What does independent mean and why can't I attack them?

[Twotribes]

How do I expand if everyone around me has this independent tag?

 

[suchiuomizu]

How do I expand if everyone around me has this independent tag?

Are you sure you are reading it right? Sounds like you are trying to attack someone who is NOT independent (you have to attack their liege).

 

[Kaiser Ludwig]

If he has a liege, he's not independent. You have to attack that liege. If that liege has a liege, you have to attack that overliege. If that liege has a liege, you're dealing with the H/E/RE or similar, and it's just not worth the grief.

 

[Maniakki]

Do you have a claim to their titles? In this game you cannot declare wars easily.

 

[Danarca]

Etymology
From Latin independens, present participle from prefix in-, not, plus dependens, dependent or literally hanging from, from verb dependere, depend, hang from, from prefix de-, from or concerning, plus pendere, hang

Adjective
independent (comparative more independent, superlative most independent)

1. not dependent; not contingent or depending on something else; free
2. (politics) not affiliated with any political party

A country is independent when it has no vassal.
In a modern context, the state of Florida isn't independent, but The United States is. Scotland isn't independent, the United Kingdom is.

Inside the game, it means you'll have to declare war upon the Holy Roman Emperor (he's independent) in order to annex the duchy of Bohemia (which isn't).

 

[perpetualmuse]

How do I expand if everyone around me has this independent tag?

I think suchiuomizu and Kaiser Ludwig made the right point, but to be clear:

I suspect you're seeing the message saying that you can't declare war because you're failing the criteria for "XXX is indepedent". In this case, you are trying to declare war on someone in another realm that has a liege and you can't do this. For example, if you're in England, you can't declare war on a Duke in France who serves under the King of France; you would have to declare war on the King of France to take land from the Duke.

A country is independent when it has no vassal.

I assume you meant to say that a country is independent when the ruler has no liege, not when it has no vassals.