Crusader Kings 2 How To Get Casus Belli
Casus belli is a Latin expression meaning the justification for acts of war. In Crusader Kings II a valid casus belli (CB) is required to wage war against your enemies. There are many different types of CBs, and the CB used to declare war determines the potential outcomes at the conclusion of the war. Only one CB can be pushed per war. New ways to wage war. As part of the expansion and the free patch that will launch alongside it, Crusader Kings 2 is getting a new set of casus belli (motives to start a war), which will please the more military-minded players.
Every time I help some other dude out in a war, I go for the territories I'm interested in, and conquer those.But it seems that when the war ends, everything goes back to normal, except the main 'goal' of the war. So if it was a poland invasion, only the polish territories are taken (and not by me).So is it even possible to get territories from someone elses war?For example, say sweeden wants to attack poland, and poland asks denmark (me) for help.
Crusader Kings 2 How To Get Casus Bellingham
I go and take some territories from sweeden I've had my eyes on. But I never get to keep those, even if the war is won. So, it has been a while since I played this game, and I barely managed to get a grasp of this game, but I'll try:To start a war the attacker has to have some kind of claim, either to a territory or a title. In the war the attacker can attack any territory held by the other part, and vice versa. And the winner is the one who manages to take all of the enemies territories, or enough to make the enemy surrender. But the thing is, at the end of the war the only thing the attacker get (if he wins) is what he has laid claim to. And since you aren't the one pressing the claim, you don't get anything, except for a better relationship with your ally.
Yeah, it is as @tineyoghurt says; all you get out of assisting is better relations with the nation you help.If you wish to take over territory you have to either:a) Fabricate claims falsely using one of your council members (Steward or Diplomat I think, has been a while). Then press those claims and use them as grounds to start a war.b) Weave long terms plots via marriage; if you marry into a royal line, or even that of a duke/lesser noble, any progeny you have should have a claim to that title that you may then press in war.So to take somewhere over you have to have either a fabricated claim, or a legitimate one. Any unrelated territories you take during the war are handed back once the treaty is drawn up.Best I did was start the game as the Aelfricson family (owning just Shrewsbury), and through centuries of plotting eventually wound up in charge of scotland, most of england, all of wales and half of ireland and a few regions of France.Best thing to do is be devious, fabricate claims, use marriages in your favour. Perhaps propose marriages to the person you helped out, then in future generations invade them using that claim. Also, if you do wish to expand a bunch, be sure that you do not give your vassals absolute freedom to in-fight. It is problematic as upstart nobles can come to solidify decent sized regions, potentially rivaling your own. It is best to give yourself a nice concentrated mass of territories and upgrade them, handing single territories as you expand to hand picked loyal nobles.
So long as no single noble is your equal in terms of holdings, if they ever rebel you and (hopefully some loyalists) can put them down and replace them with someone obedient.Anyway, the game is highly political, and you are sadly bound by all that pesky feudal etiquette. Unless you get the DLC and play an Islamic nation, then you can go to war pretty much at will, on a whim. Best of luck seeking glory for your dynasty, hope some of this helps:).
@Dredlockz: Well, you can't really use that war as your casus belli to gain land. You have no real issues/claims on nation Z at that time, and merely fight them because they are in league with nation Y there. After the war you will all part ways, get some glory and nation Z won't be too fond of you, but you won't have their land.Instead it is often best to build up money for mercenaries and await a war like that, then rather than expressly joining merely to assist, instead press a claim you have either fabricated or got due to marriage. With them fighting a war on many fronts you will have an easier time, and coming in fresh with mercenaries can really tip the scale.
For instance, get a claim to english land, wait for them to be beset by civil war, or be invading elsewhere, give them a while to have mobilized and commited all their forces, then declare war upon them for the land you want.There are times when an allied war can net you land, but that is usually in aid of a larger plot. I married my king to a rebellious noble who had a claim on the scottish throne. I encouraged her to rebel and then assisted helping her become queen. They had a son, which is of course of my dynasty. Then when the time came and both parents passed on the kid inherited all of scotland and ireland in one fell swoop.
Though the moron had got himself excommunicated so holding onto both while low on glory/respect in the eyes of his peers, along with being seen as a foreigner in scotland made it a real. Messy transition.Anyway, you may only take territories in a war that you lay claim to when declaring the war. There are from what I recall 3 sorts of claims you can make, or 4 in fact;1)Fabricated (false claims, you may aswell always have your guy fabricating claims somewhere if you wish to expand, eventually he will forge you some documents to use to gain land in war).2)Succession claimants. A child always has claim to his parents land from both sides from what I recall. So if you marry some foreign princess and have a child, when he becomes the ruler he may press that claim as a cause for war.3) De Jure claims, if I remember right are claims due to geographical region and Duchy titles.
For instance if you own 2/3 of the territories in wales, and you create/grab a title like 'Duchy/Duke of Wales', by rights the other third of that territory is technically yours, so you may press war by rights of them holding land that is yours by title and due to your prominence owning the land of that region, if that makes sense.4)Crusade. Any heretical nation, be it excommunicated or of a 'heretical' nation is fair game for invading, the pope and other Christian rulers are fine with it, they may even help you. But it is usually more hassle than it is worth.
An English king waging war for land in Africa may get lucky and grab some land. But holding land so far away when half a dozen nations call a Jihad upon you and that land is another matter entirely.Main thing to keep in mind, is just plot. Be devious, abuse friend and foe alike and over the generations slowly but surely absorb their land. The game is certainly complex, but it is rather satisfying once you have some plots go to plan:). @Gravier251: Oh right, I think I actually started a new war using a new 'holy war' as a casus belli, and not using the already ongoing war, man I'm so lost in this game:DThanks a lot for the help, that makes a lot of sense. I really need to play close attention to all the decisions that are going on, and use them to reinforce my goals. Since I keep just marrying or appointing people according to character stats, and not politics.
So I end up marrying my kids to people I really shouldn't.I'm loving the game so far tho, appreciate you taking the time to explain how that works.:).
If you’ve just picked up Crusader Kings 2 and can’t wait to get started, then it’s worth taking a look over my. It goes over the most basic mechanics that will help you to create a successful first game, from which you can self-learn everything else you need to know.Of course, the advice in that guide is very basic, and I intend to flesh it out with followup articles to help you make your way through a game without complete cluelessness at a later date.
However, if you’ve already read it and just can’t wait to dive in (my definite recommendation) then you might be looking for advice on the best place to start.Thanks to Crusader Kings 2’s character-based play, there are plenty of options open to you, from mighty Emperors down to measly provincial Counts and everything in between. Even without any of the DLC there are potentially hundreds of starting characters to choose from across a 400 year timespan, before even including non-Christians and 2 additional, pre-1066 start dates.The game does have some options for you, including interesting historical bookmarks and the characters who are most relevant and enjoyable in that time period. However, a few of these are DLC-only, and for a beginner, I don’t really recommend any of them anyway. As strange as it sounds, the best place to start a Crusader Kings 2 game is not as one of the largest powers, but among some of the weaker options. Starting as a Duke or CountStarting as a king seems like a fun idea, but is fraught with peril. Any but the smallest of kingdoms will have to contend with a mess of vassals, each of whom will contend to bring about your downfall. Not to mention a historical setup that’s a horrible tangle to try and figure out.
It’s fun in its own way, but similarly quite complicated, and a new player will have enough on their hands just trying to figure out the basics.Starting as a Duke will give you the best ratio of power to responsibility. As a Duke you can have vassals, but your vassals will generally be small and weak. Added together they give you a strong force to fight with, but individually aren’t too much of a hassle. As an independent Duke you can often begin to absorb some of your smaller neighbours, or as a vassal to a king you have less to worry about from threats outside the realm.
As you grow you can shape your realm into a system that works for you, rather than against you, and eventually become a king with a much better grasp on internal politics.Starting as a count offers slightly more of a challenge than a Duke, but with similar rewards. You won’t have any real vassals until you can upgrade yourself to a duchy rank, which also makes it harder to absorb your neighbours. However, you’ll be shaping your entire realm from the ground up, so that you never have to deal with a vassal you didn’t choose yourself. A king who used to be a count will usually have a strong powerbase within their realm, and dominate internal politics. If you can make it that far of course. Starting in the British Isles or the Iberian PeninsulaRegardless of which DLC you’ve got, I always think that the best place to start is in the British Isles or Iberian Peninsula (Spain).
Particularly Ireland or one of the Iberian kings (yes, despite what I said about Dukes).Ireland: Ireland is often colloquially referred to as “Beginner’s Island” thanks to its opportunities to learn the game relatively undisturbed. Right on the Western edge of the map, and fractured into plenty of minor powers, Ireland is safe from most outside threats. The only superpower you might have to contend with early on is England, and they have enough worries with the joint Norwegian/Norman invasion and subsequent unrest to bother you for a while. Not to mention, they don’t really care that much about conquering Ireland.Starting as one of the Dukes in Ireland means that you can begin to fabricate claims on your neighbours and take their land, and the Casus Bellis you get from duchy titles will help speed the process along. Once you have about half of Ireland conquered you can form the kingdom and the rest tends to fall into place quite quickly.
Go at your own pace and you’ll feel nicely in control for most of the start of the game. Once you’re a king, you’ll have a good powerbase to expand from and experiment with.Castile: I mention Castile as the foremost of the Iberian powers, partly because (spoilers) they end up winning, historically, and partly because they’re nice and central in the area. Unlike in Ireland, Castile does border an immediate threat in the form of various Muslim kingdoms and duchies, and has dynastic problems with neighbouring kingdoms too. View this as a blessing rather than a curse.Having other kings of your dynasty around is a good way to build alliances, and potentially inherit their thrones too.
You’ll have claims on your relative’s titles, especially if you keep intermarrying with them, and when they show weakness you can expand quickly by taking them over.Meanwhile, your Muslim neighbours to the south offer you quite a nice Casus Belli in the form of Holy War, which allows you to take entire duchies at a time. Just watch out, because neighbouring Muslim dukes will join them in the defense of their titles, so be ready for a big war, or plan it out opportunistically.Other than the Iberian Muslims and your dynastic neighbours, however, Castile has very little to worry about in 1066 and shouldn’t have too much trouble eventually securing the entire Iberian peninsula for themselves. Much like Ireland, once you’ve expanded a little, you should have a good powerbase to play and explore from. Other Starting OptionsFrance: France offers you plenty of choice when it comes to duchies, but relatively little options to expand.
You’re surrounded by other, equally powerful dukes, so will need to be patient and opportunistic to grow your realm. If you want to try playing just as a vassal, however, France is a great place to start, with nothing much to do but play the diplomatic game.Holy Roman Empire: Like France, the Holy Roman Empire (HRE) offers a player peace and relative stability as a vassal, without having to worry about outside threats. The HRE also offers a bit more opportunity to expand, with so many dukes and counts that you can marry or fabricate on your neighbours and almost always find someone weaker than you. Thanks to its start as an Elective Monarchy, it also offers you the chance to become Emperor for a while, just to experience the sort of headache that starting with a large title can give you.England: Starting as Harold Godwinson is a huge mistake. If you hadn’t heard, he has a very short and turbulent reign. However, starting as an English duke can be a bit more interesting.
Once the Norman and Norwegian invasions are over, and the dust has settled, internal politics becomes very interesting and, like Ireland, you have very little else to worry about. Set yourself up as a powerful Duke and rule the realm by proxy, or have a go at the crown yourself.Hopefully that should be plenty to start with, and with the knowledge of how to get married and go to war you’ll be well on your way to creating a fruitful and long-lasting dynasty.Keep your eyes peeled for my next post on the different Casus Bellis you can use to expand your realm, and how to get hold of them.