Incredibly confused...

[EllEzDee]

I've been playing as, and enjoying, the Kingdom of Castile. Having attempted it 3-4 times, it usually starts with the player's sister calling you -- along with Galacia, Navarra and Aragon -- to war against Leon. And then, weirdly, Navarra and Aragon suddenly turn against you a few months later and you're left fighting on multiple sides.

However, on one of my attempts, a few months after being called to war i suddenly inherited (i think) EVERY piece of Spanish land from Galacia to Castile...which doesn't make sense. There was no pop up saying the king of Leon had died, nor was there any way he could have died, since i definitely didn't assassinate him. Even if he had died, i would surely have only inherited Leon, and not the rest of the territory, since Galacia has its own monarch. Right?

After messing up the above piece of fantastic luck (king died; replaced with "homosexual" son whose vassals instantly revolted), i'm currently re-trying for that turn of events and have no idea how it could have happened. It feels like i'm missing something pretty major here...

[Sakeriel]

Problem with starting in that area is that everyone has a claim on your land. Also, your neighbors to the south can claim via Jihad. It's a very volatile area starting off. Navarra has direct blood relation in Aragon if I remember correctly so they'll constantly back each other's claims.

About your gaining Leon, I'm not completely certain of Leon's succession laws. He might be running Elective and his son would certainly be of poor view by his vassals. Usually you can tell when a revolt comes up when you're neighboring the kingdom.

I hope that helps some, best of luck in that region :cool:

[EllEzDee]

I had a look at everyone's family tree, and you're right: all of the Spaniards are related, and want the land you own. Since the King of Castile is the oldest of them, he therefore inherits everything.

Looking back through the family tree, strangely both the King of Galacia and the King of Leon died within a few days of each other, which meant i inherited everything (seemingly) at the exact same time.

Is it possible for a king to die in battle then? I thought the only ways were assassination, illness or imprisonment followed by execution.

Either way, i think i'll give up on trying to get this to happen a second time :(

[Sakeriel]

They can die both from war and as a result of combat (wounded trait).

[postm00v]

Iberia is probably the hardest, but also the most interesting place to start. The Kings of Leon, Aragon, Castille and Navarra are all brothers IIRC, so succession can be real tricky.

[soopaman2]

I never found Iberia to be hard with proper marraiges.

This is one place where inbreeding rocks (I guess that is why they got Charles V(the inbred drooling Hapsburg a few hundred years later.

I inbred with little to no negative results and Got me the titles to Leon, Castille, Portugal and Navarra over time, with some help from assassins.

Now when the muslims called a jihad on me, and every savage from Iberia to Tunisia marched an army on me...That was the problem.

It jaratees me off the catholics cannot be as organized, where 7 Muslim nations can coordinate an attack on you landing all forces within in game weeks, but every catholic crusade fails. Unless I start post 1100, the kingdom of Jerusalem never happens naturally.

Iberia is flawed, because the crusade system is flawed, but that is another issue.

[EllEzDee]

I personally married the heir to the throne of France (or was it the young king himself?) which was incredibly useful. The alliance meant that he sent ship after ship, loaded with soldiers, to help me reclaim the rest of Spain from the Muslims. I had around 1,000 soldiers at my disposal, while he was sending 5 or 6 thousand into Iberia invading foreign countries for me.

[soopaman2]

I personally married the heir to the throne of France (or was it the young king himself?) which was incredibly useful. The alliance meant that he sent ship after ship, loaded with soldiers, to help me reclaim the rest of Spain from the Muslims. I had around 1,000 soldiers at my disposal, while he was sending 5 or 6 thousand into Iberia invading foreign countries for me.

France is great, as they are loyal. A marriage into the HRE works as well.

Truth in all, you are dead meat without an alliance from either.

Although in my experiences, the boy king turns into a jerk when he matures, which is why I pal up with the HRE, armies take longer to help you, but they are larger, and more reliable comapared to a French king Threatened by your increasing size directly south of him.

I pretty much did everything short of swearing fealty to the Holy Roman Moron, and he jumped in every war I fought and/or started.

Things are bad, here comes a doomstack from the stupid emperor to save my hide. I play him like a fiddle (Fiddles didn't exist then, silly!)

[EllEzDee]

Just out of curiosity, do alliances die with the ruler who forged them? After my King of Castile died, the alliance i had with France was over. Is this always case? Or are there ways of maintaining alliances, passing them on to other members of the dynasty?

[soopaman2]

Just out of curiosity, do alliances die with the ruler who forged them? After my King of Castile died, the alliance i had with France was over. Is this always case? Or are there ways of maintaining alliances, passing them on to other members of the dynasty?

I am 95% sure that alliances end with the marraige that made them.

You marry your daughter to some Duke of Boobyhaven, one of them dies, then the alliance dies.

I always tried to maintain redundant marraige/alliances and never saw it outright. I did notice in an earlier game I did not have an alliance with Hungary 100 years after my initial marraige with a princess, so I am assuming it is based on the lifetime of the couples.

[Milkycookie]

The thing about CK2 is that your objective of the game is set up by yourself. So the end game is whatever you can think about within the game's ruleset. Like being the most homosexual hedonistic heretical cruel bastard you can think of within 100 years or go crusading or become the most 'exalted among men'. Whatever, its up to you to choose.

You still need to do the basics;

1. Consolidate as much power as you can afford without jarateing off your vassals.

2. Keeping your Vassals weak. (Give them the weak and undeveloped counties)

3. Increase your Authority. Seize titles, imprison the threats, etc.

4. Make sure you groom your heir and have a couple of redundant heirs as backups. Think of your sons and daughters as breeding dogs. Take the strongest, marry off the daughters. When the time is right. Kill off the most dangerous sons and make sure your choice son inherits.

Most of all, increase your holdings, it's all about the titles.

[postm00v]

I am 95% sure that alliances end with the marraige that made them.

You marry your daughter to some Duke of Boobyhaven, one of them dies, then the alliance dies.

I always tried to maintain redundant marraige/alliances and never saw it outright. I did notice in an earlier game I did not have an alliance with Hungary 100 years after my initial marraige with a princess, so I am assuming it is based on the lifetime of the couples.

Where is this Boobyhaven you speak of?