Edward was born in Swansea,Wales, toBernard KenwayandLinette Hopkins; at the age of ten, his family relocated to a farm inBristol, in South West England. However, the pastoral life did not agree with Edward and he became a well-known troublemaker in his adolescence.^[3]

At the age of seventeen, Edward metCaroline Scott, a woman two years his senior who intervened on his behalf during an altercation outside a tavern. They were married within a year, and Caroline became pregnant with a daughter, Jennifer Scott, unbeknownst to Edward.

Their marriage soon proved problematic as Caroline grew tired of Edward's inability to find steady work or take his responsibilities as a husband seriously. Ultimately, Edward's grandiose ideas about sailing as a privateer in the West Indies led to their estrangement, and she left to live with her parents prior to his departure. It was at this time that Caroline learned of her pregnancy, but chose to keep the fact from Edward.^[4]

Life as a privateer and pirate

Determined to prove his worth, Edward pursued his dreams of being a privateer; in late 1712, he boarded a ship chartered forJamaicawith the intention of sailing under the renowned privateer,Benjamin Hornigold. He remained in Jamaica for six months until theTreaty of Utrechtin early 1713, which effectively ended all conflict between the major empires. As a result, British privateers were no longer needed or tolerated in the West Indies, causing Edward to find himself out of work. He subsequently took to piracy and began working aboard aschooner.

In early 1715, Edward's ship attacked a passing vessel which proved to be too much for the crew to handle. With their Captain dead, Edward took the helm and did his best to keep the ship afloat, but to no avail. Shipwrecked inCape Bonavista, Edward met the only other survivor - an Assassin namedDuncan Walpole whose ship the pirates had attacked.

Washing up next to Edward, Walpole offered to pay Edward for passage toHavana; Edward agreed upon condition of immediate payment, and advanced toward Walpole. Concerned, Walpole drew his pistol, but it misfired due to the gunpowder being wet. Walpole fled, and Edward pursued him through the jungle, eventually dueling and killing him.

Looting Walpole's body, Edward found a letter from GovernorLaureano de Torres y Ayalaof Havana, detailing Walpole's intended defection to the Templar Order. Oblivious to the implications of the letter, Edward donned Walpole's Assassin robes (though he discarded the brokenHidden Blade) and collected a crystalline rectangular prism which was to be delivered to Torres for payment.

Edward shortly encountered a group of English soldiers harassing a merchant namedStede Bonnet, whom they believed to have been one of the pirates involved in the earlier battle. After dispatching the soldiers, Edward introduced himself to Bonnet using Walpole's name and accompanied him to Havana.^[4]

Introduction to the Templars

Upon arriving, the two traveled to a local tavern to meet with Bonnet's contact, where several thugs recognized Edward as a pirate and provoked him into a fight. After dispatching the men, Edward was forced to flee as Spanish soldiers entered the tavern and began to chase him. While he was able to escape, the Spanish turned on Bonnet and seized his ship's holdings, including the package meant for Torres. Edward infiltrated the Spanish fort to recover the package before going to the intended meeting with Torres.

Edward carefully maintained his charade as he conversed with prospective Templars -Woodes Rogers, whose wife had met Duncan, andJulien du Casse. Du Casse equipped Edward with a pair of Hidden Blades and requested that Edward show them some Assassin techniques in action; picking up on hints from Du Casse and Rogers, Edward was able to replicate the move set with relative accuracy.

When Torres eventually arrived, Rogers, Du Casse and "Walpole" were inducted into the Templar Order. Edward listened to Torres' plans to locate aFirst Civilizationsite known as the Observatory, which the Templars believed would allow them to monitor every person in the world and learn all their secrets. Uninterested, Edward took the opportunity topickpocketthe Templars as they discussed their plans.

The four then traveled to the city docks to retrieve a man namedBartholomew Roberts, an allegedSagewho knew the Observatory's location. On the way back to the governor's house, they were ambushed by Assassins and Roberts fled, though Edward managed to chase him down retrieve him. As Roberts was led away, Torres gave Edward Walpole's intended pay for a job well done - 1000 reales.

Later, meeting with Bonnet, Edward complained about the pay he had received, believing it was insufficient. He then resolved to discover the Observatory's location and sell it to the highest bidder, and realized he would need the Sage's assistance. He infiltrated the prison where Roberts was being held, only to find the Sage gone and the Templars, having discovered his ruse, waiting for him. For robbing them of Walpole's valuable expertise, Torres had Edward imprisoned on a ship in theSpanish Treasure Fleetheading forSeville.

Arrival in Nassau

Edward managed to escape confinement with the help of a similarly imprisonedAdéwalé, recruit a number of other prisoners, and steal one of the fleet's ships in the process. Hit by a storm, they narrowly managed to escape before the entire accompanying fleet was sunk. Edward decided to name his newly acquired shipJackdawand, realizing that hardly any of his new crew would accept Adéwalé as captain, dubbed him Quartermaster.

Heading toNassauwith his new ship, Edward introduced Adéwalé to three of his old associates:Edward Thatch,James Kiddand Benjamin Hornigold. Edward then moved throughout the British-occupied town, freeing imprisoned pirates to recruit as crewmen and weakning British control over the island. That complete, he began working with Hornigold and Kidd to carry out lucrative missions, plundering ships and raiding a nearby plantation.

Thatch shared with Edward his concerns about protecting their newly formed "Pirate Republic" from British recapture, and proposed a plan to take a particular Spanish Galleon in order to better protect the nascent revolutionary state. At his request, Edward located and tailed the Galleon toGreat Inagua, only to learn that the ship was owned by none other than Julien du Casse. Reasoning that du Casse could not be allowed to live and spread news of Edward's escape, Edward approached the cove through the jungle, snuck aboard the ship and assassinated du Casse.

James Kidd congratulated Edward on his victory, and brought him to aMayanstela in the jungle, telling him to use"the light of life"to uncover the treasure to which it pointed. Kidd then showed Edward an underground tunnel leading to the du Casse manor and thespecial armorlocked away there, and proposed that Edward keep the island as his base. He also requested that Edward meet him inTulumin several weeks' time, as he had more to show Edward there.^[4]

Introduction to the Assassins"Jaysus, Kidd! You led me into a mess. Is it these monks guarding the treasure you promised me?"―Edward Kenway to James Kidd, 1716.^[src]

Arriving in Tulum, Edward found himself having to sneak through the jungle to meet with Kidd, as the area was heavily guarded by Assassin forces. Upon their eventual meeting, Edward was set upon byAh Tabai, who demanded to know why Edward had sold their location to the Templars and attacked the Assassins in Havana. Kidd diffused the situation by telling Ah Tabai that Edward had "the Sense", and requested leave for them to enter a nearby temple. After claiming that he would recognize Bartholomew Roberts if he saw the man again, Edward was granted access to the temple with Kidd.

While explaining the nature of the Assassin-Templar conflict andthe Creed, Kidd led Edward to an antechamber containing a sculpture of the Sage. Edward originally claimed that it did not resemble Roberts at all; however, as he and Kidd completed an associated puzzle, layers of the sculpture were removed to show a better likeness underneath. Astonished, Edward confirmed that the statue perfectly resembled Roberts.

When Edward and Kidd exited the temple, they found the Assassin base under siege by Templar forces. Edward aided the Assassins in their fight, freeing several who had been captured and earning the appreciation of Ah Tabai. However, considering the damage he had caused through negligence, Ah Tabai decreed that Edward was not welcome in Tulum any longer.^[4]

In pursuit of RobertsTorres: "Two years ago we offered a reward for the Sage's recapture. Today someone claims to have found him. This gold is his ransom."Edward: "Who found him?"Torres: "A slaver by the name ofLaurens Prins. He lives in Kingston."Edward: "We like this story, Torres. And we want to help you finish it. But we're going to do it our way. Using you and your gold."— Laureano de Torres and Edward discuss Roberts, 1716.^[src]

Upon his return to Nassau, Edward learned fromCharles VaneandJack Rackhamthat Governor Torres of Cuba was residing in afortwith a sizable amount of gold that Charles aimed to steal. Undercutting him, Edward quickly sailed to Torres' location and captured the fort.

Inquiring about Roberts, Edward learned that the Sage had been captured by aKingston-based slaver name Laurens Prins, who was ransoming him to the Templars. Edward decided to use the opportunity to reach Roberts himself, and coerced Torres into aiding him.^[4]When they arrived in Kingston, Edward started to tail Torres, only to discover James Kidd was also pursuing Prins, intending to assassinate him.

Reluctantly, James agreed to Edward's request not to assassinate Torres and Prins until they had uncovered the Sage's location. Despite being detected, the two eventually tracked Prins down to his manor in the north of the city. Edward agreed to aid James in the infiltration and the assassination of Prins. James, noticing that they would not be able to get far through stealth alone against such a heavily guarded complex, elected to act as a distraction. Removing her bandanna and reddening her lips, James revealed herself to be a woman.

Edward quickly overcame his confusion and, using "James'" distraction, snuck into the manor's gardens and assassinated Prins. Moments later, Edward was surprised to find Roberts free from confinement and holding "James" at gunpoint. Roberts revealed that he was working for Prins, but was not surprised to hear about his betrayal. Shooting the alarm bell, Roberts made his escape, followed shortly by his two would-be rescuers.

Escaping Prins' property and regrouping with "James", Edward requested her real name; she told him it was Mary Read, and that if he informed anyone of her true identity, she would "unman" him