Even the most powerful leader needs to be worried about a future without an heir. One of the best ways to get suitable heirs in Crusader Kings 3 is to have children, and for this, you will need to be married. There are two ways to find a suitable partner in the game.
Both methods will have their own advantages and disadvantages, and should be used under different circumstances, depending on exactly what you want to achieve with a marriage. Remember, marriage can be a powerful tool to drawn allies closer to you, or turn potential enemies into an invested party in your own kingdom.
Right-click on the portrait of the character that you wish to find a partner for, and you will see two options, “Find Spouse” and “Arrange Marriage”. Both are slightly different.
Find Spouse
The Find Spouse option will open a list of possible partners for your character from different counters all over the world.
Arrange Marriage
The arrange marriage option will give you a list of potential partners that is limited to your own court. If you wish to make matches between your own Courtiers, this is the best option. They can also be used to forge an Alliance within the court, ensuring characters that wish to have better relationships with characters and get them as your allies.
Finding the Right Spouse
There are some important things to consider about your potential spouse, and if you are gunning for someone to provide plenty of possible heirs, you will need a spouse with a high fertility rate. You should also consider that some traits will be passed on to children, and this can lead to advantages or disadvantages, depending on the trait. It is best to not pin all your hopes on a single heir, as the world can be a cruel and treacherous place for young family members.
You can open a filter that will allow you to limit the options based on the traits, alliance, skills or personality types that you are interested in, along with other options. Clicking on the character you wish to marry and they will be added to the Recipient side of the screen, and you will be told if that character’s Lord will accept the marriage. If not, you will need to find a new paramour.
If you really want to make a marriage happen, but another character is against it, you could use a Strong Hook or a Weak Hook to force the issue.
