Reorganizing an Empire

[unmerged(140901)]

Ok I'm a little frustrated with the revolts that have been occuring in my large Byzantine Empire; luckliy I've grabbed the best provinces and can beat down the rebels all day. Anyways I've read in the forums that Bishoprics and Archbishoprics have no demense limit.

I'm trying to keep my number of vassals low but everytime I create a power block (like my 3rd son in Egypt) they get an event and have to parcle it up. Question is: in theory could I reorganize the entire empire into let's say 15-20 medium sized Archbishoprics without them a) splintering and b) being hereditarily controlled? All bishoprics have elective law..... even in the east?

If this is true I could ensure that only my close family members hold hereditary titles and all I really have to focus on is piety in order to maintain control. If it comes down to it even 4 or 5 Bishoprics rebelling at once wouldn't even be too bad with family behind me. I know it sounds gamey but religion was a powerful influence back then.

kilarious

***Edit: tested it with an old save. Currently my empire looks like the following:

Emperor of Byzantium: everything around Thrace and Western Asia Minor
Archbishopric of Wallacia: provinces bordering Hungary
Archbishopric of Croatia: Serbia and Croatia
Principality of Macedonia (4th son): north central Greece
Archbishopric of Athens: Greece and Corfu
Archbishopric of Aegean Islands: all the little islands
Archbishopric of Mesopotamia: eastern Asia Minor
Archbishopric of Aremenia: Trebizond, Aremenia, Edessa
Principality of Antioch (brother): northern Levant
Principality of Cairo (3rd son): Egypt

Only 9 vassals, each averaging around 11 provinces. Three are direct relations, powerful and very loyal so if any archbishop rebels he's screwed. I'm planning another Archbishopric of Jerusalem soon.

 

[TempestDK]

Ok I'm a little frustrated with the revolts that have been occuring in my large Byzantine Empire; luckliy I've grabbed the best provinces and can beat down the rebels all day. Anyways I've read in the forums that Bishoprics and Archbishoprics have no demense limit.

I'm trying to keep my number of vassals low but everytime I create a power block (like my 3rd son in Egypt) they get an event and have to parcle it up. Question is: in theory could I reorganize the entire empire into let's say 15-20 medium sized Archbishoprics without them a) splintering and b) being hereditarily controlled? All bishoprics have elective law..... even in the east?

If this is true I could ensure that only my close family members hold hereditary titles and all I really have to focus on is piety in order to maintain control. If it comes down to it even 4 or 5 Bishoprics rebelling at once wouldn't even be too bad with family behind me. I know it sounds gamey but religion was a powerful influence back then.

kilarious

***Edit: tested it with an old save. Currently my empire looks like the following:

Emperor of Byzantium: everything around Thrace and Western Asia Minor
Archbishopric of Wallacia: provinces bordering Hungary
Archbishopric of Croatia: Serbia and Croatia
Principality of Macedonia (4th son): north central Greece
Archbishopric of Athens: Greece and Corfu
Archbishopric of Aegean Islands: all the little islands
Archbishopric of Mesopotamia: eastern Asia Minor
Archbishopric of Aremenia: Trebizond, Aremenia, Edessa
Principality of Antioch (brother): northern Levant
Principality of Cairo (3rd son): Egypt

Only 9 vassals, each averaging around 11 provinces. Three are direct relations, powerful and very loyal so if any archbishop rebels he's screwed. I'm planning another Archbishopric of Jerusalem soon.

In theory, your empire will be easier to manage with lots of bishoprics, as they do not create vassals, and do not get inherited from outside.

Problem with having 15-20 of them, is if you get a ruler with no or negative piety and maybe some bad traits (like kinslayer and heretic), they will most likely all rebel. And beating down all those bishops might be a problem. You can't always count on the family, and once a few generations have passed, none of them get the family loyalty bonus anymore.

I would probably not put my entire powerbase in bishops, but mix it about 50/50.

 

[OutsiderSubtype]

This plan works better for Catholics, because then when one of your archbishops becomes Pope you get to give away the lands again. Free piety and/or badboy reduction.

 

[Foelsgaard]

After I read this thread I tried a game with France using this paradigm. By having 200+ piety, clerical education and "pious" traits (honest, generous etc.) for all my kings it is actually quite easy to manage the bishops (I gain about 10+ relations with each of them monthly).

The benefits of this strategy, I think, is that your realm is less vulnerable to corrosion by your vassals being poached. Also, with less vassals, you get less "oh noes! ur vassal has declard indpendence!"-events and thus less stability hits and realm duresses. They are also rather easier to keep loyal than dukes and counts. The added bonus that you sometimes inherit their large demesnes is sweet as well (Happened about twice in two centuries with me, starting from scratch).

The negatives are that each bishop is harder to keep happy with bribes, that you have to rely on mobilize host requests more often (force mob from the same person several times is hard), and when one of them do revolt it is harder to bring them back into the flock.


Just my two cents.