Papal Controller -- What Can I Do With This?

[unmerged(186712)]

I don't even have a diocese archbishop and I got to be papal controller. I'm not sure how this happened. I'm the King of Poland. I think one of my bishoprics' leaders became pope.

So how did happen? And what can I do with this?

 

[jordarkelf]

If one of your bishops became pope -- you inherited his lands, and are now the PC.

You can excommunicate any ruler who has less prestige than the Pope in the diplomatic menu (where you also can DoW) -- an excommunicated ruler's titles can be grabbed almost for free.

As long as you are the PC you can also get events that allow you to start and/or sponsor a crusade, end an ongoing crusade, or get extra money or piety from gifts.

 

[Cecasander]

You don't necessarily need a bishop. I believe the only real condition for becoming a papal controller is very high piety (as in, the highest). I could be wrong, though.

As Jordanelf said, you can excommunicate people if you are a papal controller. Apart from reducing the claiming price of their titles, it also really upsets his vassals and will likely cause rebellion, which will allow you to chop up your bigger rivals' realms in bitesized bits if you're lucky. Furthermore, excommunicated people cannot inherit. That is handy if you/your heir is in the line of succession of some realm, and you need to get rid of some people before you without having to resort to cloaks, daggers and potions. Which are costly and can give you a piety and prestige penalty.

So yes, being papal controller is convenient

 

[unmerged(186712)]

Two popes died but I was still the papal controller after them. All the popes have negative prestige though.

 

[jordarkelf]

There are many ways to becoming the PC:
1) Have the highest piety on load (the PC is recalculated every load)
2) Have a bishop or archbishop who is your direct vassal inherit -- you get the land back and become PC
3) Have a family member who is a bishop become Pope, even if he is not your vassal

Possibly more...

 

[unmerged(124674)]

Two popes died but I was still the papal controller after them. All the popes have negative prestige though.

Since the papacy changes hands frequently, the pope often has low prestege, making his excommunication abilities less useful once you are opperating on a king level.

The main benifit I see is being able to lift any excommnication upon anyone (any Catholic?) That's handy if your chosen heir does something stupid and gets himself excommunicated.

 

[Cecasander]

Yes, you will be papal controller for life (unless you're excommunicated or become a heretic yourself though events, I reckon, but I'm not sure about that).

And the low prestige popes have might be a coded thing to lower their power. They would else be an awesome weapon in the right hands

 

[Veldmaarschalk]

There are many ways to becoming the PC:

2) Have a bishop or archbishop who is your direct vassal inherit -- you get the land back and become PC
3) Have a family member who is a bishop become Pope, even if he is not your vassal

Possibly more...

You don't become PC if a vassal of yours becomes Pope. You just get his lands back.

You also won't become PC if a relative of yours become Pope.

In both cases you may become the PC, but it doesn't always have to be that way. Since with option 2 if you don't have the highest piety you won't become the PC and with option 3 if there is a relative who also holds titles is more closely related to the Pope then he may become the PC.

In general the rule is like this (though there are plenty of exceptions)

During a crusade the ruler with the highest piety will be the PC

When there is no crusade going on the nearest relative (who holds a title) will become the PC.

 

[Olaus Petrus]

Best thing about being the Papal Controller is that your vassal or neighbor isn't the Papal Controller.

I have had enough of that fun when I have played 1066 scenario as Italian duke or Heinrich IV.

 

[Snaake]

In my newest game, William the Conqueror became PC, and within the week he had excommunicated me, a Welsh Count, and a Welsh 1-province bishopric too, which must have been for the lolz or something ("Look what I can do!"), since he never attacked him.

I don't believe that Popes are coded to get low prestige, it's just that bishoprics and archbishoprics don't tend to be very big, so they don't amass a lot of prestige before becoming Pope, they become Pope at a relatively old age so don't have a lot of time to get the prestige from being ruler of the Papal states either... which don't usually have that many titles, and hence prestige, either.

Also, I thought it was that the Pope needs to have more prestige than the target of excommunication has piety.

I think the Pope can only affect Catholics, Orthodox rulers at least can become excommunicated via events (church law ones?), but you'll also have to wait for the event to end excommunication to fire, there's no easy way to get rid of it, if becoming PC can be called easy. The AI doesn't seem to revoke excommunication, even if it was done by some long-dead PC.

 

[unmerged(7537)]

There are many ways to becoming the PC:
1) Have the highest piety on load (the PC is recalculated every load)
2) Have a bishop or archbishop who is your direct vassal inherit -- you get the land back and become PC
3) Have a family member who is a bishop become Pope, even if he is not your vassal

Possibly more...

Papal control also occasionally changes upon reload.

 

[MichOrion]

Papal control also occasionally changes upon reload.

See scenario 1) above. ^

 

[unmerged(7537)]

See scenario 1) above. ^

I blame my lack of reading comprehension. Or sleep. Yes, lack of sleep will do. o

 

[MichOrion]

I blame my lack of reading comprehension. Or sleep. Yes, lack of sleep will do. o

I understand completely.

 

[postm00v]

Sorry to bump this thread back up, but I figured that making a new thread was not needed since this was allready here.
I recently became the PC and have excommed the entire Von Franken line of succesion because they declared war on me !
I didn't know excommed rulers cannot inherit, so the line is full of 2 year old nephews now, and one brother.
I tried to excomm him, and since the Pope had more prestige that he ruler had piety I figured I could .. but I couldn't !

Why ?

 

[jordarkelf]

You cannot excommunicate children.

 

[postm00v]

Well actually his brother is 37 years old, so he wouldn't exactly qualify as a child.

 

[Veldmaarschalk]

Well actually his brother is 37 years old, so he wouldn't exactly qualify as a child.

Is he a ruler ? You can only excommunicate rulers

 

[GenBuffong]

I was ex-communicated as the Khan of the Golden Horde as a pagan!

In my newest game, William the Conqueror became PC, and within the week he had excommunicated me, a Welsh Count, and a Welsh 1-province bishopric too, which must have been for the lolz or something ("Look what I can do!"), since he never attacked him.

I don't believe that Popes are coded to get low prestige, it's just that bishoprics and archbishoprics don't tend to be very big, so they don't amass a lot of prestige before becoming Pope, they become Pope at a relatively old age so don't have a lot of time to get the prestige from being ruler of the Papal states either... which don't usually have that many titles, and hence prestige, either.

Also, I thought it was that the Pope needs to have more prestige than the target of excommunication has piety.

I think the Pope can only affect Catholics, Orthodox rulers at least can become excommunicated via events (church law ones?), but you'll also have to wait for the event to end excommunication to fire, there's no easy way to get rid of it, if becoming PC can be called easy. The AI doesn't seem to revoke excommunication, even if it was done by some long-dead PC.

 

[Veldmaarschalk]

I was ex-communicated as the Khan of the Golden Horde as a pagan!

Which means you are playing a mod, which also means that strange things can happen. Since the game isn't meant to be played as Pagans.

Also the last post in this thread was almost 1,5 years ago, posting in such old threads is called 'thread necromanging' and it is not allowed.