Crusader Kings III’s latest Silk & Silver developer diary details how its Guelphs and Ghibellines situation will unfold, with the 1178 start opening during a brief period of Repose following the Concordat of Worms. Dev Diary #7 also lays out events for campaigns that pass through earlier dates, including a choice for future Italian city-state title holders to break away and become republics.
The conflict grew out of disputes between Kaiser Heinrich of the Holy Roman Empire and the papacy over control and influence concerning religious officials and vassals. The Guelphs support the Pope and the independence of the Italian city states, placing the question of who holds authority at the centre of the situation.
The implementation takes creative liberties because the conflict’s dates do not fully align with Crusader Kings III’s prime gameplay period around 1100. Players leading either side who play through 1075 receive the Investiture Controversy, while players who play through 1123 receive the Concordat of Worms. Those dates are the diary’s concrete signposts for campaigns progressing toward the later starting situation, rather than simply background history attached to it.
The most consequential player choice described here comes in 1167. Anyone holding one of the future Italian city-state titles at that point can choose to break free, become a republic and join the Lombard League. Mechanically, that makes this more than a dispute over which authority to support: for those title holders, the conflict also presents a decision about independence and their realm’s form of government.
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