Title Creation costs & benefits

Couple of checklists here on just that. Plus some conjecture on tactics.

Stuff you Need

Can't see the option in your game to create a title you want?
Probably you're just missing some requirement:

Duchy

• Control at least 51% of its De Jure Counties
  
• Can pay 250 gold
  
• Already be a Duke or higher rank OR have two County titles

Kingdom

• Control at least 51% of its De Jure Counties
  
• Can pay 500 gold
  
• Already be a King or higher rank OR have two Duchy titles

Empire

• Control at least 81% of its De Jure Counties
  
• Can pay 1000 gold
  
• Already be an Emperor OR have two Kingdom titles

Stuff you Get

These are the benefits from each new title creation
(additional to those of your highest rank title).

Duchy

• 300 Prestige
  
• +0.2 Prestige / month
  
• +60 opinion for 50 years from anyone you grant it to
  
• Removal of any 'not De Jure' tax and levee penalties

Kingdom

• 400 Prestige
  
• +0.8 Prestige / month
  
• +80 opinion for 50 years from anyone you grant it to
  
• Removal of any 'not De Jure' tax and levee penalties
  
• Any associated artefacts and banners

Empire

• 500 Prestige
  
• +1.6 Prestige / month
  
• +100 opinion for 50 years from anyone you grant it to
  
• Removal of any 'not De Jure' tax and levee penalties
  
• Any associated artefacts and banners

Strategy Tips

Titles aren't cheap, nor always necessary. And once you hold more than two Duchy titles you're gonna have to start granting them to other people to avoid the duchy soft-cap penalties. That means dealing with bigger vassals, rather than just little ones.

But it does allow you to reduce the number of direct vassals you have to placate. For example, if you got a De Jure Duchy region divided between a number of Counts, you can create the Duchy title, and grant it to one of them (call him 'The Duke'). Then grant him the remaining Counts as his own vassals. They're mostly all his problem now.

Timing can be important, and it may be better to delay granting of titles when you're facing an imminent succession crisis. The 50 year opinion bonus for granting titles doesn't transfer between your leaders, so maybe leave some of that to your successor.

Once you have the Chronicle Writing innovation you can wage wars not just for individual counties, but for all the enemy counties within all Duchies you hold title.

And remember, title creation is a quick way to get the bulk Prestige hit needed to wage a major war with. So that's another a reason to get some paperwork done.


Thanks for input on this bit:
pauloandrade
dwarfpcfan
VoiD
Пьяный Медоед
Red E
Hydra_360ci
Chilly Chili
CrUsHeR