The "Request Excommunication" option description says, "This will be viewed as an insult by their relatives."
However, neither the target, nor their relatives, receive an opinion malus on account on having been excommunicated.
At the extreme end of things, we can look at at this way: the best vassal, is an excommunicated vassal. He is not a landed vassal with rights - he is less than a viceroy. He is a slave. I may, at any moment, arrest him, ransom him, and arrest him again, until I have taxed every last coin from his coffers. If he doth protest too much, I can revoke his titles for rebellion against his arrest - and, if it's convenient, I may simply challenge him to a duel, and kill him - or, having captured him, execute him without penalty.
His wealth, his lands, and his life all belong to me, whenever I should choose to take him.
Some dream of green pastures and nubile concubines - I dream of a realm of entirely excommunicated vassals, down to the lowest mayor and baron. A nation of slaves - which looks upon me, the last remaining communicant, with wonder and terror. The true meaning of the true faith.
Piety stops being useful after a certain threshold, it isn't inherited like gold, so it may as well be spent. It is fairly easy to rack up, by sponsoring the mass conversions of tiny, fractal realms, especially if they have no hope of not being swallowed up by neighboring pagans, and starting the cycle anew.
I haven't yet grasped to what extent the -50 "recently requested an excommunication" modifier to excommunication requests can be overcome, so as to be able to rush-liquidate piety into vassal-enslavement. It does seem that "xxx is my liege" and "xxx has influence over the college of cardinals" should be enough if not enforcing free investiture, along with "xxx is a close relative / same culture". It isn't even at the point where I need to make the pope my lover - though I certainly wouldn't mind giving my close relative/pope some holy communion in my quest for absolute power, if you know what I mean.
Aside from making the "viewed as an insult" detail, described in the text of the option, a reality - perhaps we should consider some scheme for reducing the moral authority of the religion for too many excommunications, beyond a threshold of duke/king tier titles, or realm size of Christendom.
The communion wafers are mine. All mine. No one else can have them. Wafers are power. Salty crackers are true power.
However, neither the target, nor their relatives, receive an opinion malus on account on having been excommunicated.
At the extreme end of things, we can look at at this way: the best vassal, is an excommunicated vassal. He is not a landed vassal with rights - he is less than a viceroy. He is a slave. I may, at any moment, arrest him, ransom him, and arrest him again, until I have taxed every last coin from his coffers. If he doth protest too much, I can revoke his titles for rebellion against his arrest - and, if it's convenient, I may simply challenge him to a duel, and kill him - or, having captured him, execute him without penalty.
His wealth, his lands, and his life all belong to me, whenever I should choose to take him.
Some dream of green pastures and nubile concubines - I dream of a realm of entirely excommunicated vassals, down to the lowest mayor and baron. A nation of slaves - which looks upon me, the last remaining communicant, with wonder and terror. The true meaning of the true faith.
Piety stops being useful after a certain threshold, it isn't inherited like gold, so it may as well be spent. It is fairly easy to rack up, by sponsoring the mass conversions of tiny, fractal realms, especially if they have no hope of not being swallowed up by neighboring pagans, and starting the cycle anew.
I haven't yet grasped to what extent the -50 "recently requested an excommunication" modifier to excommunication requests can be overcome, so as to be able to rush-liquidate piety into vassal-enslavement. It does seem that "xxx is my liege" and "xxx has influence over the college of cardinals" should be enough if not enforcing free investiture, along with "xxx is a close relative / same culture". It isn't even at the point where I need to make the pope my lover - though I certainly wouldn't mind giving my close relative/pope some holy communion in my quest for absolute power, if you know what I mean.
Aside from making the "viewed as an insult" detail, described in the text of the option, a reality - perhaps we should consider some scheme for reducing the moral authority of the religion for too many excommunications, beyond a threshold of duke/king tier titles, or realm size of Christendom.
The communion wafers are mine. All mine. No one else can have them. Wafers are power. Salty crackers are true power.
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