Jean Parisot

Jean Parisot de la Valette
Character information
Date of birth	1495
Date of death	August 21, 1568
Gender	Male
Nationality	Maltese
Occupation(s)	Grand Master of the Order of Saint John Governor of Tripoli
Game information
Introduced in	Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition - Knights of the Mediterranean
Role	AI personality

“

Jean Parisot de Valette is a resilient, undeterred commander. In his role as the shield of Europe, Valetta values a strong defense above anything else to uphold his sacred duties. As Grand Master and knight of the Order of Malta, he prefers honorable hand to hand fighting for his well armored units.

”

Jean Parisot de Valette (1495–1568) is the AI personality of the Maltese in Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition - Knights of the Mediterranean. He was Grand Master of the Order of Saint John from 1557 to 1568 and commanded the successful repulsion of the Ottomans at the Great Siege of Malta in 1565 before founding the city of Valletta in 1566.

Personality

Parisot is a reserved, quiet leader who observes the code of chivalry. His dialogue is full of knightly ferocity and piety, and he often reuses Morgan Black's lines from Act I: Blood.

Strategy

Parisot prefers a moderate-sized layout with Outposts around the perimeter. He may also build some Forts around his settlement, but does not build Depots or Fixed Guns. Commanderies are often rare, and the majority of Parisot's armies tend to consist of artillery, especially Fire Throwers, with the occasional Sentinel and Hospitaller.

Quotes

Parisot as an Ally

• Beginning of new game - "Our ship is badly damaged. Start a new colony on this island and wait for more ships to arrive from Malta."
• Beginning of new game on the same map - "I have seen this map before. One could call it Deja-vu."
• Beginning of new game after carrying Jean Parisot's team last game - "Perhaps you can teach this old Templar some new tricks."
• Beginning of new game after defeating Jean Parisot previously - "Had enough sparring with me? Let us try our teamwork, then."
• Player collects the first treasure - "Ah! Very good! I assume you intend to donate your findings to my order? For the good cause."
• Player collects a treasure - "More pirates! Destroy them all!"
• Player collects a food-related treasure - "An army marches on its stomach! Keep that Explorer moving."
• Player collects a wood-related treasure - "Wood! It may seem plain and ordinary, but it is the source of great power. Mark my words!"
• Player collects a coin-related treasure - "You must be blessed by fate to find coin so easily. Care to show me the next spot?"
• Jean Parisot claims a treasure - "A nice cache of war supplies!"
• Jean Parisot claims a coin-related treasure - "Stolen gold - confiscated! And put to good use in the name of the Lord."
• Requesting wood - "The construction of my new capital was halted due to a lack of timber. If you can send some, I will dedicate the next building to your honor!"
• Requesting coin - "Our corso was not as successful as I hoped, do you have any gold to spare for the upkeep of my army?"
• Declining resource request - "My coffers are empty and my gunpowder is depleted."
• Agreeing to feed coin - "You will get your gold, but be cautious. These are unfamiliar waters."
• Agreeing to defend - "I will never abandon a friend in time of need, my brethren are ready to restore order wherever necessary!"
• Agreeing to attack - "Today we fight! A wall of steel united as brothers and sisters." or "The Order will put everything in order!"
• Agreeing to strategy - "Nothing would please me more, my lord."
• Declining attack - "I must respectfully decline. This is not in the interest of the order."
• Declining attack (too few soldiers) - "I have a few weapons left, but no soldiers to carry them."
• Declining attack (illegal) - "I have the faith, but not the means."
• Player is first to Commerce Age - "Such an impressive start, my ally! You may now cast the first stone at our sinful enemies!"
• Ransoming Grand Master - "I once got captured by Barbary Pirates and held on a galley for a year. Now I am a Grand Master."
• Player ages slower than him - "I held them back while you aged up, now it's your turn!"
• Player ages faster than Parisot - "Your progress is a shining example for all allies and enemies alike." or "I admire the technological prowess displayed by your people. Care to share your secrets with the Order?"
• Constructing a Town Center - "Our covered wagon has arrived. We must use it to build a Town Center near the trading post."
• Under attack - "My knights are under siege once again. Send reinforcements, we will make them pay!"
• Trade Monopoly victory imminent - "One minute, one monopoly, one magnificent victory for us! The Holy Trinity!"

Parisot as an Enemy

• Beginning of game - "I am Jean Parisot de Valette! The shield of Europe! The 49th Grand Master of the Order of Knights of Saint John of Jerusalem - and the last proper knight in this battle." or " We are the Knights Hospitaller. We will bring you to the hospital!"
• Beginning of game with a lower difficulty - "Last time was a good warmup, this time do not pull any punches!"
• Player collects the first treasure - "Do not get too fond of your find, I will destroy whatever you use it on.
• Player collects a treasure - "I have more important matters to attend to. Keep that treasure."
• Player collects a coin-related treasure - "All these coins you gather will be confiscated by my brethren - sooner or later." or "No amount of gold is enough to weigh up your sins. That is why I should take that gold."
• Player collects a food-related treasure - "That food pales in comparison to what my fishermen are bringing in every minute."
• Player collects multiple treasures - "You use your actions on treasures, I use them on the preparation of your demise." or "Hoard all treasures like a dragon, you will still be slain by this knight."
• Parisot claims a food-related treasure - "This field ration will keep my brothers healthy and full of energy!"
• Parisot claims a coin-related treasure - "Even a Templar is more motivated if he also fights for a good sum of gold."
• Player ages slower than him - "Hanging in old ages for nostalgia will not win wars. Even our oldest knights know how to fire a musket by now."
• Parisot collects multiple treasures - "The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away."
• Player ages faster than him - "Racing ahead with no goal in mind will only get you lost."
• Player builds a Trading Post on a trade route - "No amount of gold is enough to weigh up your sins."
• Spots player's explorer near town - "What is your untalented explorer trying to find in my base? The fountain of youth? Is he not a bit too old for that?"
• Discovers player's Town Center - "Be careful now, I know where you live."
• Attacked by two or more players - "Are you always picking on someone smaller than yourself?"
• Colony is ravaged - "You gained no honor from this victory, only a small island."
• Defeat - "Your show of force has left a lasting impression on us. Would you like to become the new Grand Master?" or "An honorable loss against a worthy opponent. Shall we end all hostilities now?"

Trivia

• His appearance is inspired by the painting Levée du Siège de Malte by Charles-Philippe Larivière.
• One of the symbols in his uniform is a modified Forgotten Empires logo.

History

“

Jean Parisot de la Valette was born in the 1490s (exact date uncertain) to a noble family in France with a storied legacy of participation in conflicts abroad. Following in his ancestors' footsteps, he joined the Knights Hospitaller in his youth, relinquishing his family's holdings. Over the following decades, he proved himself a stout and able soldier, enduring a chain of hardships parallel to the decline of the military order that he had joined. By the 1540s, he had seen the Knights' former stronghold in Rhodes lost to the Ottomans, been captured and made a galley slave, and governed the Knights' holdings in Tripoli following his ransom. Valette's persistence, work ethic, and ardent loyalty paid off when he was placed in command of the Knights' fleet in 1554. This honor was swiftly followed by an even greater one: three years later, he was elected the Order's new Grand Master, a decision likely also informed by his extensive battle experience against the Ottomans, who were known to be planning a campaign to oust the Knights from Malta and their other nearby holdings, thereby opening the western Mediterranean for Ottoman expeditions. In 1565, this great reckoning finally came. The battle, known to posterity as the Siege of Malta, became one of the most storied in early modern history. Vastly outnumbered and outgunned, the Knights, under Valette's steadfast leadership, repelled the Ottomans. The battle saw the use of innovative tactics on the part of the defense: on one occasion, the Knights hid artillery in their walls and then used it to blast apart a siege tower that Ottoman Janissaries were using to take potshots at defenders; on others, the Knights hurled incendiary wooden hoops at advancing Janissaries, starting wildfires that halted their advance. The rushing Ottoman tide, formerly deemed nigh-invincible, had been halted. This victory earned Valette a nomination as a cardinal, an offer that he politely declined in favor of his present position. Shortly thereafter, Valette spearheaded the construction of a new capital city in Malta, which came to be known as Valletta, the present capital of the Maltese nation. Although he died a few years later in 1568, his actions bore immediate fruit: the Ottomans had been weakened, and the Knights were stronger than they had ever been since the height of the Crusades. Three years later, in 1571, a coalition of European states known as the Holy League annihilated the Ottoman navy at Lepanto, ending Ottoman thrusts into the western Mediterranean for a time. In Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition, Jean Parisot de la Valette is the resilient, undeterred commander that he was in reality. In his role as the shield of Europe, Valetta values a strong defense above anything else to uphold his sacred duties. As Grandmaster and knight of the Order of Malta, he prefers honorable hand to hand fighting for his well armored units. His economy stays safe behind his defenses and ready to support his army while it shatters every new wave of attackers.

”

Gallery

In-game avatar