How to make a vassal

[rebelscum]

By vassalls, don't you mean 'biatch'. Sorry, but I haven't got anyone to be my biat.. oops, vassall yet!

[Ciaran]

Slicendice, what´s the HRE´s military strength compared to yours, and how many (and how strong) allies do they have.

I´ve tried the technique Jong described with the Milanese; after conquering all their territory save Jerusalem (they had done a sucessful crusade early on) I slowly gifted them back, so increasing my standing with them (huge cash gifts also helped in that regard). However, they wouldn´t agree to become vassals, I suspect this is due to their being allied to Byzantium, one of the strongest powers around.
The Polish, however, without any allies, foolishly decided to go to war against me (I had conquered Hamburg and Frankfurt, so we are neighbours) and also are one of the major powers and they did agree to become my vassals, more or less out of the blue (a peace offer was seen as "very generous", so I though, what the heck, you might just as well try and ask themto become a vassal, and for a bit of cash they did). This is all Lands to Conquer 2.2