HRE granting land and titles

[Hamalcar Barca]

I was playing from the start as the Habsburgs and I basically just sat there and did nothing for a while. I had a minor war where I took over a neighboring county after I got claims, and I built a few small things in some of my castles and cities.

Anyways, the Holy Roman Emperor kept declaring war on a lot of pagans. He took over Pomerania and Sardinia. A few years after he took Sardinia, he grants me the title Duke of Sardinia. I'm just a minor Count in Switzerland at this point, but now I'm Duke of Sardinia without even owning any land there. A little while later, he makes me count of the southern half of Sardinia, so I actually control a part of my my duchy. A few years after that, out of nowhere, he gives me the duchy of Provence, only I actually get the count titles for those too, so I basically doubled my size just because the emperor told me I could have a bunch of land.

My question is why did I gain all of these titles? I didn't try to kiss up to the emperor at all, and I think our relations are average at best. Did I just get lucky?

 

[unmerged(426560)]

He may have some other interessts... hmmmm =x

 

[Diet of Worms]

Well if he hits his demesne limit he has to give them to someone I guess, or if he has too many duke titles and is getting penalties. I had something similar happen as a small count - the HRE gave me an Iberian duchy but kept the count tiles for himself. So I was a duke for a few years, then the moors took the area back and usurped the title and I went back to being a count...

Unless there is something in game that tries to promote historically successful dynasties - you were the Habsburgs, and I was the Hohenzollerns. Seems unlikely but you never know.

 

[Hamalcar Barca]

When the emperor made me Duke of Sardinia, it made him heir because I only had daughters and Sardinia didn't allow for women to inherit, so I guess that could explain Sardinia. Provence didn't change my inheritance, I don't think, so I have no idea why I got it.

I won't complain though. I'm going for King of Burgundy, and all of the lands I've been given are relatively close to my eventual kingdom.

 

[Hamalcar Barca]

Wow, this is a great game! I still don't understand why the emperor gave me that land (he eventually gave me the northern half of Sardinia and a Swiss county bordering me too) but those lands and their wealth helped me become King of Burgundy. My only son died though, so I switched it so females can inherit without thinking, so now my kingdom will be virtually destroyed when my King dies. I have like 8 daughters...

I've never been so happy when I've basically lost a game.

 

[Xihu]

I had a very similar experience with my first character playing Habsburgs. I was given the title Duke of Thuringia. Then a province there. About 10 yrs later the Emperor died, and for some reason 11 dukes in the HRE voted for me to succeed him!! That was the coolest moment in the game for me so far. Everything went downhill after that... only had the 2 provinces to my personal demense. Elective succession laws for the HRE and Gavelkind for my personal holdings... but it was a fun start at least!

 

[Gummi]

I've managed to become the HRE with the land he's been giving me. He eventually gave me so many duke titles that I could win the elections. I just kept my relations up the the emperor all the time.

 

[Rabid Bogling]

Kings should make new counts and dole out duchies accordingly. Perhaps every time a province is conquered a new, super-friendly courtier could be spawned in the conqueror's court with a claim to the county? Still not sure they'd appoint them, but it'd be worth a shot.

 

[Hamalcar Barca]

I got a ton of dukes voting for me too, but I never managed to become the emperor.

I always find on these games that I have one character that does really well, then I just kind of stagnate. My first king in the game this thread is talking about only managed to get one extra county, while my second King expanded to like ten and became King of Burgundy.

I have similar experiences on EU3 where I'll have a king that conquers everything, then the rest of my kings just slowly expand and build up my empire. It's weird how that works.