How to deal with disloyal characters

[Buttons]

Enjoying the game so far, but why are there so many disloyal characters? I'm playing as Sicily and have five nobles with below 50 loyalty and two with 30 loyalty. I'm wasting money giving them all army commands since it seems like if I leave them at court than they inevitably coup me. Is there a way to deal with this issue or some mechanism that makes it more or less likely? I've tried using embezzlement trials and bribes but ignoring cost they are highly reliant on the luck of those options appearing.

[vaalen]

I have had a lot of success in avoiding coups by stationing an army with a strengh of over 100 and a loyal leader in my capital. I also try to keep my authority up.

[Ludendorf]

You can also put disloyal or unknown characters in charge of one unit armies in well-fortified, loyal provinces if you're truly worried about them and you have no one or no military resources you can trust to keep an eye on them in the capital.

[PortoLover]

Another way to deal with them is to make them peers of the realm and then use regional decisions either to increase their loyalty or to get them killed.

[Surt]

You can always make a little witchhunt, but expect they don't like it, or bribe them, or let them lead a frontal assault on a strong enemy position.
If you don't have any provinces the first two are not possible.

[deadtorius]

If all else fails and you have access to the sea, stick them in charge of 1 peasant trash unit and send them off on a nice Mediterranean cruise to the mid ocean where they should eventually starve or sink. Probably the 100 strong army in the capital is your best bet.

[Pocus]

All good suggestions!
It's -1.5% coup chance per 100 combat power in the capital, no limit. The general must be loyal. Having a very strong army will up the chance he loses loyalty though.

[vaalen]

One thing I have tried recently is to make a disloyal character a vassal, in charge of a poor domain.

My thought was that they are disloyal mainly because they want to be in charge, so I put them in charge of something.

Since my Scottish empire has greatly expanded, I need more vassels anyway as I continue to expand slowly.

So far, it is working.

[Surt]

So this single peasant with a loyal general only gives 1.5%/100 less coup, I think I have been playing this wrong all the time!!!

[Surt]

All good suggestions!
It's -1.5% coup chance per 100 combat power in the capital, no limit. The general must be loyal. Having a very strong army will up the chance he loses loyalty though.

Hmm so I need 6667 points to be safe!

[stormbringer3]

I tried that send them to sea idea. Once as an army unit and once as a naval unit. Both times after the unit died the character was back at court.

[Surt]

I tried that send them to sea idea. Once as an army unit and once as a naval unit. Both times after the unit died the character was back at court.

Some people just refuse to die!
Try giving them a peasant and march into some random independent area, with a bit of luck he dies!
hint it feels like only the good general dies, but ... that is because few of the bad gets a command

[Joch1955]

I have some further questions. Currently playing as Byzantine, I have had multiple coups, civil wars and the loyalty of all characters is unknown, i.e. ???

1. I understand it is dangerous to put a general of unknown loyalty in charge of a field army, i.e. risk of Civil war. Is it better to have “no leader” or the Emperor (always 100 loyalty) in charge?

2. Is there an advantage to having the Emperor in charge of the Army in the capital or does it have to be a loyal general to decrease the chances of a Coup?

[deadtorius]

I understand it is dangerous to put a general of unknown loyalty in charge of a field army, i.e. risk of Civil war. Is it better to have “no leader” or the Emperor (always 100 loyalty) in charge?

If my army is strictly on garrison duty or there to wipe out some rebellious dissent I don't give them a general. Had too many civil wars even with loyal ones. Only if I am actively on campaign or a sudden rash of multiple revolts will I give an army a general. I have used ??? generals before with no problems, removing them once things calm down.

Is there an advantage to having the Emperor in charge of the Army in the capital or does it have to be a loyal general to decrease the chances of a Coup?

In beta I had the Emperor in charge of my single field army and he revolted against himself to set up a much smaller new state.
In my current games I often put the emperor in charge of the Palace Guard as it were, keeping them in the capital and switching him out if I should happen to need to send them off on some short campaign. In my current HRE game I have had 2 coups and the current guy is the best I have had since the starting ruler so I have a 100+ strength army, with him leading, sitting in the capital trying to keep the nobles in line. So far no coups. The 2 I have had happened fairly quickly one after the other.

[Pocus]

I tried that send them to sea idea. Once as an army unit and once as a naval unit. Both times after the unit died the character was back at court.

Good swimmer.

[choppinlt]

At what point does that character get suspicious when he gets asked to lead another small naval expedition into the unknown?