Salerno is a two county duchy, which means that a Count of Salerno can usurp the title. Are you sure that you, as a Duke, were getting a 'must be higher rank' issue with a Count?
Hmm I think I got it arse about face. I was presuming that swear fealty was asking the count of Salerno to swear fealty to me, but it was the other way round. The tooltip says I must have a lower rank. I can offer vassalisation (which I guess would be the other way round) but he'll refuse.
Now I feel stupid.
That clears that up. I just wish I understood this rule of inheritance upon succession. It makes no sense to me.
As duke Robert I am told I will lose five titles on succession;
The duchy of Calabria (to second-in-line Guy)
The duchy of Salerno (to youngest son Gerald)
The county of Napoli (Gerald)
The county of Catanzaro (Guy)
The county of Siracusa (Gerald)
Calabria is Reggio and Messina (controlled by my brother Roger) and Catanzaro (controlled by me). So why does Guy get it on my death?
Actually duke Robert's brother, Roger(not to be confused with his son and heir) gained Reggio and Messina as an independent Calabria on succession. Guy just got Catanzaro. I had Roger controlling Reggio and Messina on game start.
Salerno is made up of Salerno and Taranto (controleld by my bastard son). Salerno is independent so remains as it is, but my bastard son gains an independent Taranto?
Napoli is controlled by me and Gerald gets it. That puzzles me because the sucession for Napoli lists my son Roger as heir. I have run through to Robert's death and Gerald does get Napoli but Roger gets the duchy of Apulia. Why doesn't he get Napoli?
Siracusa an identical situation to Napoli.
On my run through to Robert's death (done to see what all this means) I also lost Trapani to Guy, even though I was not told I would do so.
In an effort to understand this I used the option to create two titles on the last save prior to Robert's death. I created the duchy of Sicily and ended up being told I'd lose more titles than without creating Sicily (losing Palermo and the second city in Palermo county, Gratteri). I also created the kingdom of Sicily and was informed I'd lose Calabria, Napoli and Catanzaro on succession, but not the Sicillian counties.
I also found Roger had only 5 possible desmense's instead of the 7 that Robert had.
I'm confused as to why all this is as it is. Is it just a case that on every succession there will be a hand out of titles? Is it Gavelkind that causes this, because I just read my law (Agnatic-Cognatic Gavelkind) and it says the titles are distributed amongst children? Would this mean that I can not avoid losing titles on succession, or at least until I lose Gavelkind? If it is as simple as Gavelkind causing me these problems then, again, I feel rather stupid for not noticing before.
Why does creating the Kingdom of Sicilly leave the Sicillian counties in my name?
This is one complex game...but I love it.