Will I be able to beat the Papal states?

**womble** · November 20, 2007, 07:48 PM

I have been reading the threads by people saying they have fallen out with the papal states and it is impossible to beat them.

I'm currently destroying Denmark and France (me being England) and I'm about to be excommunicated. If I get enough strength I should have no trouble fending off crusades and attacks from the papal states isn't that right?

How do I keep the pope on side while still being able to smash everyone? Or do I not really need to worry about this aslong as I'm strong.

**Nevins** · November 20, 2007, 08:03 PM

You don't really need to worry about it as the worst that can happen is a crusade on one of your provinces and from your description you should be more than able to handle just about anything thrown at you.

**antaeus** · November 20, 2007, 08:20 PM

but no for the record, you can't beat the pope. kill him and take his territoties, and he pops up next turn after an election. also, because of the election, it would probably end the crusade against you

**Emperor_Palpy** · November 20, 2007, 08:35 PM

Actually, it is possible to more or less destroy the pope. I've only done it a few times, but you have to eliminate the pope and the entire College of Cardinals(you have to assassinate all of them. It's easier for me just to kill the pope every time after he gets elected, meaning he'll be in Rome,thus easier to find and kill, until there are no cardinals left to replace him. I had a really good assassin with like a 95% on all the popes). The papal seat will be vacant until a priest gets good enough to be a cardinal(in which case he's automatically elected.). If this is the case, and the States have no territory, for all intents and purposes they don't exist.

I once created this situation on like turn 50, and played the rest of my campaign without a pope(unless i felt like having one of my own, in which case he was there for life or until he annoyed me enough to provoke a lethal response)

**Bluice** · November 20, 2007, 08:36 PM

I watched Milan take Rome and kill the pope, then another Pope is elected and usually he appears in Rome, obviously not now because Rome is not part of the Papal States anymore but usually a mission appears to give the Pope a home being one of your settlements. But it has been 10-15 turns and still no request, no single settlement for the Pope and I can't find him wandering about anywhere even with FOW off.

Does the Pope actually wander about when he hasn't a settlement or is he in hiding?

**Emperor_Palpy** · November 20, 2007, 08:39 PM

I hate when he's gone and i can't find him. Usually he hates me in that case, and I can't find him to assassinate.

**Bluice** · November 20, 2007, 08:55 PM

Exactly what I'm talking about..

I have never seen him leave Rome, only his generals and their armies.

**Vor** · November 21, 2007, 04:34 AM

Originally Posted by Bluice

Exactly what I'm talking about..

I have never seen him leave Rome, only his generals and their armies.

Probably hidden in the woods around Rome, ambush mode.

**Kahn** · November 21, 2007, 12:56 PM

Originally Posted by Bluice

I have never seen him leave Rome, only his generals and their armies.

I'm playing a Milan campaign on vanilla, and the pope is never in Rome. He's got a full army and has been cruising around my territories for the last 30 turns or so. He just goes from one end of my borders to the other over and over again. We are in perfect standing, so I'm not worried about an attack, but he sure likes to keep Milanese territories holy...

**Emperor_Palpy** · November 20, 2007, 09:03 PM

Unless, of course, he no longer has Rome. He never does seem to want to leave the Papal capital.

I exiled him to Baghdad once. Was hilarious with jihad after jihad against it.

**Marcus Scaurus** · November 21, 2007, 04:55 AM

Don't worry about being excommunicated. In my English campaign, I've been excommunicated a dozen times fighting the HRE and the French. Just beat the Germans and French, raise a few new stacks and invade Italy. Rome is easy to take, though the Papal Army can be a *****. After taking Rome the Pope doesn't pose a threat at all.

It would be cool to sweep the Pope from the face of the earth by eliminating the College of Cardinals. Just first conquer all lands and stop recruiting new priests. After some decades they'll start dying and after fifty years there's no College left.

**Bob The Fearless** · November 21, 2007, 07:13 AM

Hi Womble,

Wouldn't be to stressed about being excommed, just about to go their myself. One of the drawbacks is all your cities/towns etc will rise in unrest as they are not to keen on having the Pope look unfavourabley at them. So make sure you have a good Public Order value before it happens.

Once your King has died or the Pope dies you will automatically get back into the fold once more with the Pope.

To avoid it just keep those crosses stacked up on the Pope tab of your faction infomation sheet/screen.

Good Luck

**Bluice** · November 21, 2007, 07:31 PM

Probably hidden in the woods around Rome, ambush mode.

Never thought of that, will have to take a look. Remember Rome belongs to Milan in my game though so we he still linger around?

I'm playing a Milan campaign on vanilla, and the pope is never in Rome. He's got a full army and has been cruising around my territories for the last 30 turns or so. He just goes from one end of my borders to the other over and over again. We are in perfect standing, so I'm not worried about an attack, but he sure likes to keep Milanese territories holy...

Very interesting, I am using SS 4.1 though if that changes anything.

**antaeus** · November 21, 2007, 07:40 PM

the pope lingers.. probably financiall screwed though so unable to do much without an army

i had the papal states return once.

i had moved the papacy to sardinia cause i wanted to have rome, but to keep the papal states near in case i needed them in future. but the filthy moors came along and sacked the popes only city. leaving him stranded on the island with no army or city.

a few turns later he took back the city with his army of 2 and the papal states were reborn. he went on to take tunis later..

**Mansa musa** · November 22, 2007, 12:23 PM

Originally Posted by womble

I have been reading the threads by people saying they have fallen out with the papal states and it is impossible to beat them.

I'm currently destroying Denmark and France (me being England) and I'm about to be excommunicated. If I get enough strength I should have no trouble fending off crusades and attacks from the papal states isn't that right?

How do I keep the pope on side while still being able to smash everyone? Or do I not really need to worry about this aslong as I'm strong.

you have to give him loads of money