How to inherit an Empire

[securitas04]

Many players, myself included, gain an Empire through marriage. An axiom states that anything that happens naturally can be synthesized. This just means that something that seemingly happened by good luck, if studied and understood, can actually be made to happen again, and again.

https://ck2.paradoxwikis.com/Marriage

"A good strategy is to marry characters with titles as, depending on laws of the realm, the offspring may inherit them and unite both realms upon succession. A female ruler who marries a male of the player's dynasty non-matrilineally will produce heirs of his dynasty, consolidating titles and spreading the influence of the player's family."

Simple enough, regular marry your realm's male heir to an Empire's female ruler. Their children belong to your dynasty and depending on succession laws, one of them unites your realm with their Empire. How might you secure such a marriage proposal?

"Prestige effects are pivotal in AI consideration of marriage proposals."

The AI is geared to make the best prestige deal. The highest title held by a character in your dynasty (Count, Duke, King) is compared to the Empress' title. The Empress loses 100 prestige for each step in difference after the first. So, no loss for marrying a King, -100 for marrying a Duke and so on. In my case, as a King of tiny Bohemia, the Empress was not going to lose any prestige by marrying my heir. Your goal to inherit an Empire is merely to become a King. Then, the future spouse will also gain 1/10th of my Dynasty Prestige (DP). So how do I get a great, marriage-cementing DP?

Many players ignore or simply don't understand DP, or the game score. Indeed, a lot of advice on the forum pertaining to DP is similar to "It's your game so just do whatever you want." This is like saying, "It's your bowling ball and if you want to roll it in the gutter every time, fine." However, as in bowling, CK2 has a real game mechanism if you want to learn it. Your running score is in part from your DP. In addition to all of the other game aspects that you really enjoy, getting a great score is fairly easy. I have 100 years to go in my first game ever and my running score is over 87k. Here's how I did it.

https://ck2.paradoxwikis.com/Prestige#Dynasty_Prestige

When each of your rulers dies, the sum of his/her prestige and piety are added to your score. So I want to get every point I can. On the micro end of the scale of what to do, when your child is born, immediately award them an honorary title that increases prestige. At age 6, assign a Guardian who has Grey Eminence. This will give your heir a 51% chance of having this same education. A high state diplomacy grants more prestige throughout your character's life. Also, give them a title. As ruler, do the minor decisions of holding a fair, hunt and feast every year. These grant a total of 40+ prestige and some piety which adds up, plus other traits that improve your character. If the Empire you are targeting has elective forms of succession, these fall to characters with "good traits". Pursue an ambition to raise an attribute to its completion for 100 prestige. Finally and most definitely, create and usurp titles.

To be a King, you just have to have a kingdom title. (Duh!) However, this does not mean that you must conquer an entire kingdom by force. As a Count or a Duke, you start with a small part of a kingdom. Click the coat of arms icon by your ruler's portrait. This brings up a screen that among other things lists which counties are needed to create a duchy or kingdom. You only need to control 51% of these counties to do that. Most of you already know how to gain a few counties, so I won't go into that. Just remember to go back to this screen and create or usurp the actual titles, which gives you prestige. The more titles members of your dynasty, living and dead, have, the higher your DP. So grant titles to the rest of your kin, even if it's just a Barony. Also, one fifth of the DP score is your starting prestige for every newborn in your dynasty. Currently in my game, my DP is over 5k. The AI married off some of my high prestige, distant kin for me. Without any planning on my part, I got a King of Sardinia, with a Duke and many Counts in Italy. So a great DP opens a lot of doors.

What if the future bride is 2nd or 3rd in line to become Empress, already married, or I got married and someone else was born who is in line to get the inheritance. Then it's KBG time (Kill Bad Guys). Plot to kill every one of them. High State Intrigue makes plots work well. Thus, the parents of the groom/heir should have high intrigue and a high intrigue spymaster as well. Everything works if you let it.

Good luck!

P.S. To further overcome any reluctance on the future in-laws part to a regular marriage to their daughter, do this. When your heir/groom reaches 6 yr. old, ask the ruler to be his Guardian. If accepted (don't forget to bribe if needed), your heir will grow up with the culture and perhaps the religion of their family. Then your heir will be even more acceptable.

The Grey Eminence also adds to fertility, making your heir a better choice for marriage. Genetic traits like attractive, strong, quick and genius as well as hedonist and lustful also add to fertility.

[t-blud]

thx dude

[securitas04]

You're welcome! Yesterday my ruler had two children born. Both had 2k starting prestige, which was 2/5ths of my DP of 5k, not 1/5th. So, DP may be even more important than the wiki states.

[al_x_ator2411]

Originally posted by securitas04:

You're welcome! Yesterday my ruler had two children born. Both had 2k starting prestige, which was 2/5ths of my DP of 5k, not 1/5th. So, DP may be even more important than the wiki states.

Starting prestige comes from both parents.

[securitas04]

Not according to this:
" At birth, a character's personal prestige is set to 1/5 of their dynasty prestige."

That is what is in the wiki. I found out that it's 2/5ths if both parents are in my dynasty.

https://ck2.paradoxwikis.com/Prestige

[al_x_ator2411]

Right, I was probably thinking about marriage when both parties gain when two prestigeous dynasties are joined in matrimony.

So why were the numbers of your kid's prestige off? Perhaps a rounding up/down of numebrs? Or both perent were of the same dynasty?

[securitas04]

Sorry if I didn't make that clear. Yes, my children of two parents from my one dynasty (cousins) had twice my DP bonus of 1/5th or 2k+ instead of only 1k.