How to up piety stats.

[lugh]

Ok, Im just finishing up an English campaighn. This time round I managed to set a really good bloodline up, my princes were rolling out at min 6 stars normally, so I had some kick ass generals on hand all the time and when the king reached c55 y/o Id have my assasin enclave (another thing I concentrated on that I normally dont bother with) cull the weaker ones so that the best of the best reached the throne.
Thing is, about 50 years ago, I noticed Id had not trouble with the Papacy in centuries, and sure enough my current king and heir were really pious, as were an awful lot of my generals.
This is great as Im just coming into conflict with the Catholics now and popey isnt hastling me too much about killing them.

My problem is, I have no idea how I managed to trawl out all these pious devils, and since the benifits are pretty damn good, (popey not annoying me and I might be imagining it but my catholic holdings havent rebelled in decades, and I stripped their garrisons completley when I was running into the Byz)

Is it just linked to influence generally or am I doning something else to get theses stats?

Thanks

[Serpent]

Crusades, Inquisitors and very good lineage. For exempel if you have king whit good stats and very good influence and your kings piety is 3.This may give your heir piety stat 4 and so on so on. I don't know how does buildings rise piety. If they do it at all. Since I had King that builded from nothing 8 churches and 12 monasterys. Also other religious buildings. Nothing.

What comes to Papacy. Are you sure that it is your piety that is holding him back. Or is it because you are just a nice little King whit mighty sword.

[lugh]

While I know its a long shot but I like to think that at least some parts of the diplomacy aspect actually make sense. Youre probably right that its my rather large armies holding the top half of the Italian peninsula though . . . .
I think I'll pay even more attention to my lineage next time out (Im thinking French or Aragonese, havent played em yet), maybe spread sheet all me heirs when theyre born or something.

[OlafTheBrave]

A completed crusade is worth two piety.

[Hold Steady]

A completed crusade is worth two piety.

where's my chapter house? where, ^&%$, I'm at war with the pope!

[lugh]

Really . . .
And if piety is genetic, I should be able to sacrifise maybe my first couple of kings to the excommunications that are neccecary to build a nice core empire then uber crusade and ignore the pope for hopefully the rest of the game. Starting a French campaighn tonight so fingers crossed.
Hah, yeah, Ive had the pope do that before, all the thousands lined up to take Constaninople by sea and then bam, no crusade and the pope is blockading me.