Here’s the deal, I started a new campaign as the Spanish, early/expert/GA with the rule not to attack unless attacked, except for the almos. This little rule has made me slow way down but I have not been at a lack for enemies. This year it is the Italians and they are really giving me a hard time in the water and the Pope warns me to layoff, So, I stop, trying to be good and stick to my rule. Well 7 or 8 years go by and the Italians move ships to block my trade down to the med. I forget what year it is and sink um! I get excommunicated. :furious3:
The current Pope is only 35 and my king has only been in office a few years and has little influence or piety. I see the writing on the wall and know religious uprisings are just around the corner. :worried2: I have been dealing with rebellions a lot this game, more than ever before. My war with the Almos lasted a long time and stretched me real thin (at one point I was down to 2 provinces, but 2 rebel provinces flipped to my faction and I was back in the game). I see my only option is to hammer my way thru the Italians and take out the Pope and get unexcommunicated. I do and it was great! By the time I finely kill him he has asked others to crusade against me, so the timing is perfect. I stick around Rome a few turns and take out some of the offensive buildings then I leave. Anticipating his speedy return.
This is where the interesting part began. The turn after I leave 3 full stacks reappear in Rome but they are a peasant army and not the Popes forces. The next turn a stack of Italian loyalists (tough guys) appear in my recently conquered Tuscany I loose to them and get stuck in the castle. Next turn, the peasant army in Rome turns to my faction!!! I drop them in to Tuscany to save my guys trapped in the castle. Next turn, Peasant army wins, just barely, and another 3 full stacks of peasant army pops up in Rome. Still no Pope. Two turns later the Pope is back with a stack and a half, and they get beat by the peasant army!!! The info screen comes up saying that a puppet pope is now in charge; the puppet pope is a peasant!! :shocked2: 5 years later the true Pope comes back and gets beat by the same peasant army!!! Another 5 years and he finely comes back and wins but he has only a few hundred troops left with him.
I got to go almost 20 years :medievalcheers: without the Pope holding me back from finishing off the Italians, I just pushed them onto an island, and punching the HRE and Hungarians in the nose (stay out of Venice or you’ll get another one).
