Holding Management & Development
The prosperity and strength of your realm are directly tied to the development and management of your personal holdings and those of your vassals. Each county you directly control, and indeed those held by your vassals, can be improved through construction and development, leading to increased income, levies, and overall stability.
Within each county, you can construct buildings in the available building slots. These buildings provide various bonuses, such as increased tax income, larger levy sizes, improved troop quality, or faster development. The types of buildings available depend on the terrain of the county and your culture's innovations. For example, a fertile plains county might offer bonuses to farming buildings, while a mountainous region might benefit from mining structures.
Key Development Strategies:
- Focus on Income: Prioritize buildings that increase your tax income, such as farms, villages, and city holdings. This will provide the financial resources needed for further development, military upkeep, and other expenditures.
- Boost Levies: To defend your realm and wage war effectively, invest in buildings that increase your levy size and quality, such as barracks and training grounds.
- Cultural Development: Certain buildings can accelerate the development of your culture, unlocking new innovations faster. This can provide significant long-term advantages.
- Province Development: The "Develop Province" action, often performed by your Steward, increases the development level of a county. Higher development levels grant increased taxes and levies, and unlock more advanced building options. This is a slow but steady way to improve your core territories.
When managing your vassals' holdings, remember that their development also impacts your realm. While you cannot directly build in their counties, you can influence them through your liege opinion and by encouraging them to develop their lands. A prosperous vassal is a more loyal and useful vassal.
Be mindful of the cost and time required for construction. It's often wise to focus on developing your capital county first, as it provides the most direct benefits to your ruler. As your income grows, you can then expand your development efforts to other counties.