The prince has died of disease. The king's older daughter is married to the duke, who is popular among the nobility and unpopular among the peasants and clergy. The king suspects the Duke would make a terrible king, however, and only gave him his daughter to avoid a political catastrophe. The king's younger daughter is unmarried. She's kinder than her sister, but probably less clever. Who does he declare will be his successor and how does he avert a civil war after his own death?
>>46730939
easy; he marries his unmarried daughter and gets a real successor
The one who shall slay the dragon is allowed to marry my younger daughter and will be king.
>>46730974
/thread
>>46730974+10 Zoroastrian Opinion
Find a guy better than the duke as a husband for the younger daughter.
Always bet on duke.
>>46730939
Why is this even a question OP? If the king has any intelligence at all he simply does what >>46730974 said and marries a proper successor into his family, probably the Monarch or next-in-line of a neighboring kingdom or a the head of a wealthy and successful noble house if you're going for historical accuracy
What kind of shit prince dies of disease?
>>46730939
>Murder older daughter
>Murder duke
>Marry younger daughter to suitable heir
>Murder rivals
>Execute my disloyal vassals
>Crush a rebellion
>Die a paranoid, arbitrary lunatic
>Let your future heir inherit a clean slate
CK2 has taught me well.
>>46732208
>tfw want to play CK2 but toaster rig and NEET life prevent me
>>46730939
The problem with the civil war rests on that if the duke isn't the king, he's going to want to become it. Unless the younger princess marries a god damn hero to the nobles as well as everyone else he's going to have some or all the nobles on his side which leads to a civil war.
So the answer is to remove the duke as a threat, with none of the onus placed on yourself. Assassinating him is an option, but risky because of whatever political catastrophe was averted earlier. No, the man must be destroyed, shamed and hated by the very nobles he represents.
How exactly to do this depends on the political details, but in any case it isn't going to be an easy matter. Best route might be setting up a scenario that terribly implicates him in something not only scandalous, but fatal through no apparent fault of your own.
After that, the younger princess would marry or the older remarry a qualified candidate of your choosing.
>>46730939
Hire bandits to ambush and kill the duke when he's on the road.
Marry either of his daughters to someone and hope for a grandson.
or you know, get busy and produce a new son.
>>46730939
Nigga what are those fucking hands.
>>46730939
Wait for the duke to produce a son with my older daughter and then have him killed.
Get fucking in order to try and have a son who will be old enough to successfully inherit the throne. Order of succession ftw. Should there be a strong possibility of my death before my new son is of age I find a suitable man to name regent - someone who has the powerbase to oppose the duke but is honourable enough to not murder my son. An archbishop may be
Failing the ability to sire a new son, I need to talk to my eldest daughter, hopefully she can keep her husband in check if she becomes queen and he remains as prince-consort
