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I am currently excommunicated, but my king has massive influence and better than average V&V. Now that my elimination of the Italians is wrapping up, I would like to bring in the successor and get back in the Pope's good graces for happiness purposes. However, the new heir will have marginal influence, although he has decent V&V. Which is more important to preventing revolts, large influence and in a centralized port or not being excommunicated (and of course, same centralized location)? The year is 1225 and I smell trouble brewing.
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What is more important is killing off the pope. Send in a few dozen assassins. Once the pope is dead, the excom is lifted.
Alternatively, if you've just wiped out the Italians, there's supposed to be a way where you can invade the Pope and install your own Pope. You have to deal with the intermittent reappearance of the loyalist Popes, but that can be cured by letting Rome go rebel (so I've heard).
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You supposedly install a new pope, but you have no control over him. I have played as the italians many times. Do not invade rome and kill the pope. A new pope will keep coming back every few years with better and better units until he can take it back. Assasinating him is an option, but It is harder than killing the usual, run of the mill faction leader. The effects of your excommunication on your people depends on thier zeal...more zeal, the less they like you being ex'ed.
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"You there, knight!" "Yes, sir?" "We just lost that battle. Why did you order your men to charge that unit of enemy sergeants?" "Uh, I was impetuous, sir" "'IMPETUOUS!? Impetuous!? Men! Kill him, I want his head!"
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Well, this problem was somewhat solved for me this turn, as the Pope died of natural causes and I am unexcommunicated. For my empire, I believe that not being excomm. is the most important, because there is a lot of high zeal. My happiness problems have been resolved in one turn. However, the sneaky Italians had some heirs I failed to notice and they invaded two rebel provinces on the same turn I took out what I thought to be their last remaining heir. So it goes, but I have managed to drastically improve my trade and with happiness back to normal, I am at about break-even each turn even with lots of building going on.
