In a lame attempt to bump this LP, I'm here to express just how deceitful this game's AI can be.
So, I recently came back to my game. I'm the King of Lithuania, aiming towards becoming King of Rus someday, probably not on this lifetime since my incredible prodigal King is +60 years old. All my heirs are still children, and I hope I can live long enough to see the oldest one complete his studies and become a man.
Anyway, my kingdom is divided in several counties, a bishopry and 2 duchys with about 3 provinces each, with all the rest being directly controlled by the crown (IE me). Its a small but rather stable kingdom, with good income and an army of +30.000 men, with a pagan revolt here and then, but they're easily put down and eventualy converted, I can't build churches still, apart from having level 2 architecture, so I'm still researching it.
Anyway, to the point now: Both of my Dukes are (apparently) completely loyal, and one of them is a prodigal young man who was actualy a bastard from one of my courtiers. He's a frakkin genius with excellent stats everywhere (none are below 10, at least), he impressed me so much that I made him a count before he was of age, and made him a duke when he turned 16, controlling 3 provinces. He coundn't accomplish much since said provinces are the smallest in all the kingdom, but hey, a genius like him could turn a small duchy into a potential kingdom, right, after all, I started with a single county, and look at me today, I'm a king!
Years pass, he becomes an ally of my other count, fights back a few barbarian invasions, and builds a few province improvements over the years... But doesn't seem that interested in conquest, his armies are only on the field when there's an invasion on his lands, he seems happy enough with having kids and managing his duchy... Or so I thought. A year ago, he had the declare war on ME, the very liege he apparently was fiercely loyal to, and who entrusted him, a mere bastard, with not one, but 3 provinces and the title of duke!
How dare him! I threw a small part of my armies against his small force of around 800 men, and took the provinces and titles back. I made him renounce every single claim he had, and I soon found out what he had been doing all these years: Somehow this brat created some claims on ALOT of my titles, including the one of KING of lithuania! What the hell.
Instead of banishing him, I forced him into vassalage, so his family shall stay unde my rule, they will not suffer for his crimes. Apparently him and my other duke (who's his ally) were planning a coup against me, and his ally was supposed to join him when he declared war against me, which he didn't.
I shall keep the other duke in power instead of risking my already tarnished reputation by stripping him of his titles, he won't live enough anyway, not even worth of assassins. From now on, the only dukes in my kingdom shall be my sons. I won't give ingrate courtiers any more chances.
I wonder if he was temporaly insane, I mean, even if both dukes attacked me at the same time, their armies are several times weaker then mine, they wound't even have time to take a single province before being slaughtered. This game's AI is tricky.