As it currently stands if a Count successfully became independent they would go down to Baron status until they managed to convince the Council to vote into creation their new House. They'd be free to create a defacto House, but would be blocked off from the higher ranks until their House gained legitamacy.

I had done that to make the Houses more stable in that one would need to join one to gain access to the higher ranks. Maybe that's going too far?

In your scenario is the Duke dropping his own House to rule the new one? Or dropping his rank to bestow it on the Count? The former is easy enough but I hadn't even considered the latter. I can see a Duke losing their title as part of a peace agreement in a Civil War.

Quote Originally Posted by YLC View Post
Can Counts create Houses? But without the legitimacy of the "First Four"? Can a Duke utterly disown his own House and provide said legitimacy to the upstart Count led House?

If so - fun times indeed