The Lombard League

The Lombard League is the fourth scenario of the Barbarossa campaign in Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings. To win, Barbarossa must construct a Wonder in one of the Lombard League cities.

Opponents

 * Padua
 * (Teutons) The Paduans have the largest army on the map. they launch an attack on Barbarossa at the beginning of this mission using Trebuchets, Paladins and Teutonic Knights, amongst other powerful units. Their fortified city is in the northern corner of the map.


 * Venice
 * (Byzantines) Venetians are situated in the center of the map, with a large fortress on the mainland, with a Castle and large army on an island offshore. They have the largest navy on the map.


 * Verona
 * (Franks) Veronians inhabit the smallest city on the map. They lack a Castle to begin with but will build one relatively quickly. They are protected by the adjacent city of Padua, and are the furthest away from the player.

Henry the Lion also features in this level, betraying Barbarossa as he did in the second level of the campaign. The betrayal is triggered when Barbarossa constructs a castle, though as long as it's not completed, Henry will not become an enemy.

Strategy
Remember to sail east on the transports to get a navy and additional units. There are two viable areas to build your town; the area immediately south of your old town and another area across the ocean to the northeast, close to Padua. The northeast area is a good choice if you wish to build a castle, since it is awkward for Henry The Lion to attack you there. Be sure to reorder your boats so they sail directly there and don't get hit by the Venitian towers to either side of the journey. Padua will be occupied with your old walls for some time so will not immediately be aggressive; you will have time to build a town. Build your town northwards, behind the patch of trees and towards the edge of the map, to avoid the Venitian navy which can be quite aggressive. A good place to build your castle is in front of the left set of shallows; this places it close enough to Padua to defend you across the river, and forces ships to sail up the river to attack the castle, meaning they come into range. Be sure to research your unique technology to give your castle more range, it will make things easier. Good unit choices are Halberdiers to counter the Paduan cavalry and some Cavaliers of your own to take care of any of Henry's Teutonic Knights or Paduan Trebuchets. Punch away at the Paduan walls with some Trebuchets, with your units in front of them to defend; your castle and units should defeat them easily and drain them of resources. Edge forward until you have destroyed their town, then build the wonder there. Defending it should not be any trouble.