Role of Marriage in Middle Ages/Advice on Playing as the HRE

[Indy1958]

Gentlemen:

Good afternoon from Canada!! I hope this finds you and yours well. As for me, I could complain...yadda, yadda, yadda.

Last night, I married off two members of my Sicilian Royal family into different factions--Matilda, my Sicilian princess is now Mrs. Perrin Gassou and my Prince Simon now has a lovely wife named Agnes who is the Princess of the HRE.

Question: What role(s) did these or any marriages play in the medieval scheme of things? Was it to further cement relations between the countries involved? I guess what I'm trying to figure here is what they were trying to gain, if anything, from marrying into these different factions.

Okay, for all you people who are playing as the HRE: What's the best way to go about this?

Last night, I took over the Rebel town that was dictated to me by the Council. Agnes is on her way to France as we speak.

Question: How did the Holy Roman Empire get the name, "Holy Roman Empire"?

In closing, I'm finding this game is like a good movie. It's extremely involving. It holds my interest really well. I've also found that if I've failed in one mission, I know that there'll be many more from where that came. Best yet, you get a say in what happens in those plotlines. This game beats the crap out of most of the crap they have on TV!!

Live long and prosper, take care and thank you kindly!!!

Sincerely yours always,

Indy.

[Atalus]

Take a look at Wikipedia. just read over most of the stuff on the HRE and Prussia, You'll find the answers to your history questions there

[Henry the Fifth]

In this game and it can be for alliances if you get the faction heir(easy), to steal a good general(hard), strengthen the loyalty of your own generals, allow candidates to be married into your family as new generals. For the middle ages in general it always had some degree of an economic component hence the custom of dowry. For the nobility also it was about politics to cement relations between families and dynasties. Later when the nobilty were harder up it allowed wealthy commoners to marry into the nobilty servicing a need for wealth on one end social advancement on the other. The concept of romance in Western civilization comes from the courtly love movement spread by the troubadour bards(noblemen) who were unhappy with this arrangment and started in Southern France.
In regards to playing Germany I have only played them once successfully and that was on easy. The most common advice seems to make alliances with every one around you and gobble rebel settlements before Poland, Denmark, Hungary, Venice, and Milan have time to expand and work them selves into powers immediately. Therefore France is your only main problem too keep off your back right away as it starts as large as you and has just as many rebel settlements it can gobble up. The southern italian cities will become a problem eventaully and your relations with the Pope start very poor. HRE has the problem that if one faction declares war on you others tend to follow in their wake whether they were allied with the other faction or not.
Your last question is the term HRE was first coined to describe Charlamagnes empire after the Franks became the dominant Germanic tribe having swallowed up the larger ones. The only model of government the germanic tribes were familiar with was the defunct Roman empire and they sought to emulate it looking at themselves as the successors of the Romans. The church eager to establish political and social stability in the dark ages and spread Chrisitianity gave their support to Charlamagne who was crowned by the Pope hence how it came to known as Holy and the clergy who were the only literate men in the dark ages served as a beauracracy.

[Packet]

I was also wondering about why the HRE seemed to be Germany. If you read the description about them at the beginning of the campaign game (when you are selecting what faction you want to play) it explains it a little bit - which of course I already forgot, lol.

[TevashSzat]

Marriage alliances tend to last longer and the ai is less likely to randomly betry you with a marriage alliance, but dont forget a bribe once a while does wonders for cementing an alliance

[HoreTore]

I was also wondering about why the HRE seemed to be Germany. If you read the description about them at the beginning of the campaign game (when you are selecting what faction you want to play) it explains it a little bit - which of course I already forgot, lol.

Because the german tribes and people mad up most of the empire after it split with france.