At the beginning of the 21st century, fans of games about free sea-seekers set out to develop the computer game "Sea Dogs: A Pirate's Story," a non-commercial expansion for "Sea Dogs: City of Abandoned Ships" (Seaward, Akella). S. Novikov was invited to write the main script for the French national questline, with the right to choose the protagonist. There were no issues adapting the character. The legendary captain Michel de Grammont fit into the plot as if he belonged there. In early June 2008, the game was released to the public.
This is where a paradox emerged. According to commonly known sources, de Grammont was a pirate, a nobleman, a Paris native, a ladies' man, a brawler, a ruffian, and overall a "good guy." However, after the screenwriter carefully studied historical records in an attempt to reach the core truth, he was left stunned. Michel de Grammont turned out to be more than a mere nobleman; he was a descendant of an ancient knightly lineage dating back to the 13th century, originating from a feudal house founded by the venerable Baron Guyot de Granges. The Granges family gave the world at least fifty knights, dozens of barons, counts, marquises, and high-ranking clergy. In its antiquity, it was second not even to the monarchical dynasty, which at that time was doing everything in its power to facilitate the decline of the feudal lords' political and financial influence.
Michel François Sieur de Grammont—with the particle "de" and no other way—did indeed end up in the New World due to a duel. However, during his entire tenure in the Caribbean, he sailed exclusively under the flag of his Motherland. He fought and achieved remarkable success for the benefit of his country, for which Louis XIV awarded him the title of King's Lieutenant (a person performing monarchical duties in a specific territory). The boundless trust of the most progressive monarch in European history was further evidenced by de Grammont's appointment as Governor of the French part of Hispaniola (Haiti). However, due to unexplained tragic circumstances, he never managed to assume his gubernatorial duties.
Thus, Michel de Grammont had no connection to the bloody Brethren of the Coast. This created a need to defend the man's reputation and restore historical justice. In summary, it should be added that while the idea for the book originated from a fascination with corsair themes, the novel cannot be classified as maritime fiction. It is more about human relationships, friendship, love, curious life situations, and adventures in general. As a historical note: the only branch of the Grammont family that has survived to the present day is the Grammont-Mélisey line, which obtained the title of Marquis by converting the lands of Villersexel into a marquisate. Today, in this French commune, the Grammont Castle and the Grammont Hospital remain architectural landmarks.

Grammont Castle