Protecting against Kinslayers?

[artemis667]

So, I had another crack at the demo and played as the King of Poland. I married and had a daughter. The infant girl was killed - my brother, the Duke of Masovia, was suspected, but there wasn't enough evidence. I sent my spymaster into his province to discover plots. I had another daughter a couple of years later, and she was also killed. This time my brother was caught, he was put in jail, and died shortly thereafter. He left a son behind, who was heir to Poland, so I educated him myself, later on I returned his father's titles to him.
That second slain daughter was my last child to my wife, so I had a court affair and produced a bastard. He became my legitimised heir and king. All in all, it was pretty good fun.

But anyway.. what have other people experienced with people like the Duke of Masovia? Was it so very common for people to assassinate infants in the family to protect an inheritance? This also happened in my game where I started as the Byzantine Duke.... If it will be a big feature in CK2, what tactics are best to identify people likely to do this, and stop them doing it? It'd be nice to act pre-emptively if at all possible, I don't want to be a tyrant about it though.

 

[Alexianus]

Playing as King of Poland I once had both my brother and his wife trying to assasinate people all over the place, anyone connected with me and the family. I did have quite low realtions with them, so I suppose that has something to do with it. Also I suppose that different succession rules will make different relatives more likely to assassinate you.
If you had seniority then no one would be aiming for your family as much, more at your oldest-younger siblings.

I think its pretty cool this way though. It might take a while to get used to being so suspicious of everyone, and learning who is most likely to do it and pre-emptively placing your spymaster there / bribing them off.

 

[unmerged(75409)]

The best way to prevent kinslaying is to slay all your kin pre-emptively

 

[Diet of Worms]

One tip, if the would-be assassin is unlanded, and you get them into prison, you can banish them without any negative vassal modifiers (you even get their gold, which has possibilities if you need money desperately...)

I married my sister off matrilineally, and about 5 days later her husband tried to kill my son. I arrested and banished him. Then a year down the line, she tried the same trick herself. So I arrested and banished her too. They lived out their lives somewhere in central Europe, and my son lived to inherit.

 

[artemis667]

The best way to prevent kinslaying is to slay all your kin pre-emptively

Eurgh. I suppose you're not wrong though

I wonder how this would work out in multiplayer. I suspect the Dark Brotherhood would end up as wealthy as the Pope.

 

[jpr123]

I have my spymaster set to uncover plots in my capital 90% of the time, and if he's good enough will normally discover most plots to assassinate people in my court.

 

[Searry]

I have my spymaster set to uncover plots in my capital 90% of the time, and if he's good enough will normally discover most plots to assassinate people in my court.

Me too. 10% of the time i send them to create networks.

 

[drake000666]

Was it so very common for people to assassinate infants in the family to protect an inheritance?

No one is sure, I am sure the family that losses a member did not let that kind of information out very often. Would be a good way to make other lords think that you were weak and try and replace you to

A lot of people died young in this time to so would not be hard to get away with it.

 

[artemis667]

I have my spymaster set to uncover plots in my capital 90% of the time, and if he's good enough will normally discover most plots to assassinate people in my court.

That's probably what I was doing wrong then. For some reason I thought it was a good idea to send mine off looking at technology to acquire - talk about marginal benefits. Especially in a 20 year game, hehehe.

 

[nimrod123]

there are a couple of english examples where one barstard uncle was the strongest suporter of his legetimet nephews claim, yet the trueborn uncle was the one leading the rebels, so i would say decit was built in

 

[jpr123]

That's probably what I was doing wrong then. For some reason I thought it was a good idea to send mine off looking at technology to acquire - talk about marginal benefits. Especially in a 20 year game, hehehe.

I don't think this feature even works in the demo, even though you get an event saying he's discovered something, your tech levels don't change at all. I have him permanently set to uncover plots and he only ever stops doing it when I need someone assassinated.