Why crusade???

[Deus Ex]

if the crusade has no goal anymore, does my king lose influence?

I set up a crusade against the Italians but they have just installed a puppet pope so they won't be excommunicated anymore. No more target => no more crusade => crusade defeated?

I just had a situation similiar to this - playing sicilians/early/hard. The damn pope started a multigenernational war with me. I finally got rid of him and installed a puppet pope. Started building my crusade - when it was done building, it had to sit there UNTIL the real pope emerged, and then also until he ACCEPTED peace terms with me. Once we were no longer at war, I was able to send my crusade to Palestine (one hop - since I owned the seas).

so to answer your question - NO your crusade has not really started until the pope blesses it, and you pay for it (not the building cost, but the "donation" cost) THEN it is active.

If there is a puppet pope, or you are at war with the pope (and also if your target is allied with the pope or something like that) you can build a crusade marker - but cannot start your crusade until the REAL pope blesses it.

Hope that helps!

DE

EDIT: after I wrote this I re-read your note - you had already got the blessing of the pope and started your crusade on it's way?? Then the pope was killed? Hmmm - that's interesting. I would think they would still be a valid target for your crusade... let us know what you find out.