Disaster!! I started building up my navy and forces but it was taking some time as coffers were low. I did get a nice assasin going who was up to valour 4. Then, despite my efforts to minimise it - no military buildings other than the castles, low garrisons - the Pope came back big time. 4 stacks in Rome, 3 stacks in the papal states, all CMAA or FMAA with xbows, RKs etc. I defended with my weak forces so I could retreat into the castles - that worked well. Then civil war broke out!! so my hope of attacking him when he had been weakened by the castle assaults was ruined as my forces were reduced by at least a third. The castle assaults did wear him down - he lost over 500 men in one - but I had no real forces to resist him so after 3-4 years resistance , the Pope wiped me out. In hindsight, I started wrong and had tempted the Pope to invade by leaving the Naples garrison too weak.

So, with that knowledge, I have started again!! This time I have kept a stronger garrison in Naples and have invaded greece with my King and all the spare troops I could muster. That went well, so I have pushed on - the port in Greece got destroyed in my conquest so I need a port for communication back top base for my king - and have taken Constantinopole!! Not bad for under the first 10 years. I have raised some cash and have a magnificent base in Constantinopole - teched up to CMAA and wargallies already. The next few years might be tricky, but I think I can pull it together. I will concentrate on building boats to link my new empire, make peace/ alliances with as many as possible and look to slowly expand my empire once the trade revenue starts building. My worry is that the Horde are relatively not far away, but there still seems to be some buffer states in the way who can wear them down.