Are claimed required to take over pagen lands?

[unmerged(340288)]

In the demo, I conquered (siege) must of the pagan lands north of poland, had a 90% or higher war score (up to 100% at one point), but could not find any option in the peace menu to take possession of lands I held during the war. Do I need to have a claim to the lands by fabricating them. Is there a better options. I thought pagans were like Muslims in that no claims were needed to take their lands/provinces.

Also, I made a fabricated claim on one these northern pagen provinces and got a strange message to the effect that it was the wrong king of demense or something. Any ideas what that message meant?

Sincerely,

Peter

 

[Solo?]

No, if you are playing as a christian nation you do not require a casus belli to declare war on pagan or muslim nations. Offer the leader peace through the diplomatic screen. If he/she accepts the war ends and you receive whatever land you originally claimed. It's currently far too easy to steam roll the Baltic pagan nations. They really need to either be reduced to a single nation or have marriage alliances from the start of the game.

 

[turnad]

I've only seen the HRE have much success against the pagans. It took me (Denmark), Poland and a whole lot of mercs to beat up the Baltic pagans enough to take 4 duchies.

 

[the_legion]

Fabricating claims against pagans/muslims/heretics is not needed. You have a free holy war CB against them.
You can imprison and banish/kill the heretics afterwards gaining all their land.
For pagans/muslims it is only possible to gain one duchy per war afaik.

 

[Sir Garnet]

Marriage alliances could work, or event-triggered fraternal holy wars with similar effect. The conquest was not over until the 1200s, so it does seem the resistance was strong (and the wooded terrain favorable to it). I'm reminded of the Roman inroads in Germany a millennium earlier - not worth the cost to try to permanently control the dark brooding forests filled with bloodthirsty savages.

 

[the_legion]

Marriage alliances could work, or event-triggered fraternal holy wars with similar effect. The conquest was not over until the 1200s, so it does seem the resistance was strong (and the wooded terrain favorable to it). I'm reminded of the Roman inroads in Germany a millennium earlier - not worth the cost to try to permanently control the dark brooding forests filled with bloodthirsty savages.

Funfact: The romans did try to conquer those "unworthy" forests (mainly serching for amber, wild creatures for the "entertainment industry", and expecting to find gold/silver there) but failed.
Same goes for medieval european expansion in those baltic regions. It was just a high risk to go there, not that they didn't want to conquer this place.
So it was easier and safer to conquer that neigbouring lords place ...

 

[artemis667]

The warrior cult building gives all these provinces a ton of troops - which can be countered using mercs, rather easily, as far as the game is balanced in the demo. I do assume that the numerical advantage they have levels off once the Christian nations get more infrastructure and tech.

 

[Pyriel]

Try conquering alexandria and keeping it more than two year

 

[Lambert Simnel]

I've only seen the HRE have much success against the pagans. It took me (Denmark), Poland and a whole lot of mercs to beat up the Baltic pagans enough to take 4 duchies.

To me it the problem is more that the HRE (and possibly France) can raise too high a proportion of their vassal's troops, which allows the HRE to curb-stomp the Baltic pagans and the French to easily gain provinces off the Spanish Muslims early on.
I expect that if you reduced the ability of the least centralized realms to access their vassals troops then the problem would be greatly reduced.

 

[Hundhedning]

Interesting fact: I've played as a pagan within the kingdom of Sweden. As long as I was within the realm I did not have the Warrior Cult building, but once I'd managed to claim the throne I could build it. For 10 gold. Finished in 60 days.

I'm not sure if independent pagans can declare war freely against Christians, though. I've been busy with mere survival so far.