Redshirts 1858
1858, Genoa. Rumour on the docks says Cavour has made a secret pact with France. In the taverns the name Garibaldi is sung like a song. You are a young worker in the port.
Historical background
After the failed revolutions of 1848, hopes for Italian unity gathered around the Kingdom of Sardinia in Piedmont. In July 1858 its prime minister Cavour met the French emperor Napoleon III secretly at Plombières and won the promise of an alliance against Austria. In 1859 the Second Italian War of Independence broke out and the Franco-Sardinian army won at Magenta and Solferino. Henri Dunant, who saw the carnage at Solferino, would later found the Red Cross. With the armistice of Villafranca, Sardinia gained Lombardy.
On the night of 5 May 1860 Giuseppe Garibaldi sailed from Quarto near Genoa with about a thousand red-shirted volunteers — the Thousand — and landed at Marsala in Sicily. They brought down the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, and on 17 March 1861 the Kingdom of Italy was proclaimed. In the south, however, armed resistance branded "brigandage" went on, and reprisals such as Pontelandolfo in August 1861 followed. Garibaldi, crying "Rome or death", was stopped at Mentana in 1867, and on 20 September 1870 the Italian army entered Rome.
Who you are
You begin as a 21-year-old worker in the port of Genoa. You have neither land nor title, but you have your comrades on the docks. Bartolomeo Cecchi, a Mazzinian printer, Nino Rosselli, a docker, Rosa Cantalupo of Palermo and Sergeant Marchesi, who keeps an eye on you, are the people of this life.
The current of history: Italian unification
An invitation called "Risorgimento" arrives, followed by stages for Solferino, the Thousand and the Kingdom of Italy. You decide whether to fight for unity or defend the old order.
Sides you can take
- Unification side Fight for unity with Garibaldi and Sardinia.
- Old order side Stand with the pope, the old kingdoms and Austria.
Tips
Questions and answers
How close is this scenario to real history?
The Plombières pact of 1858, Magenta and Solferino in 1859, Dunant, Villafranca, the Thousand sailing from Quarto in 1860 and the landing at Marsala, the Kingdom of Italy on 17 March 1861, Pontelandolfo, Mentana in 1867 and the entry into Rome in 1870 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 21-year-old common man working in the port of Genoa. You belong to the Kingdom of Sardinia 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.