Just started playing this game again and after playing a 100 or so turns with the HRE, I decided I wanted to be a good, high reputation, crusading faction rather than a German blitzkrieg.

A lot of what I said a good 3 or so months ago from the above post still applies but I've got several key tips:

----Use Alfonso to your advantage. He's young for a King and you have time to build him up. I used him as Crusader very early against the Moors. Put every troop from your Castle and your army under his control and head straight for Valencia, then Siege and wait a couple turns to soften up the rebels before you strike. I built a couple of Mailed Knights; about 3 in consecutive turns from the first three turns in and had them meet him at Valencia. This gives you the added boost you need to take it from the Rebel General with relative ease. You can do it without those added Knights, but no sense being a hero early on when you're going to need those troops for your Crusade.

----Get a Princess to Rome ASAP. I went over land and that was a bad idea. If I could do it again I'd buy a merc ship with my King and send one of them to Rome for an alliance early, before everyone else. Seems like the Papacy on VH/VH only likes to ally with one Catholic Faction at a time. Regardless, you'll need the Princess there to gift the Pope so you can convince him to target the Moors capital as his first Crusade.

----Speaking of this: the Papacy is your friend in Spain. The Spanish are by far the best faction to manipulate Zealous medieval Catholicism to their advantage. You can stock the College of Cardinals relatively early if you just build up churches and send your Priests down to Iberian Muslim lands and eventually North Africa (I'm at turn 40 and I've got 9 Cardinals, one eligible for the Papacy next vote). Priests who spread the Gospel to infidels get promoted to Cardinal. Use the Crusades, the Spanish did it in real life and you should too. My King died at 60 named "Alfonso the Saint" with maxed Chiv ratings, 7 command stars and was the only man who could govern Cordoba after it was taken. -occupy, occupy, occupy... don't sack, you'll be fine on money if you use the Crusades properly.

----Call the Crusade on the Moors capital in Iberia and on the way get their Castle in very south. Two birds with one strong, cheap/no upkeep Crusader army.

----I allied with the English early, sent a Princess up there ASAP. I didn't marry her off, she had too high a charm. Apparently her high charm attracted a good husband because she brought in a General with 4 command, 4 chivalry and 2 piety being 23 years old. I set this kid up to be the successor to Alfonso; killed off the faction heir in North Africa when I saw the King was almost 60... sometimes you need to make sure the right General gets the throne. So I've got a 33 year old King with 5 command stars, 5 authority stars and maxed chiv right now with some good traits.

----When you're Crusading and Portugal attacks you, they will surely be excommed by their second attempt act of aggression. Use this to beat them down without hassle from the Pope.



I'm at turn 53, got my mid thirties hand picked King, I own all of Iberia and all of North Africa to Tripoli and I just got Toulouse from the Milanese who the Pope called his own Crusade on. Now I've got my King and and my new faction heir around Toulouse with 1 1/2 stacks of professional non militia army, 15,000 florins in the bank, 9 papal rating and I'm at peace with everyone.

I must decide where to strike to next, as it's tricky when you try to be a good, noble country, but I've got the army, the Generals, the money and the Papal authority on my side.

-The Lesson: Spain is made for the Crusader/Papal manipulator strategy. It's fun, historically accurate to some degree and extremely effective.