Setting up an Anti-pope/Getting a vassal to become pope.

[Jor1994]

Is there any reason to try and get a vassal to become pope? I've never seen the reason to try and play with the religious aspect of the game, like paying to get a vassal elected cardinal, or setting up an Anti-pope.

I managed to get 2 popes in a row from my vassals without even doing anything and i found their was absolutely no benefits to it. I know that there are things you can ask for from the pope, but they seem to only be available f you have 100 opinion with him, which for me isn't often.

[Ragdollintothewall]

Vassal popes will never refuse your request for claims, crusades, or excommunication no matter what their opinion of you is. It's probably the most OP mechanic in the game.

Is he actually remeaning your vassal after becoming pope? You need to be an emperor for him to remain a vassal after becoming pope when pushing the antipope's claim, or else he will just have a large opinion boost but still be independent.

[Jor1994]

At the time i was only a king. He wasn't an anti-pope, he was just a bishop that was elected to the position.

So if i set up an Anti-pope and push his claim, i get him as a vassal?

Is it the same with if i just go through the channels of getting him elected?

Thanks

[that guy]

The papacy is a king level title. That means that you need to be an empire if you want the anti-pope to remain your vassal after successfully pushing his claim.

The other way would be to convert to Fraticelli and install a Fraticelli pope, since the Fraticelli pope is only duke level.

[Random]

vassalizing the pope as a catholic emperor is by far the most broken overpowered thing you can do, and it only gets even more exploitable after the crusade trigger hits as the ability to trade gold for piety via templar donations allows you to instantly fabricate a claim on any county or duchy level title held by any catholics within the world (even those held by vassals under non catholic rulers!).

EG: you create the empire of britannia, you push your anti-popes claim for papacy and end up vassalizing it due to winning the war against basically a weak scrub (your antipope bishop vacates his position in favor of rome and a new auto gen bishop takes over locally just fyi also).

Now that you control the pope you spend your copious amounts of previously worthless piety on fabricating claims on EVERY county within italy (about 3k piety cost). you then use the PRESS ALL CLAIMS cb to attack italy in your own personal crusade, and when you win you receive every single county as your own allowing you to usurp the kingdom and form the HRE. Also this allows you to install your own culture or dynasty as vassals within italy.

This is simply step 1, after a few k gold donations or simply a victorious crusade (which grants you craploads) you can work on taking any other karling kingdom you choose with the exact same strategy. no waiting for dynasty heirs, no need to marry into any title that is held by a catholic, you just take it for the cost of 100 piety.

[Jor1994]

Okay, thanks, I just thought the entire religious game was worthless, i'll have to try it out.