Fosterling Strategy

[Lambert Simnel]

When should I send children away as fosterlings? The only idea that springs to mind is sending unwanted kids off to live with the Baby Eating Bishop of Bath and Wells.

Also, does the answer change if I am using DVIP with add-on?

EDIT

...and as if to answer my own question my queen has just gone schizophrenic and murdered her eldest daughter. I think it might just be a good time for some of my sons to fly the roost.

 

[unmerged(133776)]

There are several circumstances where it pays to send your Dynasty kids off to be Fosterlings.

Your Court is over-stuffed and disease/illness starts to happen.
Your Ruler has low stats or a low Main Stat, so sending them to a Ruler who is an Elusive Shadow/Grey Eminence/etc.
No School in your Ruling Province.
As you found out, getting them away from someone who has gone 'Around The Bend'.
The downside is you no longer have control over any Events that relate to them or you'll no longer be able to give that under-age child a title.

 

[Nick B II]

It's not unwise to send kids away when your cabinet sucks, as IIRC fosterlings in Courts with smart cabinets are more likely to get stat bumps and/or better educations.

There are some other events. A fosterling can get prestige if he's at a court that's better than his father's, and his friends (and enemies) will be more important.

So if you're a one-province Countm in Iberia with zero prestige, who only has two really stupid adults at his Court, sending all your Martial educated boys off to Aragon to be educated by El Cid is probably a good idea.

Nick

 

[Snaake]

And of course there's the trick of sending fosterlings to knightly orders (and bishoprics?), if their ruler "unexpectedly" dies before the fosterling comes home, he might inherit the realm. Not sure if it's actually working as intended, but i've read a lot of stories here to that effect. Might work with small (no vassals) republics too.