Just got elected HRE Emperor : help!

[erekose123]

I'm playing CK2Plus. I was count in Champagne, France, and slowly forged a strong position in middle of France, getting the Duchies of Champagne, Bourgogne, Orléans, Anjou, France, etc.

And right now, i have been put at the head of the HRE though a plot i had no part in. All of a sudden, i am Kaiser of the HRE. I have a dozens of titles i can usurp or create, all vassals hate me execpt from the ones i had before, I can create 4 kingdoms, etc etc.

I am puzzled, because i never played at such a level of responsability. Thus my question : what would you do to get the most out of this ? My character is old (65) and has a lot of virtues and diplomacy. His son and hier is "quick" and promising. What can I do to secure a good position for when i die and my son comes in power ?

 

[mr_human_555]

How many son do you have? If you have one, I suggest you create all 4 kingdoms to completely secure your position, otherwise just create one kingdom where your original demense is, then proceed to kill your other sons before creating the rest. This puts you in complete power in case you lose the next election / brought down by factions

 

[unmerged(479327)]

What about creating the Kingdom titles and other duchies and then, when you die and your heir comes into power, you grant the titles to vassals?

They'll love your son for it, and it sounds like your current guy doesn't really face any kind of possible rebellions. Assuming your son is the one to be elected to Emperor after you...

 

[erekose123]

How many son do you have? If you have one, I suggest you create all 4 kingdoms to completely secure your position, otherwise just create one kingdom where your original demense is, then proceed to kill your other sons before creating the rest. This puts you in complete power in case you lose the next election / brought down by factions

I have actually 3 sons, the first of them is the promising one with the "quick" trait. Creating the 4 kingdoms looks like a good idea but i will never have all the money required. My character is 65, and with ck2Plus mod, i know he is going to die very soon. I of course can not create the kingdom of France where my original demesne is.
I can for example try to create the kingdom of Lotharingia which would be very close to where my demesne is, but when my son inherits, he will have no holdings there...

What about creating the Kingdom titles and other duchies and then, when you die and your heir comes into power, you grant the titles to vassals?

They'll love your son for it, and it sounds like your current guy doesn't really face any kind of possible rebellions. Assuming your son is the one to be elected to Emperor after you...

Same as above, the problem here is the money required to create this many titles. Still, i can put all my money in creating titles, ending with a -350 in opinion from everyone. I guess i will be overthroned, and then what ? Will my sucessor inherits the titles ? Is there anyway i can make sure my son gets elected Kaiser ?

 

[NejinOniwa]

Is there anyway i can make sure my son gets elected Kaiser ?

No. At this stage of the game, you obviously don't have the resources to force the election where you want it to go. Hell - I've had problems getting the inheritance right in my current game, and I'm the fuckdamn Yngling Emperor of Rome, Norway, England, Sweden, Ireland, The entire Mediterranean south from mauretania to jerusalem, Egypt, Arabia, Byz, Sicily, EVERYTHING. Every single one of my electors are of my dynasty and culture, and I make sure to have the best heir and sovereign possible - I have to, or the realm will collapse in no time. And I STILL have problems getting elections the way I want them. Sure, it's nothing I can't solve with the profanely absurd amount of resources I have - assassinate, imprison, assassinate, etc - but I've built that power base over multiple centuries, and built it carefully.

Basically, Elective succession is very very effective in smaller realms, but becomes much harder to control as the size of the realm goes up. I would actually advise you to ignore the HRE aspirations for the time being, and instead try to acquire a title that's much more solidly yours. Create one of the kingdoms available to you, and ensure yourself you have vassals to THAT title, and that THAT title goes to your favorite son. Vest as little power as possible in the imperial mantle for now, because you're not ready to wrest control over it. Take what you can, leave nothing behind.

 

[Tokie]

Delegate your responsibilities. Create kingdoms and give them away to strong dukes appropriately. Make sure him and his heir does not have the ambitious trait.

Playing empires are just like playing kingdoms. Kings are your new dukes.

 

[mr_human_555]

I've just found a way for you to hold that title for real:

1. Create any kingdom title in dejure HRE; my suggestion would be to revoke Bohemia, destroy, then recreate it, if possible. If not any other kingdom in dejure HRE will do
2. Give that kingdom to your fav son
3. Use vassal transfer to transfer every single duke to your son
4. Die; Your son is the only elector. Even if he for some reasons lose, ~90% of HRE is under his command, so you can take the throne again

5. Remember that this is my suggestion to buy time & remain in power as long as possible. Your real work to build your powerbase starts here.

 

[NejinOniwa]

I've just found a way for you to hold that title for real:

1. Create any kingdom title in dejure HRE; my suggestion would be to revoke Bohemia, destroy, then recreate it, if possible. If not any other kingdom in dejure HRE will do
2. Give that kingdom to your fav son
3. Use vassal transfer to transfer every single duke to your son
4. Die; Your son is the only elector. Even if he for some reasons lose, ~90% of HRE is under his command, so you can take the throne again

5. Remember that this is my suggestion to buy time & remain in power as long as possible. Your real work to build your powerbase starts here.

I don't think this is possible in CK2+. Fairly certain you can't transfer non-dejure dukes that way inside an empire. Counts probably work, though, and since you have a lot of free counts in HRE you will be able to take those, at least. Dukes might work if the territory is dejure of the empire, but not of the kingdom. IDK.

 

[erekose123]

ok guys i'm back from work ! :blush:
Please have a look at the attached screenshot for here is the situation.

My "main" counties are Troyes, Auxerre and Dijon in France. I also hold Paris.
The grey you see in France are all the territories from the Duchies I held in France, which are now part of the HRE.
My king is 63 and has 6 children, 4 daughters and 2 sons. Other children have died in mysterious accidents hmy:

I can create the kingdoms of Germany, Lotharingia, Burgundy and Sardinia.
I can usurp some Duchies of interest to me : Bourbon, Paris and Valois.

My goal is not to remain Kaiser, but to secure more lands for my son.
wat do ?

 

[henriqueb1]

well you should create burgundy and usurp as many duchies as you can, than you would have a very strong position that you should use to crush france and usurp the kingdom, also even if you lose the empire (what judging by your age and money will probably happen), your son will get a claim. What you should be doing right now is using that momentary power to build the empire of Francia, screw the germans you will make your own french empire

 

[henriqueb1]

oh yeah, one more thing, you will have some cultural trouble with your burgundy vassals, you should get all their sons out of them (not just their heir) and put them under a frankish guardian, that way you will have only frankish vassals in 20 years tops