Cameron Miranda
Crusader Kings 2 (CK2) is a historical grand strategy and RPG game series where players can engage in courtly intrigue, dynastic struggles, and holy warfare in medieval Europe, Africa, the Middle East, India, the steppes, and Tibet. CK2 features various succession laws that determine who becomes the new ruler of a realm upon the death of the previous ruler. These laws can vary, such as primogeniture, where the eldest child inherits, or gavelkind, where the ruler's titles are divided among their children. Players can also explore the complexities of the College of Cardinals and the election of the Pope. Understanding the mechanics of succession laws, including those unique to India, is crucial for players to navigate the challenges of ruling their virtual kingdoms.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Game | Crusader Kings II (CK2) |
| Genre | Historical grand strategy / RPG |
| Platforms | PC, Mac, Linux, PlayStation 5 & Xbox Series X/S |
| Description | Engage in courtly intrigue, dynastic struggles, and holy warfare in medieval Europe, Africa, the Middle East, India, the steppes and Tibet. |
| Succession Laws | Gavelkind, Seniority, Primogeniture, Feudal Elective, Open-Agnatic/Turkish Succession, Tanistry, Ultimogeniture, Patrician Elective |
| Gavelkind Law | The ruler's titles are divided among their children; the oldest child inherits the main title while brothers inherit other things |
| Seniority Law | All titles of the ruler are inherited by the oldest member of the dynasty |
| Primogeniture Law | All titles of the ruler are inherited by the oldest child; if no children, inheritance passes to collateral relatives in order of seniority |
| Feudal Elective Law | The ruler and vassals one step under (two steps under in an empire) can nominate among themselves and the ruler's eligible children; whoever gets the most nominations inherits |
| Open-Agnatic/Turkish Succession Law | Whoever in the ruler's dynasty holds the best titles inherits |
| Tanistry Law | The ruler and vassals at one and two ranks below can nominate an heir (the Tanist) from among the members of the ruler's dynasty |
| Ultimogeniture Law | All titles of the ruler are inherited by the youngest child; if no children, inheritance passes to collateral relatives in order of seniority |
| Patrician Elective Law | The primary title and the county within which the capital is located are inherited by one of the five heads of the grand Patrician families |
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What You'll Learn
Mixed succession laws
In Crusader Kings II, succession laws govern who becomes the new ruler of a realm upon the death of the previous ruler. Each title in the game has associated succession laws, and if a ruler holds multiple titles, the succession laws of the highest-ranked realm apply.
The succession laws are as follows:
Gavelkind
Gavelkind is the most common succession law in the game. With this law, the ruler's titles are divided among their children. The oldest child inherits the main title, while their siblings inherit other titles. Gavelkind is available to Christians, Indians, and Reformed Pagans.
Primogeniture
Under primogeniture, all titles of the ruler are inherited by the oldest child. If there are no children, inheritance passes to collateral relatives in order of seniority of their lines of descent.
Seniority
With seniority, all titles of the ruler are inherited by the oldest member of the dynasty. This law can be beneficial for bringing together all of a family's holdings, but it can be challenging to switch out of once it is in place.
Tanistry
Under tanistry, the ruler and their vassals can nominate an heir, known as the Tanist, from among the members of the ruler's dynasty. Vassals tend to favour older members from other branches of the family.
Ultimogeniture
With ultimogeniture, all titles of the ruler are inherited by the youngest child. If there are no children, inheritance passes to collateral relatives in order of seniority of their lines of descent.
Open Succession (Turkish Succession)
In open succession, all titles of the ruler are inherited by the most powerful child, determined by the rank and number of titles held. Open succession is only available to Muslim feudal rulers.
Patrician Elective
Under patrician elective succession, the primary title and the county within which the capital is located are inherited by one of the five heads of the grand Patrician families. Age, prestige, and investing money in the Campaign Fund can increase the likelihood of succeeding. Patrician Elective succession is always Agnatic.
Feudal Elective
In feudal elective succession, the ruler's highest title is determined by electors, who vote for their preferred candidate. In a Kingdom, only Dukes can vote, while in an Empire, both Kings and Dukes are electors. Electors can only vote for their own Kingdom.
Absolute Cognatic Elective
This law allows female characters to be granted titles.
Agnatic
Under Agnatic law, only men can inherit.
Agnatic-Cognatic
With Agnatic-Cognatic law, women can inherit when there are no eligible men.
Gender Laws
Gender laws can become confusing when mixed with different succession laws. For example, under Agnatic-Cognatic Primogeniture, the oldest male child will become the heir unless there are no eligible male children.
In the context of Indian succession laws, it is possible to have a mixture of succession laws, such as primogeniture and gavelkind, as mentioned in the query. However, the specific mechanics of how this works were not clearly explained in the sources.
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Seniority and its impact on ruling duration
Seniority succession in Crusader Kings 2 (CK2) is a type of succession law that players can choose to employ in the game. It is not often discussed, and some players have expressed dislike for it. Seniority succession allows players to choose any member of their dynasty as their heir, even those with non-dynastic children. This can be advantageous for stacking Dynasty prestige by having numerous king/emperor rank rulers in a short time frame.
However, the main issue with seniority succession is the lack of control players have over their leader. Once a dynasty is established, players often struggle with leaders surviving for a long time due to the constant presence of older, powerful dynasty members who want to inherit and will murder their way to the throne. This results in frequent leadership changes, which can be challenging and costly, especially when dealing with elections.
Additionally, the short reigns can lead to stacking debuffs, such as the "short reign" and "opinion of predecessor" maluses, impacting the player's experience and their ability to change succession laws. The lack of control over the leader can also result in incompetent or incapable rulers, negatively affecting the game.
On the other hand, some players have found success with seniority succession, especially after long tribal games. By purposefully splitting holdings with gavelkind, players can transition to seniority succession and peacefully consolidate their holdings under their rule.
In summary, while seniority succession can be a useful tactic in specific scenarios, it also comes with challenges and drawbacks that can make it less appealing to players who prefer more control over their heirs and the duration of their reigns.
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Requirements for succession and gender laws
Succession laws in Crusader Kings II dictate who inherits a ruler's titles upon their death. There are seven types of succession laws, four of which are playable. These are:
Gavelkind
Gavelkind is the most common succession law, applying to nearly all Christian kingdoms and duchies, except the Byzantine Empire. Under this law, the ruler's titles are divided among their children, with the oldest child inheriting the main title and the other children inheriting other titles. If there are no children, the law reverts to primogeniture. Gavelkind is only available to Christians, Indians, and Reformed Pagans.
Seniority
Under Seniority, all titles of the ruler are inherited by the oldest member of the dynasty.
Primogeniture
In Primogeniture, all titles of the ruler are inherited by the oldest child. If there are no children, inheritance passes to collateral relatives in order of seniority of their lines of descent.
Feudal Elective
With Feudal Elective succession, the ruler and vassals one step below them (two steps below if it's an empire) can nominate a successor from among themselves, the ruler's legitimate children, and siblings. The nominee with the most votes inherits.
Tanistry
The ruler and all vassals at one and two ranks below can nominate an heir—the Tanist—from among the members of the ruler's dynasty. Vassals tend to favour older members from other branches of the family, especially claimants.
Gender Laws
In addition to succession laws, each realm has a gender law that specifies whether women can inherit. There are three gender laws:
- Agnatic: Only men can inherit. Women with claims on titles under this law cannot declare war on the ruler.
- Agnatic-Cognatic: Women can inherit only when there are no eligible men. For example, in Gavelkind, daughters are only considered if there are no sons; in Primogeniture, daughters inherit before brothers and uncles, and daughters with sons are prioritised over those without.
- Absolute Cognatic: Women inherit on the same grounds as men. For example, in Gavelkind, titles are split between sons and daughters without reference to gender; in Primogeniture, older daughters inherit before younger sons. Absolute Cognatic also allows players to give landed titles to women.
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Gavelkind succession and title division
Gavelkind is the most common succession law in Crusader Kings II, a historical grand strategy and RPG game. Nearly all Christian kingdoms and duchies start with this law, except for the Byzantine Empire. Under Gavelkind law, the oldest child of the ruler inherits the main title, while their siblings inherit other titles and land. This can result in the realm being split apart, which some players find frustrating.
One way to manage Gavelkind succession is to ensure there is only one male heir, either through divorce or by killing off other children. However, this is considered a "lame" way to play. Another strategy is to assign land and titles to other sons, so that the primary heir can keep their ducal titles and main duchies intact. This is because the division of land takes into account existing titles. For example, if a ruler holds a kingdom title and two duchies with two sons, they could give their second son two duchies, potentially allowing both heirs to keep their assigned duchies.
Elective Gavelkind is a variation where the primary heir is elected from within the dynasty, usually not one of the ruler's sons. While this can result in new kingdom titles being created for heirs, which can split the realm, it also provides a 30% bonus in demense and avoids the negative reactions associated with primogeniture.
The ability to nominate an heir was added to Crusader Kings II with the Rajas of India Expansion, allowing for mixed succession laws within a realm.
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Hindu Succession Act (1956) and its impact
The Hindu Succession Act (1956) is an Act of the Parliament of India that relates to the succession and inheritance of property. The Act lays down a comprehensive and uniform system that incorporates both succession and inheritance, including intestate or unwilled (testamentary) succession.
The Act applies to Hindus, Buddhists, Jains, and Sikhs. It also applies to any other person who is not a Muslim, Christian, Parsi, or Jew by religion unless it is proved that they would not be governed by Hindu Law. According to the Act, any child (legitimate or illegitimate) of Hindu, Buddhist, Jain, or Sikh parents is considered to be a Hindu. Additionally, any person who is converted or reconverted to Hinduism is also treated as a Hindu under the Act.
One of the significant impacts of the Hindu Succession Act (1956) was the recognition of women's property rights. The Act granted ownership of property to women, whether acquired before or after the commencement of the Act, thus abolishing their "limited owner" status. However, it is important to note that it was only through the Hindu Succession (Amendment) Act of 2005 that daughters were entitled to an equal share of property as sons. This amendment further emphasized equality between males and females by recognizing the rights of daughters as coparceners.
The Hindu Succession Act (1956) also outlines the order of inheritance in the case of a Hindu female dying intestate (without a will). The property shall devolve firstly upon the sons and daughters (including grandchildren if the parent is predeceased) and the husband. Secondly, it goes to the heirs of the husband, then the parents of the deceased female, followed by the heirs of the father, and finally, the heirs of the mother.
The Act has brought uniformity to the succession of property among Hindus and has tried to rectify loopholes through the 2005 Amendment. However, there remains some ambiguity regarding the people to whom the Act does not apply.
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Frequently asked questions
CK2 is short for Crusader Kings 2, a historical grand strategy/RPG game series for PC, Mac, Linux, PlayStation 5 & Xbox Series X|S developed and published by Paradox Development Studio.
Succession laws in CK2 govern who becomes the new ruler of a realm upon the death of the previous ruler. Every title in CK2 has associated succession laws, and if a ruler holds multiple titles, the succession laws of the highest-ranked realm apply.
There are various succession laws in CK2, including Gavelkind, where the titles of the ruler are divided among their children; Investiture, where the primary title is inherited by a character specified by another ruler; and Seniority, where all the family's holdings are brought together, but rulers rarely last long and you are unlikely to get the long-reign opinion bonus.
Indian succession law in CK2 can refer to the inheritance laws of historical Indian kingdoms incorporated into the game. For example, before Indian independence and the passing of acts such as the Hindu Succession Act (1956), nieces could succeed to the kingdom in the absence of nephews, as in the case of Queen Gowri Lakshmi Bayi, who reigned from 1810 to 1813.
