婚姻是
游戏中，两个角色在宗教、政治和个人上的结合。
婚姻的影响
当两个角色的领土同意婚约后，这段姻缘会带来以下效果：
- 正常婚姻中，妻子会加入到丈夫所在的宫廷中。但在
入赘婚姻中，则是丈夫加入到妻子所在的宫廷。因此，玩家在为廷臣和亲戚安排婚姻时务必注意。 - 在正常婚姻中，后代属于父亲所在的家族；在入赘婚姻中则属于母亲所在的家族。如果玩家当前扮演的角色死后没有同家族的其他角色，则游戏结束。
- 玩家角色生育的合法孩子可以成为你的继承人，并壮大你的家族。
- 如果配偶的家族更加显贵，该角色将获得声望奖励
- 角色得到还是失去婚姻取决于配偶的头衔等级 (+100 / -100 每等级差; 如果双方都是穆斯林则无此修正)
- 统治者的总属性值将获得加成，加成值为配偶属性值的一半
- 特别强调，在计算领地上限时，也会考虑到配偶的
管理能力
- 特别强调，在计算领地上限时，也会考虑到配偶的
- 你的妻子（或母亲）可能会要求出任内阁中的间谍总管，虽然这样会降低你的state intrigue。如果你的你提高过法律中的Status of Women law，那她们还可以出任内阁中的其他职位（需要DLCConclave）。
Union types
There are 6 types of unions:
| Union | Requirement | Effect | |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
(Patrilineal) Marriage | Bride & groom ages >= 16 | Children born from the union will belong to the father's dynasty |
|
Matrilineal Marriage | Bride & groom ages >= 16 | Children born from the union will belong to the mother's dynasty |
 |
Concubinage | Bride & groom ages >= 16 | Extra consorts of men who are Pagan, Zoroastrian, Tribal or follow the Eastern religions |
|
Consortage | Bride & groom ages >= 16 | Extra consorts of women who are African pagan, Bön pagan or follows reformed pagan religion with Enatic Clans or Equality doctrine. |
 |
Betrothal | Either bride or groom age < 16 | Commitment to a patrilineal marriage once both are over 16 |
 |
Matrilineal Betrothal | Either bride or groom age < 16 | Commitment to a matrilineal marriage once both are over 16 |
入赘婚姻
入赘婚姻可以让一个家族在大多数成员都是女性的情况下得以延续。在入赘婚姻中，出生的孩子属于母方的家族；当继承法中的性别法是男性时，这可以避免游戏结束。
当儿子是第一顺位继承人或拥有头衔/宣称时，他的统治者往往不会接受入赘婚姻。
商人共和国不能使用入赘婚姻，穆斯林需要在status for women足够高的情况下才支持入赘婚姻。注意，入赘婚姻双方所在的宫廷都应该有支持入赘婚姻的性别继承法。玩家可以通过人情，邀请有宣称的角色来到你的宫廷(需要DLC
Conclave)，然后跟他订下入赘婚姻（只要他不是内阁成员或他领土的直系血亲）。
在
神圣之怒以前，入赘婚姻时一夫一妻制的，一个女人不能拥有多个丈夫或妾。然而，至多四个穆斯林女性可以和同一个男人入赘婚姻。在神圣之怒中，信仰改革后具有“女性氏族”或“平等”的宗教的女性可以至多拥有三个男性伴侣。
订婚
订婚是未来的婚姻承诺。当双方均成年后，即可点击警告栏中的提示项，按照订婚时的条件举行婚姻。
订婚可以避免角色到处乱跑或自动与他人结婚。统治者不能和与近亲有婚约的其他统治者开战。
如果AI统治者的孩子超过12岁，他只会在他们自己人中安排订婚。为了确保玩家角色能够顺利订婚，玩家应该在AI的孩子长到12岁前提请婚约。
再婚
女性角色会和自己亲生的孩子保持极佳的关系，和丈夫与其他女人生下的孩子则不会。
因此，当角色有孩子时再婚，新任妻子可能会尝试暗杀丈夫前妻所生的孩子，为自己的孩子成为继承人铺路。
甄选配偶
选择配偶时，有以下准则可供参考：
生育和健康
婚姻的一大目的是生育继承人。因此，在甄选未来配偶的时候，生育和健康是重要的考虑因素：
- 拥有可以增加生育能力的特性：File:强壮.png (+10%), File:享乐主义者.png (+20%), File:色欲.png (+20%), 高级别的 管理 和外交 教育特性
- 年满45岁的女性无法生育
- File:阉人.png无法结婚或生育
- File:独身主义者.png无法让妻子怀孕
- 一些特性会降低生育能力：File:虚弱.png (-5%), File:忠贞.png (-15%), File:同性恋.png (-15%), File:先天愚型.png (-30%)，高级别的学习 教育特性，以及疾病。注意，这些特性中某些可能会减少健康，从而导致早卒或再婚。
先天特质
- 主条目：Breeding
先天特质 指可以的传给孩子的特性：File:魅力非凡.png, File:强壮.png, File:敏捷.png, 以及File:天才.png.
属性
- 主条目：Attributes
娶一个优质配偶对管理领土大有裨益：
- 配偶属性值的一半会被加入state attributes。穆斯林统治者只计算正妻。
- 配偶的
管理属性增加领土上限：大于7时+1, 大于14时+2, 大于20时+3 - 角色妻子可以被任命为间谍总管，但在计算[[state attributes]]时只计入1倍的间谍能力，而不是1.5倍（间谍总管1倍+妻子0.5倍）；穆斯林除外，这种情况下，穆斯林的国家间谍能力中，来自妻子的那份加成将根据二老婆的数值。
- 如果配偶的某项属性值很高，在某些事件中，玩家扮演的角色可以向她请求帮助。这通常会给领土带来暂时的修正，并有20%的几率在属性上+1；当然，也有80%的几率打到File:安于现状.png特质
Alliances
- 主条目：Alliances
Players are automatically engaged in a non-aggression pact to another ruler if close relatives are involved in marriage. An alliance can be arranged with someone the player character already has a non-aggression pact with. As long as a member of the player's immediate family (children, grandchildren, siblings, grandparents, or parents) is married to a member of their immediate dynasty, the alliance or non-aggression pact persists until broken upon death. Close relatives can ask for non-aggression pacts to be formed.
Vassals engaged in non-aggression pacts to their liege may not join any factions against them, but also ensures protection from the liege in return. Thus, a marriage with a vassal is a good way to placate them, but also incurs a risk as they may get a claim on the player character's primary title.
Titles and claims
Spouses with claims (or who will receive claims upon the death of their parents) will pass their claims on to their children. This is the cleanest way to get claims on new land. A good strategy is to marry characters with titles as, depending on laws of the realm, the offspring may inherit them and unite both realms upon succession. A female ruler who marries a male of the player's dynasty non-matrilineally will produce heirs of his dynasty, consolidating titles and spreading the influence of the player's family. Thus, it opens up more alliance options to be exploited.
Prestige effects
Each spouse gains or loses prestige based on rank difference and the other's dynastic prestige. Prestige effects are pivotal in AI consideration of marriage proposals.
A character's marriage rank is the highest rank title held by {self, parents, grandparents, siblings, children?}, living or dead. However, titles held by rulers with any republic-type government do not count toward marriage rank.
The lower rank character gains +100 prestige per rank difference, while the higher rank character loses -100 prestige per rank difference beyond the first. E.g., if a count marries a king's daughter (two ranks higher), he gains +200 prestige and she ends up with -100 prestige. The effect of dynastic prestige, however, is positive for both characters.
Muslims do not have prestige effects from marriage. This reflects their polygamy and strictly agnatic open succession. However, this happens only when both bride and groom are Muslims.
Caste
- 主条目：Caste
A Hindu-only consideration. There are 3 castes: 
are temple rulers, 
rule over castle holdings and 
are city rulers.
Both characters are highly encouraged to be of the same caste in order to get wed. A marriage across castes will result in opinion penalties from other Hindus, as well as their children will recieve the lower caste at birth.
Religion
With Holy Fury, reformed pagans whose faith has the Dogmatic nature cannot have interfaith marriages.
Consanguinity
Consanguinity can be a problem, as the interface doesn't inform the player about close relatives who are not dynastic. Marriages among relatives may yield children with the debilitating 
trait. Generally, if the bride and groom do not share any grandparents, the marriage can be considered to be relatively safe.
Bloodline
- 主条目：Bloodline
Introduced with Holy Fury, 
Bloodlines can be a large consideration for spousal selection. Although difficult to do, given that most historical bloodlines and many created bloodlines will be patrilineal in nature, breeding bloodlines into one's dynasty and succession allows for your decedents to take advantage of their modifiers or granted abilities.
Bloodline inheritance, although similar to both dynasty and congenital inheritance, is distinct as it is connected to perceived descent. This means that considerations for inheritance will need to be different, depending on the nature of the bloodline.
Arranging marriages
Clicking the 
Arrange marriage button below a portrait opens a list of suggested spouses, ordered by a combination of title rank and marriage rank. You can also arrange marriages from the diplomacy screen of one of the characters, or from the diplomacy screen of a courtier's liege.
Many factors affect AI acceptance of marriage proposals. If a liege won't accept a marriage proposal, try a bribe, or consider inviting the character to your court to gain full control over who they marry.
Lovers
Married lovers have increased fertility. Unmarried lovers have much lower fertility.
A child born to unmarried lovers will be a 
, unless the woman is married and fools her husband into believing he is the child's father. Bastards can be legitimized into the dynasty of either parent. Bastards who remain illegitimate cannot inherit and will create a new (and unrelated) dynasty if they have any children of their own.
Summary
Through well thought-out marriages, the player can forge powerful alliances, expand their dynasty, and ensure good heirs. Bad marriages, on the other hand, could have the player character ends up dead or with an heir.
- Avoid marriage with close family (at least no common grandparents between bride and groom), and marry characters with high fertility, titles or positive congenital traits
- Try to preserve the dynasty: Marry sons patrilineally and daughters matrilineally, if needed
- Remember that matrilineal marriages are unavailable to merchant republics and generally not for Muslims with low status for women. Also, if the player character is a female ruler, matrilineal marriage is the option to preserve the player's dynasty (apart from having legitimized bastards).