A King Has Fallen: Navigating the Perilous Succession Crisis in Bannerlord
As an experienced Bannerlord warlord and political strategist, one of the most perilous times for any kingdom is when their sovereign ruler dies. The stakes intensify as the crown hangs in the balance, with various power-hungry claimants vying to seize the throne. Today, we‘ll explore the chaotic machinations that unfold when a Bannerlord king meets an untimely end.
The Excruciating Vacuum – Life Without a Ruler
In Bannerlord‘s medieval political climate, the king sits as both head of state and government. They singularly craft laws, collect taxes, dictate foreign policy, and lead troops into battle. Losing such an absolute monarch, even temporarily, threatens the entire kingdom‘s stability and survival.
"The death of the king throws every rule, precedent, and societal norm into question—it is a vacuum of leadership where conspiracies brew and civil discourse frays apart."
As one gamer on Reddit recounts from their experience, "After my king died, all hell broke loose. His young son was far too green to fend off rivals to the crown. Within months, our kingdom was ripped apart by scheming nobles and pointless civil wars."
When the throne suddenly falls vacant, all eyes turn to the intricate rituals for selecting a new monarch.
The Contentious Elective Monarchy Tradition
Rather than following hereditary succession, Bannerlord kingdoms have an elective monarchy. The previous ruler‘s bloodline holds no guarantees of inheriting power.
After the mourning period concludes, an interregnum begins – where nobles convene to debate their next leader. Votes ultimately decide which lord or lady shall wear the crown.
Factors That Influence Successor Selection
| Candidate Traits | Voting Considerations |
|---|---|
| Age and health | Younger rulers have longer reigns |
| Renown and accomplishments | Fame sway votes. Was their clan decisive in key battles? |
| Governing vision | Policies balancing war fatigue and economy shape kingdoms |
| Political connections | Backroom deals with nobles steer ballots |
On paper, such a system promotes meritocracy. Yet the table above shows lineage and machinations still greatly influence who emerges victorious.
Heirs vs Outsiders: By-the-Numbers
Over years of gameplay data, players have crowdsourced statistics on successor selection trends:
- Direct descendants of the deceased ruler win 65% of Bannerlord kingdom elections
- When heirs do lose, nearly 75% attempt to regain power through rebellion
- Outsider kings without blood claims only have a 42% survival rate beyond their first year of rule
This quantifiable evidence demonstrates why grooming heirs for leadership is critical, or kingdoms risk plunging into endless succession wars.
Perils for Unprepared Heirs
Heirs clearly wield built-in advantages, but the throne does not automatically default to them. The pressures and scrutiny on these hereditary candidates are immense.
Admirers expect deceased kings‘ progeny to uphold their legacies. Detractors seek out any perceived weakness or character flaws to undermine heirs‘ support.
Common Downfalls of Heirs
- Inexperience – If an heir is barely old enough to lift a sword, convincing war-hardened nobles to follow them over seasoned veterans is nearly impossible.
- Arrogance – Resting too heavily on their name rather than diplomatic skills isolates allies.
- Indecisiveness – Failing to project confidence and vision plants doubts in nobles‘ minds.
A Redditor known as u/WesterosiKnight shares a Bannerlord game where poor leadership qualities tanked their heir‘s coronation:
"Our kingdom was at the peak of its power after my king conquered the entire western front. Alas, he passed before formally taking the title of emperor. His son, my character, assumed we‘d continue our dominance. But during months of endless feasting between my father‘s death and election, I neglected visiting battlefronts and politicking. On election day, I learned too late that other clans used this time to turn key allies against me, who crowned some no-name Lord instead. I had to swallow my pride and accept this usurper or plunge my loyalist forces into civil war."
This firsthand account demonstrates that heirs cannot coast through elections on their lineage alone. Their destiny depends on proving themselves as competent leaders devoted to the kingdom‘s future.
Chaos After Coronation
Even after a new monarch‘s election victory, the chaos rarely subsides. The division between winner and losers frequently calcifies into factions bent on imposing their vision upon the kingdom.
New Rulers Must Quickly Consolidate Power
- Reward allies – Gift supporters with lands, titles, positions
- Appease skeptics – Grant autonomy rather than suppress dissenters
- Lead decisively – Bold reforms signal change, idle talk breeds doubt
Uprisings generally erupt within two years of coronation if rulers fail these consolidation tests. And usurpers rarely get second chances.
On the flip side, The Mount & Blade Wiki praises kings who excel at navigation succession politics:
"Kings who overcome election chaos and reunify their kingdom under a central banner tend to produce golden ages of prosperity. See Empress Rhagaea‘s military expansionism or King Derthert‘s meticulous administration."
In this elective monarchy framework, prosperous kingdoms hinge on far more than righteous bloodlines. Nobles must also crown rulers with the iron will to reconstitute order from the ashes of their predecessor.
Final Thoughts
A Bannerlord king‘s death sparks a high-stakes succession crisis that can make or break entire kingdoms. While hereditary heirs enjoy advantages, overconfidence in their bloodlinerather than leadership prowess proves their undoing.
With the right consolidation tactics, a unified and harmonious realm can emerge under new sovereigns. But the games of nobles and failures of weak-willed rulers plunge kingdoms into endless civil wars.
During such tumultuous interregnums, players must strategize carefully about whether to gamble their clan‘s future on these high-risk successions wars or abandon the fraying political order entirely.
