Mughal Empire... Protectorate?

[Relic]

Somehow I managed to offer and become to Protector of the Mughal Empire. I didn't think that was possible as they are a Major Faction. Is this a bug or wha...?

Some time in to Chapter IV of RTI.

Relic.

[Ordani]

You can do that to any faction as far as I know, I had Austria and Russia as protectorates after taking most of their provinces.

[quadalpha]

Anyone down to 1 province, I think.

[ironanvil1]

I got France as a protectorate in my GB campaign. Admittedly it was after I accidentally eliminated them and they re-emerged as a 1 province nation.

[andrewt]

I got France as a protectorate in my GB campaign. Admittedly it was after I accidentally eliminated them and they re-emerged as a 1 province nation.

I found the prospect of "accidentally" eliminating a faction hilarious.

[ironanvil1]

I found the prospect of "accidentally" eliminating a faction hilarious.

Well, they declared on me and kept pirating far off trade routes, so the plan was a quick blitz on Paris then sell it back to the remnants in Alsace-Lorraine for peace and tech.

Unfortunately for them Wurtemberg had taken Alsace when I hadn't being paying attention and wham, no more French.

I ended up dismantling everything, then giving the resulting blasted wasteland to the Portuguese, who lost it to a re-emerging France 2 turns later.