Inferno: Guelphs and Ghibellines

Inferno: Guelphs and Ghibellines 

Tuscany, 1259. As wealth from manufacturing and foreign trade elevated the urban families of northern Italy above the landowners, rivalries within and between their cities hardened the conflict between two great parties. The Ghibellines allied with the Hohenstaufen imperial dynasty that ostensibly ruled Italy, while the Guelphs supported rival imperial claimants and the greatest challenger to any emperor’s authority, the Pope. Whenever one side gained an advantage, the others rallied to resist.

The communes of Florence and Siena dominated inland Tuscany as leaders of these rival alliances. As the Guelphs tightened their control over populous Florence, Ghibelline Siena turned to Hohenstaufen king Manfred of Sicily for support. Local uprisings and reprisals escalated on each side as political exiles stirred the pot. After Manfred sent German knights to protect his loyal Florentines, Florence gathered its people and allies to march against Siena, which responded with its own great army. Pisa and Lucca, Lombardy, and Orvieto joined in. In September 1260, the Guelphs and Ghibellines finally clashed on a massive scale in central Tuscany at Montaperti – the result was a bloody defeat for the Florentines. But when the exiled Ghibellines returned as masters of Florence, its Guelphs rallied in Lucca and Arezzo, foreshadowing a grim future.

Inferno: Guelphs and Ghibellines Vie for Tuscany – the third volume in Volko Ruhnke’s Levy & Campaign Series – sets ablaze the cauldron of warfare in 13th-century Tuscany, factional struggles fueled by gold florins and the dense populations of rising cities and wealthy valleys. Veteran Italian wargame designer Enrico Acerbi brings the era to life through Volko’s accessible medieval operational system. Mustering transport and supplies may not be as much the challenge here as the sudden betrayal of rebellious towns and castles along key roads. Italy’s marauding berrovieri cavalry, famed elite crossbowmen, and distinctive palvesari shield-bearers are only some of the unique inhabitants of this volume. Muster, mount your horses, and discover who will make the Arbia run red with blood!

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