I had initially suggested this for Cool Toxic's Dark Ages Dynasties CK clone, but thought they may be of interest here too.
The Marriage Game
The matrix for the ai to pursue marriage is somewhat perplexing, but one can see the reasoning behind it. It works like so: the ai first looks for potential marriage partners within its own culture, then those cultures closely associated with their own (based on the “sprit”), failing this the ai looks for potential brides within its own religion (Catholic, then Orthodox). I can see the attempt here, but in my opinion the matrix is still flawed, because it is possible for an AI ruler in Ireland to get a Byzantine bride wisked across Europe where there had not been any connection beforehand.
Throughout the period covered in CK, marriage partners tended to be of the domestic nobility or directly neighboring realm. A king was more likely to marry his sons and daughters to those of a powerful duke then he was a neighboring princess. Likewise, that same king was most likely to marry his heir and other children to his own powerful vassals in an attempt to bind them to him through familial bonds. Exceptions did exist of course, such as Alfonso VI of Leon’s marriage strategy to attract cross-Pyrenees alliances by marrying French heiresses. Additionally, Henry I of England married his daughter (and future heir) Matilda to the Holy Roman Emperor in an attempt to build relations with Germany to diplomatically out-flank France. And there was a Russian princess in the Scottish court in the mid 11th century! - though I haven't fully vetted the circumstance behind that.
Yet, most Norman and Plantagenet rulers married domestically, or married into neighboring countries building diplomatic relations. William the Conqueror married Matilda of Flanders. Henry I of England married Matilda of Scotland. Henry’s heir Empress Matilda married Geoffrey of Anjou. Henry II married Eleanor of Aquitaine. Richard the Lion-heart married Berengaria of Navarre (or he married her brother Sancho! Navarre was an important neighbor to Richard’s Aquitaine) John married Isabella, Countess of Angoulême (an important county in Aquitaine), and John had a favorite but illegitimate daughter Joan married to Llywelyn, Prince of Wales and Gwynedd.
What I propose is for the AI to take into account the kingdom and its neighbors, and value potential marriage partners based on their prestige (prestige reckoned partially in their social ranking- royal family, ducal family, comitial family, but also on their nearness to inheriting).
An AI would
The AI would also need to be intelligent enough to wait for an important heiress and potential mate to mature
Once the happy nuptials are complete and the wedded couple are in happy bliss, the handsome husband sweeps his new bride off to his family’s court or, if he is lucky, his own newly established court. Under most succession laws this does not prove unsatisfactory. However, for the player of absolute cognatic primogeniture (*raises hand*), and under male preference primogeniture (Spain, Aquitania, comitial France) the bride may be the heir of her parent’s domain. If this is so it proves perplexing for the player, as the player would not be able to grant any titles to his heiress as he would an heir male.
I had once devised a complicated matrix in which the heiress would remain in her father’s court, but I have decided on an easier solution. Basically, allow another diplomatic option that would allow the player to target the court where his character’s heiress has been whisked away to, and allow the player to scroll down a list of their courtiers, and allow him to grant a title to that courtier in much the same way as he can for his own courtiers. This has the beauty of flexibility, allowing the player to target other characters that otherwise would make great vassals.
In this way, the player would still be able to grant his heiress a title and for her to aquire the prestige and the gold that comes with it, much like any heir male would.
What do you think?
The Marriage Game
The matrix for the ai to pursue marriage is somewhat perplexing, but one can see the reasoning behind it. It works like so: the ai first looks for potential marriage partners within its own culture, then those cultures closely associated with their own (based on the “sprit”), failing this the ai looks for potential brides within its own religion (Catholic, then Orthodox). I can see the attempt here, but in my opinion the matrix is still flawed, because it is possible for an AI ruler in Ireland to get a Byzantine bride wisked across Europe where there had not been any connection beforehand.
Throughout the period covered in CK, marriage partners tended to be of the domestic nobility or directly neighboring realm. A king was more likely to marry his sons and daughters to those of a powerful duke then he was a neighboring princess. Likewise, that same king was most likely to marry his heir and other children to his own powerful vassals in an attempt to bind them to him through familial bonds. Exceptions did exist of course, such as Alfonso VI of Leon’s marriage strategy to attract cross-Pyrenees alliances by marrying French heiresses. Additionally, Henry I of England married his daughter (and future heir) Matilda to the Holy Roman Emperor in an attempt to build relations with Germany to diplomatically out-flank France. And there was a Russian princess in the Scottish court in the mid 11th century! - though I haven't fully vetted the circumstance behind that.
Yet, most Norman and Plantagenet rulers married domestically, or married into neighboring countries building diplomatic relations. William the Conqueror married Matilda of Flanders. Henry I of England married Matilda of Scotland. Henry’s heir Empress Matilda married Geoffrey of Anjou. Henry II married Eleanor of Aquitaine. Richard the Lion-heart married Berengaria of Navarre (or he married her brother Sancho! Navarre was an important neighbor to Richard’s Aquitaine) John married Isabella, Countess of Angoulême (an important county in Aquitaine), and John had a favorite but illegitimate daughter Joan married to Llywelyn, Prince of Wales and Gwynedd.
What I propose is for the AI to take into account the kingdom and its neighbors, and value potential marriage partners based on their prestige (prestige reckoned partially in their social ranking- royal family, ducal family, comitial family, but also on their nearness to inheriting).
An AI would
- Look for marriage partners first within the same culture of the same kingdom, taking into account the most powerful nobles to the least (loyalty notwithstanding. A disloyal noble may be won over through a diplomatic marriage with their liege’s family).
- Look for marriage partners secondly with different cultures but within the same kingdom
- Marriage partners of the same culture within a directly neighboring kingdom or a direct trade route.
- Marriage partners of different cultures but of the same sprite tag (similarly grouped cultures) within a directly neighboring kingdom or a direct trade route.
- Marriage partners first of the same then of different cultures but one kingdom removed from your neighbor, though this should be an unlikely and handicapped option on the whole.
The AI would also need to be intelligent enough to wait for an important heiress and potential mate to mature
Once the happy nuptials are complete and the wedded couple are in happy bliss, the handsome husband sweeps his new bride off to his family’s court or, if he is lucky, his own newly established court. Under most succession laws this does not prove unsatisfactory. However, for the player of absolute cognatic primogeniture (*raises hand*), and under male preference primogeniture (Spain, Aquitania, comitial France) the bride may be the heir of her parent’s domain. If this is so it proves perplexing for the player, as the player would not be able to grant any titles to his heiress as he would an heir male.
I had once devised a complicated matrix in which the heiress would remain in her father’s court, but I have decided on an easier solution. Basically, allow another diplomatic option that would allow the player to target the court where his character’s heiress has been whisked away to, and allow the player to scroll down a list of their courtiers, and allow him to grant a title to that courtier in much the same way as he can for his own courtiers. This has the beauty of flexibility, allowing the player to target other characters that otherwise would make great vassals.
In this way, the player would still be able to grant his heiress a title and for her to aquire the prestige and the gold that comes with it, much like any heir male would.
What do you think?
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