Some of the problems you are describing have to do with how you start out. This is not to say that you cannot remmedy the situation.

England as a country does not start out with much religious unrest. Pump out the max amount of priests in the beginning from one town.

- Decline any other guild except the Theology guild there.
-Build the highest possible religious buildings as you are pumping out priests from that town and that town only.
-Keep those priests on the move. I keep a couple around England ,but ship the rest off to Riga area originally. This will build your piety on those priests sent off as they are converting a largely pagan area.
-Only build priests out of the city with the Theology guild. Try and dispatch all heretics you come upon. That helps also. They start out as guild trained which helps their piety rating.


I keep a diplomat down by the Pope and gift him a couple hundred florin ever so often. I do this immediately so I can control where the Crusades go to.

Don't worry about the other factions attacking you. Keep your army on patrol around your provinces and use them to break seiges. Eventually the Pope will excom them and you will have free reign to kick their arse.