Purgatorio: Men of Iron Volume VI

The struggle between European monarchs, particularly between the Holy Roman Emperor and the Pope, would lead to more than a century of conflict in Italy. The Investiture Controversy caused a rift between Italian city-states and even among their inhabitants. The Guelphs were those who supported the papacy, while the Ghibellines were supporters of the Holy Roman Empire.

Guelph cities tended to be further away from the Papal States and closer to the Holy Roman Empire, while Ghibelline cities tended to be further away from the Holy Roman Empire and closer to the temporal power of the Pope.

Battles raged throughout Italy from the mid-12th century to the mid-14th century, with both sides gaining the upper hand in turn. This sixth Men of Iron game covers some of these battles: it begins with Frederick Barbarossa attempting to reconquer the rebellious provinces in Italy at the end of the 12th century, moves through the 13th century with a few battles that marked the end of the Hohenstaufen's direct rule in Italy, and ends with a war that, according to legend, was started by the theft of a bucket from one city by another!

The battles include:

• Legnano, May 29, 1176 – Frederick Barbarossa fights the Lombard League for control of northern Italy.
• Cortenuova, November 27, 1237 – Frederick II, Barbarossa's grandson, faces the second Lombard League for control of northern Italy.
• Montaperti, September 4, 1260 – Florence and Siena fight one of the bloodiest battles in medieval Italy, as seen on television or in GMT's Inferno!
• Benevento, February 26, 1266 – Manfred, King of Sicily, dies in battle in southern Italy against Charles I, also King of Sicily, thus securing Charles I's title as King of Sicily.
• Tagliacozzo, August 23, 1268 – Conradin III, King of Jerusalem, is captured and executed after a battle in southern Italy against Charles I, King of Sicily.
• Campaldino, June 11, 1289 – Florence and Arezzo clash in northern Italy. The famous Italian poet Dante Alighieri took part in this battle. Later, his Guelph faction would lose power in Florence and he would be forced into exile.
• Zappolino, November 15, 1325 – Modena and Bologna clash, not over an oak bucket stolen from a well, but over a long-standing feud, punctuated by raids and reprisals, that has lasted for nearly a century.

Contents:

• Three 22“ x 34” game boards (printed on the back)
• One 22“ x 34” game board (front only)
• Two and a half sheets of tokens
• Two game aid cards
• A rulebook
• A game booklet
• Two 10-sided dice
• A theft point counter