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The Siege of Crema was a siege of the town of Crema, Lombardy by the Holy Roman Empire in 1159. The Cremans tried to defend their city from the German invaders, but they were eventually defeated by Frederick's men. The people who weren't killed in the siege were decapitated along with the inhabitants of the city. Frederick Barbarossa let his men play football with the severed heads of the decapitated, and this outraged Pope Alexander III. Frederick seized Milan in 1162 shortly after he took Crema. This started the wars of Guelphs and Ghibellines, and this would last until the year 1529.[1]
In 1158, Frederick Barbarossa led an army into Italy to conquer northern Italy. The city of Crema was allied to his enemy, the city of Milan, and he was encouraged to attack the walls by the city of Cremona. The Cremese settled into their city to hold against a siege. Barbarossa killed his prisoners, so the Cremese hacked their prisoners to pieces in front of their comrades[2]. Rumor said that Barbarossa flung city children from catapults against the city's walls. The besiegers used a "cat" mobile roof to cover their siege engineers who were mining under the walls. This led to the Cremese also digging tunnels to start underground warfare. Soon, the civilians died of hunger and disease, prompting them to surrender. They were allowed to leave before Crema was burnt to the ground. Soon, Milan was taken.