Vassals : What is to gain ?

[_Tristan_]

What is the benefit of having a vassal ?

From what I know, the provinces held by your vassal count in your victory conditions but what do you gain also ?

Can a vassal rescind his sworn fealty ?

Does he/Can he maintain is own diplomacy ?

Can you backstabbed by a vassal ?

Can you free a vassal from his oath ?

Thx in advance

[FactionHeir]

Vassals provide you with a large chunk of income if they have any florins. I think everything in excess of some 5k or 10k florins goes to you at the end of their turn.

They are otherwise quite independent but won't backstab you in terms of attacking you, but they can break their vassalage if you go to war with one of their allies or attack them yourself.

I'm not sure if you can release a vassal except via allies delcare war or you attacking them. Never felt the need to.

[_Tristan_]

So they are rather free diplomatically speaking...

[FactionHeir]

Yes.

[Gray Beard]

Actually I've had a vassal attack me! I made Egypt a vassal after a jihad had been called against me but before it arrived aty my gates. About three turns later the Jihad arrived at Constantinople and laid siege putting me at war with a vassal.

No problem however, I just defeated the jihad and put the sultans head on a pole and converted his poor benighted subjects, or those who survived, to the true religion.

[Alexander: The hellenic empire]

Actually I've had a vassal attack me! I made Egypt a vassal after a jihad had been called against me but before it arrived aty my gates. About three turns later the Jihad arrived at Constantinople and laid siege putting me at war with a vassal.

No problem however, I just defeated the jihad and put the sultans head on a pole and converted his poor benighted subjects, or those who survived, to the true religion.

It happened to me too! The Egyptians attacked me during a jihad and I defeated them. However, to my great surprise the Moors, my vassal sent a navy with a jihad army in it to take my capital (Constantinople, of course) and nearly succeeded. The Infidel traitors killed my faction leader and heir but my varangian guard said and the moorish party was soon over...

[TevashSzat]

So they are rather free diplomatically speaking...

And will even attack you should you attack one their allies, which IMO is not realistic at all considering the bounds of vassalge....

[homefry]

The satisfaction of making another faction your .

[Ciaran]

Vassals provide you with a large chunk of income if they have any florins. I think everything in excess of some 5k or 10k florins goes to you at the end of their turn.

They are otherwise quite independent but won't backstab you in terms of attacking you, but they can break their vassalage if you go to war with one of their allies or attack them yourself.

I'm not sure if you can release a vassal except via allies delcare war or you attacking them. Never felt the need to.

Well, you can always end the alliance treaty which you get by making a faction your vassal. Simply send a diplomat over. I would be careful with making demands from your vassal as well, since sometimes factions choose to end a treaty they have wit you if you come up with demands.

They are otherwise quite independent but won't backstab you in terms of attacking you, but they can break their vassalage if you go to war with one of their allies or attack them yourself.

I´d like to emphasize this. What matters is who is the attacker. In M2TW, factions seem to keep up their alliances with the defender, not the aggressor, as a rule. So in order to keep your alliances, make sure to provoke the other faction to attack you.
On that note, you also count as the aggressor if your army assists an ally of you in his attack, but not if you assist in his defense.