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Turns out there was 'Pope is Sick' event which I missed half a year ago.

For once I'm not gonna complain.



As the times are rather peaceful and prosperous, Pope Gregorius XIV has decided to spend the accumulated money.

Most of the cash goes for creation of new regiments, as well as to build constables and church in the few provinces that do not have these buildings yet.



Joyous news arrive from war-torn England!

Its people, angry at their Sultan, has seized the lands in the name of God, with some passing into the hands of Archbishopric of Cornwall.

Who knows, maybe the revolt in London forces the Sultan to turn back into feudal Kingship?



The sickly Gregorius has his rule contested by an Anti-Pope!

Anastasius V, as he calls himself, rallies his supporters in Treviso.



We can't afford to have a Master of Mint at the moment, I need my advisors for other things.

So, to prevent inflation going out of hand, we preemptively slash it in return for stability and prestige drop.



Rip Poland, you were a blob for just 20 years.

And less independence spam next time, please!



Funny, I was actually considering absorbing our one-province vassals (Verona, Firenze, Mantua).

Turns out, the God agrees with us this time!

Unfortunately, Mantua refuses the initial offer, so we will have to butter them up with money. Or perhaps hire an Ambassador.



While the loan's repayment draws near, our Banker shows off his skills.

Our stability has harder time getting back to maximum value, so we take this option over free prestige one.

Also, Pope Gregorius XIV overcame his illness. Truly, God loves his apostle on Earth.



Despite his lackluster skills, Pope Gregorius XIV is working steadily to reform the Church.

Act of Uniformity gives extra missionaries and lowers both initial and maintenance costs of them working in the provinces.



Barely, just barely, we scrounge enough ducats to pay off the loan!

Signor Simplicius is out, and we will be getting a Master of the Mint as soon as possible.



It seems that Pope Gregorius XIV's illness is a chronic one.

He has became bedridden once more, and this time, it might be his last. Before him, only Pius III was lucky enough to survive this - once.



Praised be the God in Heavens! The rebels did it, they've converted London to Catholicism!

While their ruler is still a Muslim, such a victory means their rebels are tirelessly capturing territories.

Soon enough, they might force a conversion upon the Sultan himself, and perhaps we won't have to launch a second English Crusade.



Awww, dangit! I've just noticed that I've missed the death of Karel Debruyne of Brabant, our fortification expert.

I believe the last time I've checked, his years of service were around 77? Or was it 78?

Rest in peace, immortal Brabantian, your dedication to the Papal States will be never forgotten!

In his place, we recruit Lando Rovereto, a 4-rank Ambassador born in Papal States.



It pays off almost immediately, as the Kingdom of Netherlands, on rise to becoming a regional power, offers an alliance.

As our only allies at the moment are our small vassals, we accept.



Aww, and he was only 2 months away from getting cured! I almost feel sad for poor Gregorius.



Habemus Papam! Innocentius IX is a diplomat, and quite a good one at that.

How about we demand annexation from Mantua now? With Innocentius IX in power, we could also-



OH NO, REFORMATION HAS BEGUN!

...Wait, Sisinnius Pontebba, I remember that one! He spawned in Papal States a while ago, and Verden hired him lat year!

TREACHERY!! BETRAYAL!!

In a perfect moment, some patricians give us money in return for our patronage.

Of course we accept, the moeny will be used to create a unit of militia to keep eye on rebellious provinces.

The rest? The rest is sailing north - Duke of Wales has agreed to host our troops!




The whole crusade goes awfully awry from day 1 because of involvement of the Mamluks and Ottomans.

Meanwhile France and Sweden together band against the English Sultan in the same as we do.



While General Soterius Corleone is fighting hard on English soil, and Ottomans are landing at our islands, we get this.

It's a modded event of mine; we decide to sponsor Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana, and leftover 10 ducats might require us to take a loan.



While heathen English troops are wasting their time in Gwynnedd, General Corleone has taken his troop on a chevauchee across England.

In total, we gain about 80 ducats from the pillaging alone. Then, satisfied with the spoils, General Corleone takes his forces to London!



Papal age- I mean, emissaries, graciously bring funds to the Christian peoples of England.

Already there is a revolt in Lancastershire and Cumbria, and we hope the good Christians wipe the Sultan off the face of the British Isles!




Terrible news from Rome! Pope Clemens VII dies of old age.

Habemus Papam! Pius IV decides to continue the fight against English heathens.



A major battle occurs in Gwynnedd, where we fight the Royal Army.

They're defeated and chased to Marches, then Glouchestershire, where they're completely annihilated.



Be it plunder or political gains, most of Western Europe is now fighting the English!

Never since the First Crusade there was such unity against common foe. Pope Pius IV lauded the noble men and sons who took up arms against the English heathens.



Pius IV decides that while progress and innovation are good, they cannot undermine our Catholic policies.

Thus, when a philosopher was condemned as heretic, Pius IV agreed with the ruling.



The vile Ottomans lay siege to Rome!

We send General Corleone and our main army there after the militia left behind is annihilated at Battle of Venice.



Ottomans are routed from under the gates of Rome, but General Corleone pays the heaviest price for his bravery!

His replacement, General Anastasius Pramaggiore, swears to destroy the infidel or die trying!



The battle of Treviso goes in our favor, especially after appearance of our Ducal reinforcements.

Then we chase the Ottoman to Venezia, where their troops are drowned in the Adriatic!



Ottoman Empire is being terrible annoying. They even let Sicillian nationalists to take over in Sicily.

Meanwhile our fleet is battling theirs in control of the important straits.

There will be no inch of land given to the vile Turk!




The stressful management of the English Crusade has depleted the health of Pius IV, sending him early to House of our Lord.

Habemus Papam! Benedictus XIII is the exact opposite of a Pope we would want now.

However, he seems to be blessed with favor of our God; shortly after his ascension, we beat Ottomans in Veneto region, retake Verona, and then defeat their fleet at Straits of Otranto.



This is what happens when the Pope knows nothing about wielding political power!

We swallow the bitter pill of foreign dominance in the Curia, as the other option would cause a -2 Stability hit, which we cannot afford to have right now.



Turns out the Imperial Army, led by Sultan Ibrahim I Osmanli himself, is besieging Calabria!

Fortunately, the sneakily positioned Florentine troops join the battle, allowing us to beat the Turk and then destroy them at Naples.

Sultan Ibrahim has enough luck to escape our wrath.



With our fleet ruling over Aegean Sea, Sultan Ibrahim finally relents and sends us an offer of white peace.

Benedictus XIII wholeheartedly agrees. Now we can return to the fighting against the English.



The States have become riddled with problems as of late. Anastasius Pramaggione dies in Wales, and Innocentius Argenta takes control of the Army.

The Pope had to deliberaterily wait until January to toss money at Maltese rebels.



Despite the ravages of war, peoples of Roma prosper, somehow.

The powers-that-be in England are losing grip at the situation, and hteir soldiers and mercenaries fail every battle.

Everyone is ecstatic about our continued victories in England... that is good, for independence of Sardinia, massive revolts in Venezia and other cities pass relatively unnoticed.



Just few days after rewarding the Scottish emissary for their entrance, and victory, in English Crusade, Pope Benedictus XIII falls deadly ill.

Hopefully, he will be just like Pius III, and overcome the sickness, returning to the office in full health.




Unfortunately, he didn't. Habemus Papam again, brothers and sisters!

And what a Pope he is. Either the God is displeased with our policies, the war, or mayhaps he wishes to teach us a lesson.

What lesson that would be, I have no idea.



Pope Gregorius XIV might himself be of little grace, but at least he gets nice advisors.

And yes, I do realize that Karel Debruyne is approximately 100 years old by now. We don't speak about Signor Debruyne around here.

Better not think too deeply about his longevity.



Woo! The pains this Crusade brought upon us have paid off for once.

We can finally adopt the title of Defender of Faith, gaining morale and war exhaustion bonuses.

Plus, we have usurped that title from Austria, and that's always nice.




No one is sure if the peace treaty was a good or bad idea on Pope Gregorius XIV's side. But the English Crusade is over.

It gave independence and autonomy to those still Christian in England. The rest, rumors say, is left to rebels. The Mamluks were punished for their role of bringing Ottomans in, hopefully it will make them suffer.

Pope Gregorius XIV claims that the English Crusade was a victory - but it will be the historians reading stories and reports from the war who shall judge us all.

As always, this is only a temporary alliance, for we know the only permament alliances are the ones with your vassals.

This is a strategic one; Austria has recently became too powerful and are continuing their hold on the Imperial Throne; something that's too dangerous to let be.



Doesn't take long for them to drag us into a war.

We join to uphold the treaty, and then start a war of our own:



The Doge of Venice has been excommunicated by Aquileia, and that gives us a valid pretext for war.

Venice will be ours - whilst not a core, the control of its centre of trade will be invaluable.

And yes, Castille joined the war against us and Bavaria, but I'm sure it can be easily fixed.




Funnily, we never had a Theologian at our court. Signor Toscani will do nicely.

And even better, he allows us to take this important religious edict.



The sinful Doge has been drowned in the Adriatic and the City of Canals is ours!

Our merchants flock to Venetian markets to dominate it.

Meanwhile, Castille, fearful of confrontation in Italy, has decided to besiege our islands instead.



Inflation is bad, yes, but this event fills almost half of our tech bar in one go, shaving away several years of wait till next Government tech level.



Castille finally lands troops at Italian coasts.

Because we have no general available, Pius III, despite his ill health, leads the troops to bash the Castillian soldiers into a bloody pulp.



The innovative and progressive policies of Pius III's predecessors left our current Pope with no Missionaries to use.

Currently, we have nothing for them to do, but we must slow down the loss and get into positives.

After all, there's no heathens or heretics in the-



EXCUSE ME BUT WHAT THE BLOODY HELL?

I vaguely remember that they were at war with the Ottomans few years ago, but WHAT?? HOW???



Castille landed a big troop at Sicily, hoping that their numbers will protect them.

Pope Pius III has decided them, after mere two battles, that they are totally wrong.



And speaking of Pius III; look, the 'Bedridden Pope' (a red icon once present in the row of greens) modifier is gone. He is cured!



Now he can turn his attention to the greatest insult upon the grace of God at the moment.

It seems that the conversion originated in London. Therefore, there can be no other conclusion but that the Ottomans kicked English ass so hard, they've forced a conversion.

Pius III is considering the obvious: a Crusade. An English Crusade, now that will be a first!



Signor Toscani already proves his theological brilliance.

Out of the two options, we go for free stability boost.



Finally, Castille decides that it is tired of war against us, and offers white peace.

Our vassals promptly receive the same offer within next two weeks or so.

Somehow, Bavarians manage to force Castille to grant independence to Kingdom of Galicia, in the remote northwestern corner of Iberia.



Ayyy, Master of Mint also gets his special one-time event! We take Prestige option this time.



Man, the events always come in the wrong order, don't they?

We heed Signor Gorizia's idea, -3 inflation does not come lightly.

It's harder to fix than stability or prestige, that's for sure.



While Pius III deals with fallout from his recent centralization efforts, the States are hard at work, building new cogs and galleys, and even few Carracks.



After chasing Venetian nationalists to their home city, the battle here sees Pius III killed in action!

Habemus Papam! The new Pope, Clemens VII, has little to offer in skills of diplomacy and military. Yet even then, he swore that the English Heresy will NOT be allowed to last.

All we need to do is to persuade King of Scotland to agree to harbor our troops and ships. And he is being exceptionally stubborn at the moment. Bleh!

Of course, such violent conquests and land-grabs do not go well with populace.

For example, people of Sardinia has staged a revolt - second since their conquest so far.

The forces of Papal States are vigilant and ready, however, to deal with them any time.



A mission is given to us by the God to vassalize Mantua!

Pisa will most probably flake away. If they do, Armata di Roma is ready to capture their provinces and vassalize them too.



"They've chosen... wisely."

Venice is reduced to their island, Genoa has to contend with our Savoyard vassal, and Verona is already sending its troops to Mantua.

I don't see how this war could go awry.



Ducats and prestige and a new vassal is grabbed easily. And yes, Lithuania joined the war, but I don't see how a coast-less country can attack us.

Leo X entertains the possibility of conquering Venezia and Genoa, too, to take their centres of trade for our own benefit.

Hopefully, the God approves of our shrewdness!



We have angered Him!

The papal delegation meets with the Lithuanian one and a white peace is signed within a month.

Then, we start praying.



Pisa calls us into a war against Milan, who, in an attempt to restore its territories, attacks Cremona.

We will not be fighting personally, as Roman troops are escorting Pope Leo X to Rome with haste in hopes of obtaining God's mercy.




Leo X makes it as far as Siena before dying suddenly and in great pains.

Habemus Papam! Pope Martinus V is a diplomat, but not a warrior.

His choice at the conclave is definitely a sign from the God that we stop warmongering, at least for a bit.



After a joint siege by Savoy and Mantua captures Lombardy, Martinus V concludes a peace treaty with Milan.

They're forced to forever give up their claims for their old territories.



During the reign of Pope Martinus V, gold starts flowing in rather than out our treasury each month.

We decide to use the funds to build some docks and constables, increasing tax and production outputs greatly. Next will be armories and marketplaces!

The last thing is churches, but churches can wait.



I'm not sure why, but getting Cultural Assimilation event as Papal States is freakishly rare.

Even more satisfying to see it!



ALRIGHT FINE I WILL BUILD SOME CHURCHES.



Habemus Papam once more!

Alexander V's skills will be useful at getting more money, too.



Aha! Our government tech is at level 10.

Immediately after chosing this decision, our monthly income dramatically increases by... 0.7 ducats?

Well, money is money, right?



Finally! No more drain on our Prestige, and no more extra infamy gain.

Modena is our core, and next year, Abruzzi and Naples will become cores as well.



So I'm minding my own business, building stuff in the States and then this happens...

Well... ok...

_{Go away Yugoslavia, you're way too early!}



INFINITE ADVANCEMENT!

We will be the most technologically country in the world in no time!



Our Cardinals and their ilk are getting upset over our innovative policies.

Pope Alexander V is wise and decides to not pay attention to them.




Habemus Papam! Be it old age or God's punishment for Papal innovativeness, Alexander V passes away.

Pius III ain't that bad, though. His high Military skill prompts that we do some warmongering, but let's leave that for the next upda-



REALLY!?

Oh what the heck, we have an Anti-Pope on our hands!

Unfortunately for this Liberius guy, he has chosen a manpower-poor province. His supporters have 6000 troops total.



Quite dissappointing; we destroyed the rebels in just one battle.

The movement dies with the pretender, though, so Gregorius XII can return to administrative duties.



Just caught in the news feed that Maria d'Arago died recently.

The witch lived for nearly 70 years!



Only the finest of soldiers in the armies of God!



Years pass quickly when there's peace in the land.

Our old Master of Mint, Louis de Rochebaron of Burgundy, has died.

We will seek a replacement for him as soon as we can.



God wills it that we conquer Messina!

We need more ships for that, though. Sicillians might have few troops, but many galleys.



As we slowly build up our naval forces, Renaissance penetrates the walls of Vatican.

Our infamy is almost zero, so we replace our diplomat, Signor Iseo, with this philosopher guy.



Just as we assemble the fleet, Pope Gregorius XII passes away in his sleep.

Perhaps to both commemorate and continue his predecessor's plans, the new Pope changes his name to Gregorius XII. Habemus Papam!



A perfect opportunity to strike shows up when a traveling Pisan fleet reports that Sicillian troops and navy are in Navarra, quelling a local uprising.

This allows us to waltz straight into Sicily, and start the siege!



The naval action off the coast of Malta is a victory for the Papal States! Just few days earlier, we capture La Valetta, the capital of the island.

Pope Gregorius XIII has decreed that instead of conquering just Messina, we will unite whole Southern Italy under the Papal banner.



Turns out that Sicillians have many more possessions than we've thought.

Just recently they've acquired Treviso, north of Venetia, and they directly control Athens in addition to their old fief in Navarra.

This will require much more effort and money to deal with...



Unfortuantely, Sicillian weather does not lend itself to Pope Gregorius' health!

He has fallen sick, and was moved from the frontlines back to Vatican to recuperate.



If Sardinian troops wouldn't have landed in Roma, we wouldn't fight and annex them.

See, it's their fault entirely.



Byzantine Empire is on the rise, and our money is used to support some revolts in Greece and Navarra so that they abandon their Sicillian masters.

In meanwhile, the Duchy of Verona conquers Treviso for us, having battled the local garrison for the past three years.



Unfortunately, the sickness won, and Gregorius XIII has perished.

Habemus Papam! The new Pope is Leo X, who has decided to continue the policy of total conquest of Southern Italy.

He has also decreed that after the war, we will dedicate ourselves to cultural and economical expansion of our vast territories.



Leo X even reflects that in national policies; he uses personal funds to sponsor artists and sculptors.



The Pope also sponsors some architectural development in the Papal States.

That doesn't exactly lie well with several prominent families and peoples of the States, but the word of the Pope is absolute here.



It is also under Leo X's tenure that formerly conquered territories leave behind their nationalistic spirits.

First is Ancona, then Modena in Lombardy, then two provinces of Naples...



Pope Leo X was patient, and it may have taken several long years, before rebels tore away distant fiefs of Sicily.

He forces the terms of surrender upon Manfred of Sicily: annexation of Palermo, Messina, Malta and Treviso.

Finally, the whole of Southern Italy is united under banner of the Papal States!

Pope Innocentius VIII decides to round up the conquest of Southern Italy.

Which means a war with Sicily, one that seems to not be in their favor.



Wait, that's...



Even more reasons to fight is that Maria I d'Arago is a thrice damned immortal witch!!

I mean, okay, 60 isn't that much, but still: "Burn her anyways!"

Unfortunately, this is not Crusader Kings 2.



Just in case the Sicillians try some amphibious sieges, we hire an engineer from the Low Countries.

That's 3rd time in a row that Flemish and Dutch provide us with such an opportunity.

They're good, Christian peoples, these Dutch!



Our truce with the Swiss isn't even finished yet and they already offer an alliance.

I will chalk it up to Innocentius VIII's natural charisma.



Verona just recently was made independent from Kingdom of Milan, and their only ally is Savoy.

Savoy is right next to Switzerland. The Pope decides to escalate the tensions to get a casus belli.

We might try vassalizing Verona, or at least grab some money from them (or the Savoyards).



A crucial battle begins once we capture Calabria.

Time is of the essence; if we managed to ping-pong Sicillians while the straits are still contested, they will be cornered and annihilated!



The battle was won, but Sicillian army decides to run for Apulia.

Meanwhile, our diplomat, Signor Vigilius Iseo, has shown his mastery of diplomacy to all abroad!

Just what we need to grab land from Sicily.



Sicily's army is routed several times before we vanquish them under the gates of Rome itself.

Queen Maria accepts our modest demands for Apulia and some cash.

Our troops are immediately moved northwards, to the border with the petty Kingdom of Verona.



Ha, what is guarantee if Aquileia is our ally?

Onwards, to Verona!



Those accursed traitors! Aquileia joined the side of Savoy and Verona!

No matter, the Swiss are with us. We will win the war swiftly and decisively.



That is some escalation, and I hate escalation of alliances in this game.

Still, the Army of Verona is already destroyed, and Swiss are besieging Cuneo.



Verona is now our vassal! Our primary goal has been thus accomplished.

Now we move to help the Swiss and bully Savoy for money!



It turns out we had just enough war score to force the Savoyards to become our vassals!

Soon enough, all of Italy will be ruled under one - the Pope in Rome!



We acquire new Longbow troops, just in time too.

The Calabrian rebels are growing in numbers, and soon they might match the size of our army.



It seems that we have hit some bad luck with the provinces, and new revolts pop out.

Worry not, Pope Innocentius is on his way to deal with the rebels!



The next two years we spend working up our relationship with Pisa (we have a mission to do so).

This culminates in Innocentius' alliance with this noble republic!



Alas! That was Innocentius VIII's last major deed.

Would you believe that he ruled as Patriarch of Rome for *only* 10 years?



His successor takes the name Gregorius XII. Not much of an administrator, but boy.

I love that military score, he he he.