King's Courtier's Claim on Another Kingship

[unmerged(192917)]

I'm the king of Norway and England. A young man in my realm, Bran by name, has a weak claim in the kingdom of Navarra that I can press. Bran is not my vassal, and not part of my dynasty. So if I'm reading the wikis right, successfully pressing that claim under current conditions would put Bran on the throne of Navarra, and leave me with nothing but his gratitude. Is there any way to change that result?

I could make Bran my vassal, but I don't think that would help because the claimed title is at the same level as my title.

I could bring Bran into my dynasty. He is unmarried, I have an unmarried daughter, and Bran will agree to a matrilineal marriage. But if I'm reading the rules right, that still wouldn't bring Navarra under my control. It would only put a family member on a distant throne, and maybe create an alliance. The rule seems to be that kings can't have other kings as vassals, ever. Is that right?

Am I missing any angles here? Can I accomplish anything significant as a king by pressing a subject's claim to be king?

 

[unmerged(589171)]

You are correct in all of your assumptions.

If his claim can be inherited, you could marry his claim into your family. If it cannot, you could press his Claim and sue for White Peace and it will become so. Overall, not much else you can do.

 

[unmerged(75409)]

Matri-Marry Bran to a female of your dynasty, wait for them to have a child or two, and then press his claim. If you win the war, it will make him king of Navarre and your ally, and once he dies your dynasty will take over. You won't have direct control, but as long as your family remains in power, they will remain your allies.

It's important to wait for him to have a child, though, because if you make him a king before children are born he's likely to have his matri-married wife assassinated ASAP.

Some people (like me) prefer to use tools like "Dynastic Glory" to evaluate a dynasty's "score" in the game. Making your family members kings adds big points to that score so I like to do it wherever possible, even if it does not make my own controlled kingdom all that much stronger.

 

[Ratlegion]

When you say "big points," are there more points than if you had held on to all the territory yourself? Otherwise, I'm really not seeing the point of giving up direct control.

 

[Wezqu]

When you say "big points," are there more points than if you had held on to all the territory yourself? Otherwise, I'm really not seeing the point of giving up direct control.

If the king of Navarra is from your dynasty your dynasty prestige goes up you can see it on the family tree. It does have possitive effects towards the AI dynasties and characters in some cases and will help you out. Still my main reason why I would put my dynasty member on another crown is that they will be your ally and if you keep your relations good with them they will help you out in most of your wars. Its always better to have a relative as a king than some other character holds the title.

 

[unmerged(192917)]

Thanks for the feedback. Am I correct in assuming that if I conquer enough of Sweden, Denmark, Finland, etc., I'll be able to declare myself emperor of Scandinavia? And then I'll be able to acquire a king as vassal in this sort of situation?