In this Crusader Kings 3 guide, I highlight some of the interesting starts in Italy in CK3. My Patreon account (THANKS for the support!): / realmbuilderguy Twitch: / realmbuilder Twitter: / realmbuilderguy Discord: / discord
I wish that the papacy had cardinals and that you could let one of your children join the cardinal chamber to compete for the papacy I think that would be really fun tbh.
That's not how Cardinals worked though, your children would join the clergy and work their way up through intrigue and funds they had from your family. You don't join the college of Cardinals automatically.
@@Mithiras Yes and no. Today it works like that, but in the medieval times the papacy and cardinals were practically offices for sale. Look at Rodrigo Borgia for example. So if you are a powerful lord, you could influence the vote for the next pope heavily. Especially if you’re Italian, which is why almost every pope until the 19th century has been Italian. Bishoprics and the like were also sold. I guess that it would be an even more realistic experience, if you were able to “direct” the will of the Holy Spirit to one of your sons.
Louis II didnt actually have a kingdom rank title, before the start date he was crowned Holy Roman Emperor, at the start date he used the title Imperitor Italicum, and then after he conquered Bari he used the title Imperator Romanorum, which pissed off the byzantine emperor who he was actually allies with, they then had a letter correspondence debating with each other the meaning of Roman among other things
Sad you didn't mention the sawdanids more thoroughly. They are a very interesting but insanely difficult start. Other than that, this is a great guide.
Correction re Spartenos dynasty They should be Catholic, not Orthodox. They were aligned with the Roman church as early as the 800s and count Sergius I's son was a papal legate who took part in one of the early Lateran councils. The bishops of Napoli were confirmed at Rome, and of course these families were neighbours of the Pope and the Normans of Sicily. In 867, and especially by 1066, they weren't really in the Byzantine sphere.
I have not started in Italy in 867 but I've done both Apulia and Tuscany for 1066 and have been some of my favorite games. I plan on revisiting the Robert Guiscard start because I did it back when achievements were bugged. Love these starts! Italy is a personal favorite of mine in Ck3 and will probably go back after I finish this Daurama start.
Italy is, imho, a fun start in either date. Border gore happens...but then, in the land of 300 city states, that's not nearly as unrealistic as other places. I've had fun games as both Matilda and Robert in 1066. And further north in 867. Tried Prince of Benevento, but it fell apart quickly on me.
Hey I dont normally comment on videos but I had to let you know that these guides are fantastic! I've watched all the guides you've put out so far. The way you give concise yet entertaining bits of info, has made watching them super easy. Great work! I hope you keep it up, as I see a lot of people agree.
21:06 - The house of Orsini did have three popes, but they were actually the house of five popes, as popes Stephen II and his brother pope Paul I were of the Bobone, and their brother Constanzo is the direct ancestor to all Orsini including Celesine III, who was his nine times great grandson. The Orsini also controlled the Despot of Epirus. Thanks for the videos btw. They are great quality and I am binging them at the moment. I have also subscribed!
I like starting as Capua. Try to make an alliance with Tuscany early and taking the two city states to my south. Then make moves on Apulia, then the islands of Sicily, Sardinia, and Corsica.. then push north and create the Italian Empire. It's always fun taking a single County all the way to an Empire.
Great start with the last of the Lombard Dukes! Btw, the right pronunciation is “Adelkee”. It would be fun to see the Lombards withstand the Normans and rise again.
Do you know why the heck I keep losing the kigdom of Italy to a random uprising that happens without a warning, rebelion nor a war and suddenly I lose the titel, 1/3 of my lands and I go back to being a mere duchess...any idea why? And how can I stop that from happening?
@@daviddanyluk535 also getting your bishop liking you goes a long way if you have a 100 opinion he will give you a decent amount of levies and quite a lot of money
This comment is two years late, and maybe someone else has pointed this out, but the Lambert in Spoleto is actually Lambert I and not Lambert II. Lambert II was the one who went on to become the king of Italy.
Hey man, totally unrelated but you seem really smart when it comes to things CK# related. Is there a way to land a spiritual head of faith of a custom religion. THanks!!
Ooh...not sure there. I haven’t messed around much with custom religion dynamics yet, so don’t want to tell you something that I’m not that well versed in.
@@RealmBuilderGuy Yeah man, I'd really appreciate it if you could make a video about the in-depth stuff in custom religions once you're done messing around with it, as I believe it could be useful to a lot of people. Keep making these awesome videos and stay safe out there!!
Also, it's not represented in the game but the Aghlabids were actually of the Mu'tazila branch of Islam. It does exist in the game, but isn't used by anyone.
Duchess Matilda is my arch nemesis as my favourite is Robert Guiscard. Just formed the Kingdom of Sicily and took Abruzzi and Spoletto. Also you got the Apulian strategy wrong. Now I became the HRE starting as Robert Guiscard so I do know something about this. Even before you unpause declare holy war on Agrigento. Rapid attack and take Agrigento. On the sidelines your archbishop should have been fab claims on Salerno. Around this time Matilda come rolling - That's fine. Give her that insignificant county without a fight - it's not your personal fief but that of your brother so its okay. After taking Salerno... Declare holy war on Palermo as it has high development. After fabricating claims on Salerno you should have switched your chaplain to generating piety. Also you can at the start swear fealty to the HRE, modify feudal contract to get council rights by increasing levies. Now take the Steward position so that you get more development. I like this campaign as you have multiple venues for expansion - Holy war into Africa, Taking the Lombard remnants, revenge on Matilda as well as terrifying the Byzantines. Very exciting gameplay
Hard disagree re: Robert Guiscard recommendations. Matilda will declare war because she has de jure ownership of the top county, so you're best off just conceding it and letting her take it, while you consolidate power and finish off taking Sicily from the Muslims. (Go on a pilgrimage immediately, declare war on the single territory, should be super easy to take it, then declare a duchy war for the other 2, then take Malta are your leisure. Super quick 4 counties, right off the bat.) The 3 other Christian neighbours are never strong enough to start wars on you, so you can take your time fabricating claims on them.
Fair enough. I’ve also seen the Matilda conquest play out where all the small states ally against Robert and then it gets a bit hairy at times. But the variety we have with this game is what I love about it. Thanks for watching and for sharing your thoughts. I greatly appreciate it.
@@RealmBuilderGuy yeah true, I've only seen that happen once when playing as Robert, most every other time I've been able to get stronger than them fast enough that their alliances don't help them