vassalization/diplo-annex question

[unmerged(5023)]

Situation: I'm playing France, EU 1.09, IGC 2.3. It's 1500, and I'm trying to
do my first diplomatic annexation, targeting Lorraine. Lorraine allied with
Spain/Naples/Milan, and then I went to war with Spain. I sacked Lorraine
and tried to annex, but (here's a plug for the IGC) Lorraine was smart enough
not to accept the military annexation and instead hope her allies bailed her
out...so I set out to take out her allies...sacked Milan, who had made a seperate
peace with one of my allies, and annexed Milan...at this point, Spain offers
Franch Comte, Lux and Artois, so I accept, and Lorraine is free again. I get
a royal marriage with Lorraine, and start pouring ducats into her to get relations
to +200, but the option to vassalize hasn't come up...which sure stops my
idea of diplo-annexing her in it's tracks

I read the FAQ sticky article about annexation, and still don't understand what's
wrong in this given situation. My monarch is the 2nd of France's monarchs.
Is the problem that I have to be military-allianced with a state before I can
vassalize it??

 

[Heretic]

you most certainly do need to be in a military alliance to vassalise the state.

Heretic

 

[BiB]

Very much so. And if u managed to miss that one out it is plausible u might forget about other requirmenets too at times See the thread about it on FAQ.