Ethan Walker
In Crusader Kings II, moral authority is a crucial aspect of religion, significantly impacting the spread of heresy and the dominance of the One True Faith. Players often discuss strategies for increasing Catholic moral authority, which can plummet due to various factors such as lost holy wars, heretical realms, and the presence of an antipope. One effective approach is to conquer Catholic lands and capture Rome, causing a freefall in their moral authority. Another strategy involves completing crusades, earning the Crusader trait, and increasing moral authority by 20%. Additionally, players can target holy sites, each contributing 10% to moral authority, and consider converting to neighboring religions to regain a foothold. However, some players express frustration with the challenge of raising Catholic moral authority, especially when facing heresies like Lollard and Fraticelli.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Effect of religious flexibility technology | 10% reduction in penalty per level |
| Religious flexibility dependency | Tech level in the capital county of the character |
| Spread of religion | Only via inquisitions |
| Heresy | Can spread on its own |
| Character-to-character spread | Occurs when the character is 16+, not a prisoner, in the same court as at least one other person that is free, 16+, in the same religious group, has an opinion of 25+ of the heretic, and is not a heretic |
| Traits affecting character-to-character spread | Zealous, diligent, cynical, slothful |
| Effect of completing crusades | 20% increase in moral authority |
| Effect of appointing an antipope | Faster spread of heresy |
| Effect of prolonged presence of an antipope | Rake in money, lower moral authority of the church, rise of heresy, hatred from vassals, reduction in church taxes |
| Effect of capturing Rome | Freefall of moral authority, rise of heresies |
| Effect of losing wars, bishoprics, etc. | Malus may be in the negative |
| Effect of holy wars | Increase in moral authority |
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What You'll Learn
- Conquering Catholic Lands ruled by Germanic Norsemen will decrease Catholic moral authority
- Capturing Rome will cause Catholic moral authority to freefall
- Completing crusades increases Catholic moral authority
- Appointing an antipope will decrease Catholic moral authority
- Attacking heretic neighbours with Holy Wars can increase Catholic moral authority
Conquering Catholic Lands ruled by Germanic Norsemen will decrease Catholic moral authority
In Crusader Kings II, players can increase or decrease their moral authority through various means. One way to decrease Catholic moral authority is by conquering Catholic Lands that are ruled by Germanic Norsemen. This action will result in a decrease in Catholic moral authority, and the capture of Rome will cause it to free fall, leading to the emergence of heresies within the faith.
Additionally, players can raid temples, but this method may not be as effective in reducing moral authority. Losing wars, bishoprics, and holy wars against the Muslims can also contribute to lowering Catholic moral authority. If the player is powerful enough, they can attack heretic neighbours with Holy Wars and take back the Holy Sites from heretics or infidels.
It is worth noting that some players have observed that Catholic moral authority never drops below 80%. However, with the HIP (Historical Immersion Project) mod, it is possible for Catholic moral authority to drop to 0%.
To effectively decrease Catholic moral authority, players should focus on conquering Catholic Lands ruled by Germanic Norsemen and capturing key Holy Sites, such as Rome. This strategy will not only reduce Catholic moral authority but also help spread heresy and strengthen the player's own realm.
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Capturing Rome will cause Catholic moral authority to freefall
Capturing Rome is a great way to cripple Catholicism from the outside. While the Papacy itself will always exist and the Pope will always reside somewhere, capturing Rome will cause Catholic moral authority to freefall. This is because Rome is one of the Catholic Church's Holy Sites, providing a 10% moral authority bonus that never fades as long as it is held by the Catholics. By taking Rome, you can significantly reduce Catholic moral authority and cause heresies to spring up within the faith.
In addition to capturing Rome, there are other ways to harm Catholic moral authority. One way is to encourage the disintegration of major Catholic blocks, such as Francia, into many tiny states. This can lead to countless lost holy wars against reformed pagans and Sunnis, causing Catholic moral authority to drop. Another way to reduce Catholic moral authority is to take their other Holy Sites, such as Jerusalem, Santiago, Canterbury, and Koln. However, Rome is the most vulnerable target, with parts of Sicily frequently being Muslim.
It is worth noting that even when Catholicism is wiped out and the only Catholic character left is the Pope, Catholic moral authority can still be surprisingly resilient, recovering through religious revolts. Therefore, it is important to prioritize converting all the counties as soon as possible after winning. Additionally, while capturing Rome will cause Catholic moral authority to freefall, it may not be enough on its own to achieve your goals. If you truly want to damage Catholicism, you may need to go further, such as by making Catholicism a heresy and converting provinces to your faith.
In conclusion, capturing Rome is a significant step towards crippling Catholicism and causing Catholic moral authority to freefall. However, to truly inflict significant damage on the Catholic faith, you may need to combine this with other strategies, such as taking their other Holy Sites, encouraging the disintegration of major Catholic blocks, and converting provinces to your own faith.
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Completing crusades increases Catholic moral authority
In Crusader Kings II, completing crusades is a great way to increase Catholic moral authority. When you set foot in the crusade target area, you gain the Crusader trait, which makes all your bishops and the pope love you. You also gain a few provinces and a 20% increase in moral authority, which can make a large difference when it comes to the spread of heresy and the One True Faith.
The spread of heresy depends on the moral authority of the church. The lower the moral authority, the faster heresy will spread, and the easier it will be to convert yourself and your vassals to it. On the other hand, the higher the moral authority, the more effectively you can spread your religion and hamper heresy. Heresy will appear at a rate slightly above seven times higher at a moral authority of 0-20% than at 80-100%. At a moral authority of 0 to 20%, almost half of your provinces will statistically go heretic over the course of a campaign.
The orthodox church, on the other hand, cannot call crusades. While this means they will never be targeted by crusades, they also cannot gain the benefits of crusades.
While it is possible to lower Catholic moral authority by conquering Catholic lands and holy sites, it is challenging. Even when Catholicism is wiped out and the only Catholic character left is the Pope, the moral authority for Catholics will still be 20-30, sometimes even 50.
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Appointing an antipope will decrease Catholic moral authority
In Crusader Kings II, an antipope is a bishop who challenges the pope's authority and is controlled by the player. They have two of the powers that popes have: excommunication and taxation. The player can use their antipope to excommunicate anyone in their realm, and they and their vassals will be protected from excommunication by the true pope. This can be very useful if the pope does not like the player, and they have political enemies with high piety and good relations with the pope who may get them excommunicated. Additionally, any bishop who prefers the antipope over the pope will pay taxes to the antipope, which can amount to a large sum of money. Also, every bishop in the realm of the antipope's controller will get the "Head of Religion" opinion bonus of +30 towards the antipope instead of the pope.
However, appointing an antipope comes with significant drawbacks. Each antipope in existence will decrease the moral authority (MA) of the Catholic Church by 0.1% per year. Over time, this will reduce the rate of spread of Catholicism while increasing the spread of heresy. As the MA of the church decreases, heresy will become more common, and the player's vassals will start hating them as church taxes dry up since fewer bishops will follow the player's religion. Therefore, unless the player deliberately wants to become a heretic, they should not hold onto an antipope for an extended period of time.
To appoint a bishop as an antipope, the player can go to the Religion tab (F9) and click the hat button next to the bishop. It is recommended to appoint an antipope as early as possible if the player wants to go heretic at some point. Additionally, players can interfere with the effectiveness of their rival in the Vatican by murdering an effective pope or cardinal, especially a preferatus, and filling the College of Cardinals with men who would be ineffective popes.
While it is possible to lower the Catholic moral authority by appointing an antipope, other methods can also be used. For example, players can focus on conquering Catholic lands and ruling them as Germanic Norsemen, causing their moral authority to drop. Capturing Rome will cause their moral authority to go into freefall, and heresies will spring up within the faith. Additionally, players can encourage the disintegration of major Catholic blocks, such as Francia, into many tiny states, resulting in countless lost holy wars against reformed pagans and Sunnis.
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Attacking heretic neighbours with Holy Wars can increase Catholic moral authority
If you're playing Crusader Kings II and are struggling with low Catholic moral authority, you may need to take drastic action. One option is to attack your heretic neighbours with Holy Wars. This can be an effective strategy, especially if you're powerful enough to take on the heretics and reclaim Holy Sites.
Holy Wars can be a powerful tool for increasing Catholic moral authority. By conquering heretic neighbours, you can remove the source of heresy and prevent it from spreading further. This is especially important as low moral authority can cause your provinces to turn heretic, leading to constant rebellions and a negative spiral for Catholic moral authority.
Additionally, capturing Holy Sites can provide a significant boost to Catholic moral authority. Each Holy Site provides a 10% increase in moral authority, so taking back these sites from heretics can be a crucial step in restoring Catholic dominance.
However, it's important to remember that Holy Wars alone may not be enough. You may also need to focus on winning crusades, removing heretics from your lands, and replacing religious leaders who are failing to address the issue.
Furthermore, while attacking heretic neighbours can be effective, it's a strategy that requires careful consideration. You need to ensure you are powerful enough to take on the heretics and withstand the revolts and holy wars that may come your way. Playing pragmatically and adapting your strategies as needed is essential for navigating this challenging situation.
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Frequently asked questions
One way to increase Catholic moral authority is to complete crusades, which can also help you gain the Crusader trait and some provinces.
If Catholic moral authority is low, you can try to increase it by attacking heretic neighbours with Holy Wars and taking back Holy Sites.
If Catholic moral authority is at 0%, you may not be able to convert anyone, and counties you holy war may still turn heretic. You could try converting to a heresy or working to increase Catholic moral authority.
You can decrease Catholic moral authority by conquering Catholic lands and ruling them as a Germanic Norseman. Capturing Rome will cause Catholic moral authority to go into freefall.
If Catholic moral authority is low, you could try converting to a neighbouring religion, building up some power, and then converting back to Catholicism, which will now be a heresy.
