The Galleys of Venice 1202
1202, Venice. Thousands of crusaders who could not pay their passage are stranded on the Lido. Rumour says the old Doge Dandolo has a clever plan. You are a sailor who pulls an oar on a galley.
Historical background
In 1201 the leaders of the crusade signed a treaty with Venice to ship some 33,500 men to Egypt for 85,000 marks of silver. But only about a third of that number gathered on the Lido in the summer of 1202, and there was no way to pay the debt. The elderly and almost blind Doge Enrico Dandolo proposed that they attack Zara (Zadar) across the Adriatic — a Christian city under the protection of the king of Hungary — instead, and the crusaders took Zara in November 1202. Pope Innocent III excommunicated them.
While they wintered at Zara, Alexios, son of the deposed Byzantine emperor Isaac II, came promising money and troops if they would restore his father. In 1203 the crusaders attacked Constantinople and put him on the throne, but the promises were not kept; in April 1204 they stormed and sacked the city and founded the Latin Empire with Count Baldwin of Flanders as emperor. In 1205 the Bulgarian tsar Kaloyan crushed the Latins at Adrianople, and Venice gained Crete and other islands along the sea routes.
Who you are
You begin as a 19-year-old oarsman on a Venetian galley. You have strong arms and a little gold, but this expedition will change the whole Mediterranean. Piero, your fellow oarsman, Irene, a Greek woman of Constantinople, Captain Tommaso and Ugolino, a crossbowman from Pisa, are the people of this life.
The current of history: Fourth Crusade
An invitation called "The emperor’s city" arrives, and at every stage — the walls of Zara, the exiled prince, Adrianople — you choose where to stand.
Sides you can take
- Crusade Follow the expedition with the Venetian fleet, chasing a share of the plunder and a career at sea.
- Defend Constantinople Go over to the defenders of the emperor's city and live in the Greek world.
Tips
Questions and answers
How close is this scenario to real history?
The 1201 Treaty of Venice and the crusaders on the Lido, Enrico Dandolo, the capture of Zara and the excommunication in 1202, Prince Alexios, the sack of Constantinople and the Latin Empire in 1204 and the Battle of Adrianople in 1205 are all 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 19-year-old common man living in Venice, a galley sailor. You belong to the Republic of Venice and 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.