Am I supposed to fight?

[Javaslinger]

So playing as a count in a province inside the HRE, my provinces are often getting attacked as the result of one war or another... They aren't at war with me specifically but with my duke or the holy roman emperor.

Should I be defending myself? Those are my counties and baronies getting sieged...

 

[feastonthrones]

Its probably beneficial to fight, it gives you prestige when you are in combat especially if you are the instigator of a battle. Losing your direct holdings also accrues a penalty, usually in the form of a financial one, which is never a good thing to have happen. So although there is no obligation for you to fight, if you territories are under threat then I would say yes. Otherwise it depends on the circumstances. If having the HRE lose a war somehow furthers your ambitions and changes the tactical make up of your surroundings then don't join, if however having the HRE losing is going to have a direct and negative influence on you then of course you must fight. Take each scenario as it come.

 

[Javaslinger]

So how does this work exactly? If they siege my holdings, I take it I'm losing money and they will be unproductive for some time following? Do I become involved in the war if I intercede? If they conquer the holding in my county, will I lose my title and/or lands?

 

[KPJ]

So how does this work exactly? If they siege my holdings, I take it I'm losing money and they will be unproductive for some time following? Do I become involved in the war if I intercede? If they conquer the holding in my county, will I lose my title and/or lands?

If they siege your holdings, those holdings aren't producing income. Furthermore, those holdings then lose their garrisons during the siege. Do you become involved in the war? Not any more than you already are. If your liege is at war you are always a part of the war. You can lead armies to gain prestige and (in holy wars, crusades, etc.) piety. Or you can keep your levies at home and maintain your power. How involved you become in your liege's wars is up to you, and depends on your goals. Sometimes it's better to keep the troops at home and be prepared for your own war instead of losing troops against this enemy.

As for who ends up with your lands after the war, that depends on the wargoal. If it includes your territory then you will lose what is included if the enemy wins. There are a few occasions where you will remain count under the new duke (ducal or royal claim, usually). Wars where you will lose territory are jihads, crusades, holy wars, or claims on your title specifically. There are more CBs with different results but those are the most common in my experience.

 

[Xiathorn]

I actually have a question about this.

Take for example that

I am a count of once province.
I have a liege, a Duke, who is independent. He is NOT my de jure liege.

A Duke who is part of a Kingdom IS my de jure liege. He declares war on my current liege, with a ducal claim. If he wins, does that mean I remain count, but now under the victorious duke (and thus indirectly the King) ?

I would assume yes, but I'm not actually sure, and I've never been in that situation. It would behoove me to defend myself in that situation, if I didn't want to be part of the other Kingdom, for example?

 

[Lordmars]

I fight in my liege's wars if

I am in danger of losing a significant part of my holdings if my liege loses his war (and if defeat is a realistic threat)
If I can make a difference to the outcome of said war
If I have sufficient forces to not simply get decimated and thus can pick up prestige/kudos for participating

Otherwise it is not worth the gold and/or degradation of my forces to do so (piece of advice, raise your levies at the start of a war, decreasing the number of your troops your liege can take)

 

[unmerged(464016)]

For me it depends. This can be very annoying at times (in the new patch , the ai will often target my stacks in unrelated wars , which often means my retinue gets massacred and we both lose troops for a war I'm not doing anything in).

So sometimes I will raise levies in defense , but generally I just let it go. The AI doesn't change its tactics , so if you wipe their armies out 20x for sieging your stuff in a war against your liege you won't achieve much. The Ai won't lose warscore , they will regen their army , and then they will send it straight back at the same places just to die again. With that in mind I usually just let the war play out , its quicker that way.

 

[pauli133]

I'll generally fight to protect the status quo, and I'll almost always fight to protect my lands. Duke Scrubnut III has started the 18th war to lower the age of consent, and has eight other dirty old dukes on his side? Whatever, just don't try and siege my territory. Count Nine Toes has started yet another war to install a claimant I don't like? I'll probably send my retinue to siege down his holdings. Prince-Bishop Tifilwit thinks he should be independent? I'll correct him. The neighboring Sultan is trying to claim part of our turf? It's on.

Fighting gets me prestige, it gets my generals more traits and martial points, and it gets me prisoners I can ransom for caaash. It also keeps my economy from being disrupted, and helps maintain the umbrella that my liege provides.

At the same time, I do try and avoid keeping vassal levies raised for too long, getting my retinue killed, or compromising my forces before an upcoming campaign of my own.

 

[Yxklyx]

I actually have a question about this.

Take for example that

I am a count of once province.
I have a liege, a Duke, who is independent. He is NOT my de jure liege.

A Duke who is part of a Kingdom IS my de jure liege. He declares war on my current liege, with a ducal claim. If he wins, does that mean I remain count, but now under the victorious duke (and thus indirectly the King) ?

I would assume yes, but I'm not actually sure, and I've never been in that situation. It would behoove me to defend myself in that situation, if I didn't want to be part of the other Kingdom, for example?

Yes, your De Jure liege's spoils of war will be his Ducal claim and all De Jure counties of that Duchy that are controlled by the war's target character (your De Facto liege). You will keep your county but check to make sure that your new Duke doesn't have a claim on it or he will revoke it.