Bristol

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The Kenways' sheep farm outside Bristol

Bristol is a city in Southwest England and a significant trading port.

History

Edward Kenway's youth

During the late 17th and early 18th centuries, Bristol and its surrounding areas were home to many individuals who would later join the Royal Navy and fight alongside it as privateers during the War of the Spanish Succession. Some of these individuals – including Edward Kenway and Edward Thatch – would later become pirates, during the third and final Golden Age of Piracy.

Edward Kenway's family relocated to Hatherton, a village near Bristol, from Swansea in 1703, and he spent most of his teenage years in the city as a result. During one night of drinking at the Auld Shillelagh tavern in 1711, Edward defended a young woman named Rose from being raped by his rivals Tom Cobleigh, Seth Cobleigh, and Julian, and met Caroline Scott when she came to his aid. This incident led Edward to become smitten with Caroline, and he made several attempts to court her. Despite her betrothal to Matthew Hague, son of the East India Company executive and landowner Aubrey Hague, Caroline was eventually won over by Edward's charms and married him in 1712, though this led to her father Emmett disowning her.

Living together on Edward's parents' farm, the couple began experiencing marital problems due to Edward's dissatisfaction with their impoverished lifestyle and his desire to make something more of himself. As a result, Edward began drinking heavily, and Emmett tried to take advantage of this to separate the couple by showing a distraught Caroline what a bad husband Edward was. Eventually, Edward decided on becoming a privateer to try and earn his dream fortune, though after he informed Caroline of his intentions, his wife left him and returned to her parents' home, having lost all faith in him.

On the night of Edward's set departure, Emmett sent his Templar associate Wilson and some members of the Trade Organization, including Tom Cobleigh and Julian, to set fire to the Kenways' farm, in order to prevent Caroline from ever returning there. With his departure being delayed, Edward was able to save his parents from the fire, though his father Bernard disowned him for all the trouble he had brought upon the family. Edward subsequently sought revenge on the arsonists and killed Julian before attempting to interrogate Tom, but the latter was silenced by Wilson. The Templar then knocked out Edward and took him to the Emperor, the ship he was intended to sail on.

Center of commerce

In the early 18th century, Bristol was a crucial port city, being a center of shipbuilding and manufacturing as well as handling much of England's trade with Ireland. Internally, it was also pivotal for trade with the rest of Britain.

Edward Kenway, during his time operating as a pirate in the West Indies, used his fleet to trade with his hometown on a number of occasions.

Return of an Assassin

In 1723, Edward returned to Bristol following his exploits in the West Indies, accompanied by the Jackdaw's crew and his daughter, Jennifer Scott. With his father having passed away several years prior, Edward visited his mother, but she disowned him out of disappointment at his intention to track down and kill those responsible for the attack on their farm. Edward then met Caroline's old housemaid Rose, from whom he learned that Emmett was to blame for Caroline's death, having denied her proper medicine when she contracted smallpox.

Having discovered Emmett's and his associates' Templar affiliations, Edward confronted his callous father-in-law and Wilson at their warehouse. Although the Templars took Rose hostage, Edward was able to shoot Emmett and kill Wilson with a throwing knife, saving the maid. He then turned his attention to Matthew Hague, whom he planned to burn alongside his ship, the Charlotte. However, before he could carry out his plan, he was stopped by Matthew's father Aubrey and Lord Robert Walpole.

Walpole, grateful to Edward for having killed his traitorous cousin Duncan, negotiated a truce between the Assassin and the Templars, offering Edward and his pirate crew pardons and properties in London in exchange for sparing Matthew's life. Edward accepted and subsequently relocated to London alongside Jennifer, retiring from piracy.

Appearances

• Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag (first mentioned)
• Assassin's Creed: Black Flag (first appearance)
• Assassin's Creed: Initiates
• Assassin's Creed IV Black Flag: Blackbeard – The Lost Journal (mentioned only)
• Assassin's Creed: Gold
• Echoes of History (mentioned only)