However, as you get larger, you will need to begin consolidating Vassals into Duchy Titles to stay under your Limit.

With far more military strength than Counties, Duchies are more likely to push for changes within the Realm, and since they have more power it takes less of them moving against you to send an ultimatum and trigger a civil war. You also learn early that Duchies are almost always the biggest threat to your power. Nevertheless, as a player you don't have to run things this way and while it's true that not being their Rightful Liege to your Direct Vassal will hurt their opinion of you and their Contractual contributions, there is an argument to be made for keeping them lowly.įor one, if you hold the higher De Jure title, the penalty is lessened and isn't all that damaging - meaning a Kingdom can hold a County inside its De Jure borders without major problems. Alas there is an exception to prove the rule, with Duchies willing to directly serve an Empire without an intermediate Kingdom. This means that a County wants to see a Duchy Title, a Duchy wants to see their De Jure Kingdom, and a Kingdom will want to be a part of the greater Empire. This means it is possible to remain as a Duchy until you have around 25 total counties under your control - that's 20 Vassals plus whatever your Domain Limit is - which could be a viable strategy before you grow too large.Īs we mentioned above, Vassals come in all shapes and sizes based on their Title Ranks and they expect to serve their De Jure Liege. However, a Duchy can have as many Duchies as they want with no penalty from their County Vassals. After that they receive a -15 Opinion penalty from their Vassals for each Duchy over the limit. Kings and above also have a Duchy Limit of 2. Going over your Limit can stack penalties to Taxes and Levies by 5% per extra Vassal.

This number only includes Count level Titles or higher, so Cities and Temples inside your Domain don't count towards it. The larger you get as a ruler, the more this becomes a requirement as each ruler has a Vassal Limit dependant on their rank. All Vassals have an Obligation to provide Taxes and Levies to their Liege, and the amounts vary based on contributions and Laws.Įssentially it comes down to delegation, with you granting characters power over others while you have power over them. The same is true for your Vassals, as Duchies will be the Liege to the Counties below them - at least until they usurp all the Titles for themselves. This means you can be both a Liege and a Vassal at the same time. As a player it is likely you will have at least a few Vassals serving you, but it is also possible for you to be a Vassal to another. To get the basics out of the way, a Vassal is a landed ruler who swears their allegiance to another character.

Ck2 create new vassal