How to get a title thanks to the marriage? | House Crusader Kings 2 Guide
Last update: 11 May 2016
Intercepting the power with your own House isn't difficult, but it's time In this chapter you will find the method according to which you may easily and comfortable take over the honours without any battle.
Main character of this story is a count Botstain of Gotlandi, poor noble standing on the lowest feudal level. Due to few clever tricks, he achieved the highest honours, including the Norway's crown. Here are his steps:
1. At the beginning Botstain decided to marry the Norway princess, Ingegerd, daughter of the king Haralda. Besides chance for a throne it assures an alliance with the old monarch (screen below).
2. Following years of Botstain's reigns in Gotland give him a title of duke of Smaland (he got this after the intrigue) and few children with the firstborn Swenik (screen below).
3. Observation of the chart above leads to the simple conclusion: in Norway we have election system because after Harald's death (reminder: father-in-law of the main hero) crown goes not to the eldest member of the family nor to the firstborn son (in both cases: Magnus). If there would be a primogeniture or principate in Norway, it would be enough to kill king's Olaf children and then him. Ingegerd (main's hero wife) would take the power then and the problem will be solved. Unfortunately, election forced other solution: bribing all the electors. When they decided that after Olaf the Ingegerd will take the reigns, there was nothing to do besides killing the king.
4. Ingegerd has seized the crown after murdering the king. It was only half a success, because Norway still isn't in hands of Botstain's House, but in his wife's (and even this until the moment of her death, when electors will choose the new ruler).
Norway crown would be the Botstain's House only when the its masculine heir will take it (thanks to the election or changed succession law). This person would be son of Ingegerd and Botstain, Swenik, who achieved the crown thanks to bribes. It was possible because he was related to the queen and he could be considered as a heir during election (Succession: Election).
5. After Ingegerd's death, Swenik took the crown of Norway. In this moment you just need to wait until the old Botstain dies and continue the game as a young, vigorous lord of the north. The first new regulation of the monarch was changing political system from an election to the principate, what solved the problem of future descendants.