders do not want power. There will be no monarch here. The people will have power, as they should.

- The people never have power. It's just her illusion. And the secret is this: he doesn't want her. The burden of responsibility is too heavy. That's why he obeys so easily when someone else takes the helm. People want to be ordered. They crave it. And no wonder: they were created for service.

- So we are slaves by nature, which means that the Templars are ideal rulers? It is very comfortable.

- It's true! Principles and practice are very far from each other.

"No, Father. You've given up, and you want us to do the same.

  Haytham Kenway made his choice. And he remained forever in history as a Templar who defeated all enemies, took revenge on all traitors, built an order in America from scratch, but did not have enough spirit and cruelty to kill his son.

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Written by Leitmotif