Vassals pushing foreign claims in internal wars?

[LordNeidhart]

So, while playing a game as the King of Britanny and trying to conquer enough territory to form Francia (before finding out that bretons apparently can't do that), I spent a tad too long paying attention to my war against the HRE in Burgundy, and after zooming out again I noticed something curious, namely the fact that somehow, with no prompt nor warning, Normandy was now english territory. Obviously I first thought that it'd be an inheritance issue I had overlooked, then loaded an earlier save to confirm that. Then I found out it wasn't, because the Duke of Normandy's was a raised holy man with no family and I was the only possible heir. I thought for a while about what was causing it, including the idea that I was so focused on the HRE that I might have overlooked the fact that England might have declared war on me to take it back, when I noticed one one thing.

The Duke of Normandy was at war against the Duke of Burgundy (also my vassal). The war was Euian War for King Sayer's I Claim on Normandy.

King Sayer I is the King of England, the man whose father I wrestled Normandy from ten or so years ago. :excl:

Isn't it a bit unfair that such thing can happen? I am somewhat baffled over the fact that apparently two vassals of mine can go to war with each other over the claim of a foreign power on what is effectively MY land without me being able to say anything about it. Shouldn't claim wars, this one I presume caused due to a faction war, when waged between vassals in a realm, be limited to claims of people WITHIN the realm, or at least whose victory wouldn't cause the territory to flip to another liege without me being able to intervene at all?

Is this working as designed, or is this some sort of bug or design overlook? :unsure:

 

[LordNeidhart]

No one has an answer...?

 

[Kimberly]

No one has an answer...?

A little patience goes a long way--you haven't even waited 24 hours!

As for your question, that does seem quite odd--impossible, even. I think what happened in this case was that the war was declared when Sayer was an unlanded heir to the English throne. This is perfectly legitimate, because it wouldn't have caused a liege switch and would simply be another inter-vassal war. When Sayer inherited England, the war would've continued, now backed by English troops and resulting in a liege switch upon English victory. This situation should probably cause the war to end inconclusively, because an inter-vassal war (in which you can't intervene) isn't turned into a foreign war (in which you are forced to intervene) even though it has practically become one.

 

[LordNeidhart]

I apologize. I awaited long enough for the thread to leave the main page, I shall take care to wait 24 hours in the future.

As for your comment, I cannot with full certainty state that Sayer I was or wasn't King already by the time the war started, so that is certainly a possibility. Although no doubt once he ascended to the throne and the war now had the possibility of causing part of my realm to shift away to another ruler the war should have in fact ended. What I can say however is that no english troops were involved in the fighting, it was strictly an inter-vassal affair, only the outcome would have effects beyond my borders

 

[Jahasrad]

This has happened to me in the past. You aren't crazy, and it's definitely unfair in my book. It's something about your vassals being given a casus belli to install the foreign power's claim. I still think that it's ridiculous that you can't do anything but watch your land be taken away from you because of a weak vassal.

Here's my own thread on the subject. One theory was that it was the result of a successful faction to install a king as duke, and since you cannot have a duke as a vassal then you automatically lose the territory.

 

[barny]

I had this happening to me two or three times as well and I said it elsewhere: It is nonsense, at the very least should you be able to join the war. This HAS to be corrected, because it is a very big flaw.

 

[yezhanquan]

As a workaround for now, dispose of the foreigner. For wars regarding claims, probably the best way to stop them. Had even the Pope declaring war on me to push someone's claim. Assassinated the fellow before the Pope could mobilise.

 

[unmerged(494787)]

Yeah. The frustrating thing is that the only way to handle it is to assassinate the claimant. Marry off your sister with a claim to <duchy>, then give away that duchy? Your vassals can fight each other to install her and you can't do anything about it but assassinate your sister.

 

[yezhanquan]

Makes it a bit tedious, but load your heir with the duchies if you have too many, unless you need them to raise opinion.