Royal laws | Laws Crusader Kings 2 Guide
Last update: 11 May 2016
Royal laws (marked with the icon of crown) can be changed only by kings or emperors. Ratifying of new regulation is made like in the case of normal laws, by majority of voters. But the voters are only vassals from the "kingdom de jure", what is not necessarily real borders of your kingdom. Royal rights mostly define range of ruler's competences, so they're not only crucial but also controversial. Any change of rules is connected with constant annoyance of all vassals. So after changing, be prepared for war. If you change the law of investiture from papal on free you have to take into account also reaction of the pope (orthodoxes can't change this law).
Crown Authority:
Level | Modifiers | Effects | Remarks |
Minimal | +5 to opinion of all subjects | Player can't call up army's leaders and take lands from subjects. Vassals can fight between themselves. Landed titles can leave the domain via marriage Vassals can have external wars | The worst of levels, causing that there are constant internal wars in the kingdom. Your freedom is very limited especially in the case of seizing the lands (win in civil war has no effect). The only possible political systems are election and gavelkind. |
Low | Vassals have to provide a ruler with at last 10% of theirs army. -5 to opinion of all subjects | Player can't take lands from unfaithful subjects with impunity, but he can seize lands of his subjects (with minus to the reputation) Vassals can fight between themselves. Landed titles can leave the domain via marriage Vassals can have external wars | This level allows for rather comfortable playing, but still it has many flaws. Subordinates can fight with each other, thanks to which they often cumulate lot of lands, what can be dangerous for you. Available political systems are election and gavelkind. |
Medium | Vassals have to provide a ruler with at last 20% of theirs army. -10 to opinion of all subjects | Player can take lands from unfaithful subjects with impunity, but he can seize lands of his subjects (with minus to the reputation) Vassals can't fight between themselves. Landed titles can leave the domain via marriage Vassals can have external wars | The most comfortable level of authority. Guarantees quite big freedom for the player with simultaneously decreasing the subject's autonomy. Big plus is a ban of internal fights. And your decisions will be unchangeable. Available political systems are election, seniority and gavelkind. |
High | Vassals have to provide a ruler with at last 30% of theirs army. -20 to opinion of all subjects | Player can take lands from unfaithful subjects with impunity, but he can seize lands of his subjects (with minus to the reputation) Vassals can't fight between themselves. Landed titles can't leave the domain via marriage Vassals can have external wars | Very profitable but risky level. Although profits from banning leaving the lands outside the domain are good, the price is very high: much dissatisfaction of the subjects. So it's a proposition only for small kingdoms and players who are keen to the primogeniture. Available political systems are election, seniority, primogeniture and gavelkind. |
Maximal | Vassals have to provide a ruler with at last 40% of theirs army. -30 to opinion of all subjects | Player can take lands from unfaithful subjects with impunity, but he can seize lands of his subjects (with minus to the reputation) Vassals can't fight between themselves. Landed titles can't leave the domain via marriage Vassals can't have external wars | Very unprofitable choice. It guarantees the same profits like the high level, but is connected to bigger dissatisfactions. Prohibit of external wars isn't that good, because vassals usually behave reasonable by attacking only those enemies that they can beat (and enlarging their and their ruler's domain). Available political systems are election, seniority, primogeniture and gavelkind. |
Investiture:
Type | Modifiers | Effects | Remarks |
Papal | Divorces and asks about cancellation of the excommunication cost 50% less | Only pope can nominate bishops. | You can't let the pope decide instead of you, because the head of the Church has its own politics, which is often against yours. It may happen that your kingdom will fall apart because of few sent rebelled bishops. Another flaw is fact, that all of taxes collected by the people of the Church is given to the pope. |
Free | Vassals being Church's clerks respect you more (+25) All vassals having bishoprics respect you more (+10) Pope is dissatisfied (-30 to relation) | You can freely nominate bishops and their descendants. If you don't, the pope will make it. | This choice improves your relations with vassals, especially with the clergy. What is more, a free investiture let you nominate deputies of bishops: if one of them rebel, you can kill him and replace with the more faithful one. Crucial is fact, that taxes from the people of Church goes to you. |