Cleaning up my realm: Vassals with counties outside their de jure duchies.

[GabrielLoki]

So, one of the things I'm constantly trying to keep under wraps, with limited success, is that my vassals come to own counties well outside their own de jure borders. For example, the Strategos of Walachia directly controls several counties in not only different duchies, but different exarchates. They're part of his demesne.

This gives me limited choice when appointing a new viceroy to the area; I have 3 super counts to pick from between 2 different kingdoms; they're basically grand doux without the title.

I want to clean this up, but I know that it will incur tyranny if I simply revoke the titles. It'll also lose me votes.

One thing I've noticed is that even content vassals will revoke titles from their own vassals, for apparently no reason. Then they just hold on to the titles, they don't hand them back out.

 

[Thorkel the Tall]

Right. Your vassals wants to bemore powerfull, thus they revoke titles, forge claim on titles nearby etc. This gets them more land to directly control and thus more power (why would they hand out the land if they can control it themselves?). Just like you would do it, if you where a vassal. They also sometimes get titles due to inheritance of lucky/well planed marrigaes.

To counter this you can see if you can plot to revoke the title (in the intrigue menu). Otherwise you have to wait until a duke rebels and then revoke one of his titles (but just one).

 

[andmicha]

I can help you with that, just finished a Byzantium run. You can plot to revoke titles if the strategos or exarch owns more than one counties and there are outside of their de jure duchy or kingdom. The plots are difficult and your character must not be content to appear, but when you are under attack by someone you always gather enough support because of the defend bonus you get for vassals. As Byzantium this happens quite often.

 

[GabrielLoki]

You can plot to revoke titles? I only saw assassination plots... ^_^'

 

[Thorkel the Tall]

You go to the intrigue tap, then above where your active plots are shown there is a line where you can select plots; all revocation plots available will be shown.

 

[Chunakun]

You can plot to revoke titles? I only saw assassination plots... ^_^'

Do you have the content trait?

 

[GabrielLoki]

I do not.

 

[Bernard95]

If you're Catholic, here's a pro-tip:
Vassalize the Pope via pressing your Antipope's claim, acquire piety, ask for claims on a number of counties limited only by your piety, claim = free revoke.

 

[GabrielLoki]

Shame I'm not catholic, lol. Orthodox.

 

[StarSword]

The main criteria to unlock the "Revoke County" plot seems to be as follows:

• Your character cannot be in a non-aggression pact with the vassal.
• The county must be personally held by the vassal, NOT delegated to a further sub-vassal.
• Dukes and above only: the county must be outside the de jure borders of the vassal's title(s). For example, I have a Duke of Ulaidh who is also the Earl of Urmhumhain (an ancestor inherited it), a county on completely the opposite end of Ireland from Ulaidh, so I could plot to revoke it if I so wished. I could not similarly revoke County Lincoln from the Duke of York.

 

[GabrielLoki]

And how does the plot work? Would I still incur tyranny?

 

[StarSword]

And how does the plot work? Would I still incur tyranny?

What happens is, you and any vassals you recruit pool plot power, which with this plot has something to do with Martial scores (not sure what). It's sort of like a faction except the liege is the leader instead of the target. Once you hit 80%, you unlock a decision to issue an ultimatum that the ruler must give up his title. He then has the usual options to concede or rebel. On concession or surrender, you gain the disputed title, and if the target remains landed after rebellion you can imprison him as a traitor (or possibly he is imprisoned automatically, I forget).

And no, there's no tyranny, just the usual -60 with the target for revoking his title. I suppose that RP-wise, in essence by conspiring with other vassals you were technically acting with consent of the governed rather than as an autocrat.