Cleric
Prerequisites
Requires:
- Theology
Summary
- Converts Cities
- Sells Indulgences
- Soothsays
- Stealth Unit
- Can only be built by Theocracy
Gameplay
The Cleric is a particularly insidious Stealth Unit, capable of silently extracting large sums of Gold from Cities eager for religion. It can Convert Cities, Sell Indulgences and Soothsay. Each of these actions carries a risk of infuriating the foreign empire’s leader.
Historical
The cleric was a kind of religious crusader that flourished during the Middle Ages. Many types of clergy, such as monks, friars and priests, often led a life of itinerant austerity, traveling from town to town, preaching in exchange for charitable contributions and shelter. Though these men were often solitary crusaders, orders of clergy began taking it upon themselves to spread their teachings across the land. In 1214, Saint Dominic, along with 16 of his disciples, founded the Roman Catholic religious order known as the Dominicans at Toulouse, France for the purpose of combating the heresies of the time with preaching and teaching. In 1216, Pope Honorius III granted the Dominicans papal confirmation, and granted them special privileges, including the right to preach and hear confessions anywhere without obtaining local authorization. Dominicans were unflaggingly devoted to the evangelization of the heretical and uneducated. During the crusades, a series of military invasions organized by Western Christians against Muslim powers, clerics often accompanied soldiers to help maintain their morale. They also took the opportunity to teach, preach to and convert non-Christians.