Winter in Kiev 1238
1238, Kiev. News that Ryazan and Vladimir have burned has come down the frozen river. You are a young warrior of the prince's druzhina, his sworn retinue.
Historical background
The Mongol army led by Batu, grandson of Genghis Khan, destroyed Volga Bulgaria in 1236, then burned Ryazan in December 1237 and Vladimir in February 1238. Grand Prince Yuri II of Vladimir was killed at the Battle of the Sit River in March. Rus' was divided into rival principalities under the nominal grand prince of Kiev and had no strength to stand together. In 1239 Pereyaslavl and Chernigov fell.
In December 1240, after a long siege, the Mongols took Kiev; the Church of the Tithes, where the last defenders and refugees crowded, is said to have collapsed. The next year the Mongols entered Poland and Hungary and won at Legnica and Mohi, but they withdrew in 1242 after the death of the Great Khan Ögedei. Batu made Sarai on the Volga his capital (the Golden Horde); the princes of Rus' had to receive a yarlyk, a patent to rule, from the khan, and a Mongol census was taken in the 1250s. The papal envoy Giovanni da Pian del Carpine passed through ruined Kiev in 1246.
Who you are
You begin as a 22-year-old warrior in the druzhina of the prince of Kiev. You have no land, but you have Might and a sword. Your fellow warrior Stavr, Malusha from Podil, the riverside lower town, and Brother Filaret of the Caves Monastery are the people of this life.
The current of history: The Mongol invasion
An invitation called "News from the east" arrives, and you choose what to do as the Mongol army approaches. Further stages follow: the yarlyk of Sarai and the khan’s census.
Sides you can take
- Fight back Fight to the end on the walls of Kiev.
- Flee Take your family west or into the forests — survive and begin again.
- Submit to the Khan Bend the knee to the khan and find a place in the new order.
Tips
Questions and answers
How close is this scenario to real history?
The destruction of Ryazan and Vladimir in 1237–1238, the Battle of the Sit River, the fall of Kiev and the Church of the Tithes in December 1240, Legnica and Mohi in 1241, Sarai and the yarlyk, the Mongol census and the papal envoy’s journey are historical. The starting map, realms, real historical figures and the major events of the current of history follow actual history. You and the companions, rivals and loves around you are fictional people who could have lived then, and once you start, history may diverge according to your choices and those of the AI rulers.
What station do I start in?
You start as a 22-year-old male warrior in Kiev, of knightly class in the prince's druzhina. You have no land.
Is it free? Can I play right away?
Yes. Crown & Plough is a free browser game with no account and nothing to install. The "Start in this scene" button on this page opens the scenario's intro screen directly, and progress is saved automatically in your browser. It works on phones too.