Royal Court

The royal court holds nine positions (slots) for the king and his eight best knights (nobles) - the primary rulers of a kingdom. The royal court is visible in the center of the main HUD at the top of the screen. The central slot is reserved for the king and, since there is always a king, is never empty. Knights can be hired to fill the other slots, but unless they are part of the royal family this costs gold, with the amount dependent on how many knights of that class are already hired. 
If a knight is selected in the royal court they can be commanded to perform or stop performing actions, and their status can be viewed and sometimes interacted with (like learning a skill, reassigning a governor to another province, etc.). Knights can also be exiled in order to free the slot they occupy if they are not needed anymore. Kings and princes can never be exiled, though. 
Each member of the royal court belongs to one of five classes, which define their strengths and what actions they can perform. While hired in the court all knights (that are not kings, princes or merchants) require wages, scaling up with the number of knights of the same class in the royal court. Each of those knights can (and, when possible, should) govern a province, thus forming the royal lands of a kingdom. 
Governing towns and provinces (the same thing in this case) is essential for most bonuses they provide, as kingdoms usually receive only a tenth of the resources of ungoverned provinces. Governed provinces are considered to be part of your royal lands (and provide 100% of their resources to you). Additionally, all characters (knights) provide significant bonuses as governors, depending on their class and skills. On top of these, kings have additional governing bonuses. Some bonuses are only available if a province is governed. 
== Marshal ==
Marshals have one particularly important primary function: to lead armies. These knights are not only always in the royal court, but also in the "field", stationed in a town as part of a visiting army, fighting, marching or sailing. Though other knights can also lead armies (in most cases if they have learned a marshal Skill), marshals are by far the best equipped to do so; they can lead eight squads (instead of five) and most of their primary skills are helpful in battle. Many of these skills also boost the levy production in provinces. Levies in governed provinces are the resource that contributes the most to marshals, as they increase the manpower of their armies. Therefore, the best provinces for them are those with many castles or villages and developed military districts. 
Available skills:
Primary skills: 	Secondary skills:
Archery 	Bargain
Cavalry tactics 	Charity
Field tactics 	Laws
Infantry tactics	Learning
Iron fist 	Logistics
Leadership 	Medicine
Siegecraft 	Navigation
 	Stewardship
 	Strategy
 	Theology
=== Marshal Governing Bonuses: ===
* +1 Levies in all Settlements
* +0 to +3 Levies in all Castles, depends on character level (+0 at level 0, +1 at level 1, +2 at level 6, +3 at level 11)
* +10 to +85 Siege defense, depends on character level (+10 at level 0, +5 additional per character level) 
== Merchant ==
Merchants are specialized in filling up the royal treasury with gold by trading with other kingdoms. After a trade agreement is signed with another kingdom they can establish, maintain and expand trade with it, arrange imports and exports and perform other actions, when opportunities arise. As governors, merchants have the skills and passive effects that boost the province's gold and commerce production the most, often based on the number of goods produced in it or the number of villages. Thus, they are usually most effective as governors where there are many province features. 
A king merchant has increased trade income. If his heir is also a merchant and not busy with anything else when his father dies, then he continues the trade for his kingdom (which otherwise ends). 
Available Skills:
Primary skills:	Secondary skills:
Bargain 	Archery
Logistics 	Bribery
Navigation 	Cavalry tactics
Stewardship 	Courtesy
Trading 	Field tactics
 	Infantry tactics
 	Laws
 	Leadership
 	Learning
 	Medicine
 	Negotiation
 	Siegecraft
 	Strategy
 	Writing
=== Merchant Governing Bonuses: ===
* +1 gold in Settlements 
* +0 to +3 Commerce in Villages, depends on character level (+0 at level 0, +1 at level 1, +2 at level 6, +3 at level 11)
== Diplomat ==
Diplomats are specialized in stabilizing and improving the foreign relations of a kingdom, creating and maintaining pacts and improving the opinions of different social groups towards the crown. As governors diplomats are well-rounded and effective. They boost the production of food and commerce, as well as the happiness of the local population. Some of their skills increase levy production, book production and local stability as well. They are most useful at improving opinions inside their own kingdom or when sent on a mission to improve relations with another kingdom (or negotiate peace if war is already underway).
Available Skills:
Primary skills:	Secondary skills:
Courtesy 	Archery
Laws 	Bargain
Negotiation 	Cavalry tactics
Rhetoric 	Charity
Strategy 	Field tactics
 	Infantry tactics
 	Iron fist
 	Leadership
 	Learning
 	Logistics
 	Plotting
 	Siegecraft
 	Stewardship
 	Trading
 	Writing
=== Diplomat Governing Bonuses ===
* +1 Commerce in Settlements
* +0 to +5 Population in Town, depends on character level (+0 at level 0, +1 at level 1, +2 at level 4, +3 at level 7, +4 at level 10, +5 at level 13)
* +1 Food in Settlements
== Spy ==
Spies are the only knights that can be sent on a mission to secretly infiltrate a kingdom. Afterwards, there are several actions they can perform instantly, but many more arise as opportunities, and most of them can lead to severe problems in the mission's kingdom. Once spies infiltrate a kingdom, they provide vision over its territories, including towns (buildings and visiting armies). This can be extremely helpful information when planning the strategy against an enemy, or looking for a weak kingdom to attack.
There are few actions, that spy can always perform within a kingdom and the rest appear only for brief periods of time, as "opportunities". Two of the primary spy actions that are always available are ruining relations of the mission's kingdom with another kingdom, and sowing dissent - decreasing the opinions in a kingdom. When relations are ruined, often an opportunity to provoke war arises. Spies can also always try to free knights imprisoned in the mission's kingdom - either their own, or those of a friendly kingdom. Assassinations and other murder plots are also useful actions they can take, when opportunity arises. Bribing foreign knights opens a path to many other opportunities. Bribed knights require upkeep, but from time to time offer new and unique opportunities depending on their class, title and activities. 
As governors, spies provide small bonuses in provinces - some gold and levies only. But they also provide kingdom-wide stability and espionage defense and it is best to set them as governors in provinces with many keeps and villages. 
=== Available Skills: ===
Primary skills:	Secondary skills:
Assassination 	Archery
Bribery 	Bargain
Concealment 	Courtesy
Conspiracy 	Field tactics
Plotting 	Infantry tactics
 	Iron fist
 	Laws
 	Leadership
 	Learning
 	Logistics
 	Medicine
 	Siegecraft
 	Stewardship
 	Strategy
 	Trading
=== Spy Governing Bonuses ===
* +2 kingdom stability per Castle
* +2 kingdom stability per Village
* +2 espionage defense per Castle
* +1 gold in Villages
* +1 Levies in Castles
== Cleric ==
Clerics are the religious leaders of a kingdom and their skills and governing effects are often related to faith and book production, which is especially efficient in provinces with many religious settlements. Depending on their kingdom's religion, there are Christian Clerics, Islamic Scholars and Pagan Shamans. Each has unique strengths and actions, but all of them can perform several fundamental actions: Preaching their own religion in provinces with a foreign one is a risky and costly action, but leads to converting the local religion to that of the kingdom. Adopting population of a province ends the disorder state. Bolstering culture of a kingdom helps in gaining and keeping population's loyalty. Committing to charity requires gold upkeep (as well as the Charity skill), but increases stability in the entire kingdom. 
=== Types of clerics, based on the kingdom's religion: ===
==== Christian Clerics ====
In addition to common cleric strengths and actions, Christian clerics can go on missions to holy Christian cities. There, they can gain books or piety, or improve relations with the corresponding kingdom. Orthodox clerics can become Patriarchs in kingdoms with an autocephalous church. Catholic priests can become cardinals and rarely popes. 
==== Islamic Scholars ====
In addition to common cleric strengths and actions, Muslim scholars can be sent on a journeys. Journeys are long and require upkeep, but in each town the scholar visits there are some potential bonuses: books, faith, gold, improving relations or even convincing the local population to change their religion. Journeys also involve hidden risks, especially in hostile lands. Scholars can worsen the relations with a kingdom. In some cases their journeys can end abruptly, and they be imprisoned or killed. 
==== Pagan Shamans ====
In addition to possessing common cleric strengths and actions, Pagan shamans are the only knights (besides marshals) that can lead armies, even if they possess no marshal skills. The number of squads they can lead is also eight (maximal, and same as a marshal). Another unique action of the shamans is studying in a neighbouring Christian or Muslim kingdom. This is an ongoing action, which increases the book production of their kingdom - often direly needed for pagans. Each shaman can also promote one Pagan Belief, up to four total in the kingdom. This has an upkeep cost but provides kingdom-wide bonuses, similar to Traditions. 
Available Pagan Beliefs:
Raids 	+25% gold from Pillaging
+5% Army travel speed
Conquest 	+3 Army morale
+10% Army manpower
Family 	+5 Population in towns
+20% Population growth in all provinces
+1 Food in Crop Farms
+3 Food in towns
Freedom 	+5 Army morale in own kingdom
+25 Siege resilience
+10% Squad defense
The Ocean	+3 gold in coastal provinces
+3 Food in coastal villages
+3 gold in coastal villages
+10% Ship sailing speed for all armies
Battles 	+25% cheaper squads
15% faster squads' experience gain
+25% gold from pillaging
Gods 	+20% Faith income
+3 Army morale when fighting against other relligions
+10 Books income
Heroes 	+10 Stability
+5 Books income
+10 squads chance to shock
=== Available Skills: ===
Primary skills:	Secondary skills:
Charity 	Courtesy
Learning 	Laws
Medicine 	Leadership
Theology 	Logistics
Writing 	Rhetoric
 	Stewardship
 	Trading
=== Cleric Governing Bonuses: ===
* +1 Books in Town
* +1 Faith in Town
* +1 Books in Monastery
== Costs to hire additional knights: ==
The cost to hire new knights increases with each knight from the same class you already have:
# Cost 200 gold, Wages increase by 5 gold 
# Cost 500 gold, Wages increase by 10 gold (up to 15 gold)
# Cost 800 gold, Wages increase by 25 gold (up to 40 gold)
# Cost 1100 gold, Wages increase by 45 gold (up to 85 gold)
# Cost 1400 gold, Wages increase by 65 gold (up to 150 gold)
# Cost 1700 gold, Wages increase by 100 gold (up to 250 gold)
# Cost 2000 gold, Wages increase by 100 gold (up to 350 gold)
# Cost 2300 gold, Wages increase by 100 gold (up to 450 gold)
The wages listed are the total wages for all knights of that class. Kings and princes do not count as "hired knights" and do not increase the wages paid. Merchants don't cost wages, but only the initial cost to hire them.