How Kings and Queens make war

[Katana_Geldar]

So I managed to wipe out Swadia and the next obvious target are the Khergits. What's the best way to start a war as a monarch without taking a big hit in relation and honour?

 

[hoe12moe]

wait until they attack... they probably will

 

[Dreadnaught]

I used to tip toe around until I get attacked at first, but then I got bored and tried attacking and the hit is really not important. Just go on and steamroll a faction when you feel you have the advantage!

(I like to hold a feast, wait till a bunch of my vassal show up, then call it off by calling them on a campaign, go back in your court and tell your minister you are declaring war and then proceed to rip them a new one with your assembled army before the enemy assemble theirs!)

 

[Hughes]

Since I've had some lords join me and was unable to give them any fiefs, over time my relation with them dropped through the floor. Khavel was the worst, I couldn't get him a fief til he was at -100 with me. Giving him Curaw and one of its village got me up to around -85, but it's a deep hole and since I didn't have 90,000 denars to give him in gifts, it's stuck there.

We're at peace with everyone, but yesterday he rebelled and joined the Sarranids, taking Curaw and two villages with him without any bloodshed. There's now a yellow city in the middle of my kingdom. Very bad. So I would definitely pay attention to your relationships.

I've also had the typical problem of giving away fiefs for strategic reasons (keeping lords' lands close together, so they don't run all over the place looking after them, for example), but that's sunk my relationships with a ton of my lords. A lot of them are negative.

However! The other day I was riding around doing some trading and got one of those messages saying that one of my villages has petitioned me for protection from Harlaus, "making it easier to go to war with the Kingdom of Swadia if I choose to."

I went back to my court, declared war on Harlaus, and pow: my relationship with every single lord in the kingdom jumped between 5 and 10 points. It's a giant help, I'm now back in positive relationships with almost all of them.

So I'd recommend minding your business, do some trading, fight some bandits, hold some feasts - but don't start a war until someone attacks you or you get a message like that. If you're patient, the benefits can be huge.

 

[morphwan]

first note if you have a vassal with a negative 100 relationship with you, indict the idiot for treason and get rid of him. Otherwise, well clearly you already know what happens in that case eh?  Anyways now to be helpful instead of just snarky. You can make it more likely that a kingdom will declare war on you by raiding villages and caravans. In order to do that, go find a vassal lord you don't like from that kingdom and get in a fight with them. voila instant negative relationship with the entire faction and you can raid and pillage till your evil little heart is content. Even take fiefs from them if you want. Once you still a town or two they will get the picture. Also if your kingdom has at somepoint been at war with another kingdom, but aren't now but that other kingdom is weak or on their last leg, ie down to one or two fiefs. It may be possible to declare war and attack them without taking a hit at all. The only way I know of to find out for certain if that is the case is to enable cheats and go to the factions page in the notes section. If that case pertains it will say something like Your kingdom may attack the Kingdom of Swadia(or whoever else) without provocation in a bid to control Calradia. As of yet I don't know how to find this out without the cheat menu but am still searching. But when it happens it's fairly nice.

Update. Go to the guild master in one of your towns and talk to him about political matters, and the policy of your kingdom towards the other realms and it will tell you if you can declare war without provocation