Summary
Forming a kingdom is always a fun challenge to do inCrusader Kings 3. Many players get tired of creating the same kingdoms over and over again, so creating a rare kingdom is a nice way to spice up theCrusader Kings 3experience.
Rare kingdoms are difficult to form, with many kingdoms having circumstantial requirements or simply being in locations that are generally difficult to conquer inCrusader Kings 3. Getting across the finish line by creating some of the rarer and more interesting kingdoms is worth the time and effort, with the achievement being extremely satisfying, especially for veteranCrusader Kings 3players.
Updated July 29, 2025 by Ewan Selmes:The world of Crusader Kings 3 is a complex mash up of roleplay, sandbox, and historical simulation wrapped up into a map-based strategy game. This historical flavor gives the game a lot of opportunities to explore ahistorical and often fantastical outcomes quite divorced from the flow of actual history.
In the game, players can form kingdoms and empires based on the land they hold. Some of these kingdoms will be formed by the AI players quite readily, whereas others are much more difficult to encounter - even for players attempting to create them.
1Jerusalem
Highly Disputed Religious Land
A part of the worldthat sees many battles inCrusader Kings 3is Jerusalem. As the game’s title suggests, many crusades take place here throughout the game, with massive armies descending upon the coastal realm. This is the main difficulty in forming the Kingdom of Jerusalem, as so many other rulers will desire that strip of land and that title.
Players must have their ruler as a Christian ruler and have the regions of Urdunn, Palestine, and Oultrejourdain to form the Kingdon of Jerusalem. Participating in a crusade is a smart move players will want to take to make gaining the Kingdom of Jerusalem easier, although players can form this kingdom independently outside a crusade. If players contribute a lot to a crusade, they will be given the option to form the Kingdom of Jerusalem, but this is quite a challenge as many other Christian rulers will be taking part.
2Livonia
Latigalian Kingdom Located Around The Baltics
This Baltic kingdom sits between Estonia and Lithuania, where modern day Latvia is located. Livonia is a very cool kingdom to make, as players get benefits that are unique to that area of the world. Players receive specialist forest soldiers who can be summoned at any time, and a new nickname of either Mother/Father of the Baltics, or Scourge of the Baltics if the ruler doesn’t have Baltic heritage.
To form the Kingdom of Livonia, players must have a fame level of Distinguished and must be of Latigalian culture or have Baltic heritage with a Vidilist faith. Estonian rulers will not be able to form Livonia. Players cannot be of a higher ranked title than Duke/Duchess and must be independent. Finally, players need to hold the entire region of Livonia, which includes the duchies of Latigalians, Courland, and Livonia.
3Trinacria
The Boot Of Italy
The kingdom which splits Italy in two at its shoe-like southern half is a very interesting kingdom to form inCrusader King’s 3.Players need to be of Latin culture, have at least 10 Learning, have 1500 gold, and have their realm capital be within the Kingdom of Sicily, specifically Palermo for players to receive the Kingdom of Trinacria as opposed to the Kingdom of Naples.
Players also need to have a fame level of Illustrious to perform the “Empower the Sicilian Government” decision, which is the required decision needed to form the Kingdom of Trinacria. This kingdom is located between the northern Italian states and the mighty Byzantine Empire, along with many of the Middle Eastern kingdoms and empires from the south likely to attack, making this task very difficult.
4Sultanate Of Rum
Sunni Muslim Kingdom In Anatolia
The Sultanate of Rum is an interesting kingdom to form, with its location near the boundaries of the Byzantine Empire, the Seljuk Empire, the Arab nations, and the Persian nations. In history, the Sultanate of Rum was founded by vassals of the Seljuk Empire, with Rum being involvedas adversaries in the three famous crusadesby the Christian powers into Jerusalem.
Rum is formed inCrusader Kings 3through a number of requirements. Players must control and have their capital city within the Asia Minor region; players must have an Islamic character, have their character’s level of fame be at least “Illustrious,” have the Devoted Servant trait, and must be an independent ruler or have a liege who follows Islam. Players should make sure to not have a title already higher than King or Queen, or be a vassal of the Byzantine Empire, as this makes forming the Sultanate of Rum impossible.
5Mann And The Isles
Rare Kingdom Among The British Isles
The Isle of Man, or Mon, is located between the north of both Ireland and England, a location which has been fiercely contested throughout time. Although the Isle of Man is a very small island, it can be the birthplace of the rather cool Kingdom of Mann and the Isles. Part of theNorthern LordsDLC, the Kingdom of Mann and the Isles has some unique benefits upon formation, with players receiving 5000 levies, 1000 Jomsviking pirates, 1000 Bondi soldiers, and 500 Varangian veterans automatically.
This kingdom additionally grants players the “Legacy of Piracy” modifier for their dynasty, allowing players to raid and sail in major rivers. This modifier also halves the embarkation cost while doubling the raid speed. Another modifier players will gain from forming this kingdom is “The Stolen City” modifier, which decreases build time by -200% and build costs by -50%. The final benefit is that the player receives the nickname choice of either “The Terrible” or “The Great.” To form the Mann and the Isles kingdom, players must be a Viking of North Germanic or Norman culture, be the Count and Duke of the Isle of Man, while also having the “Living Legend” fame level.
6Bene-Israel
Judaism-Based Kingdom In India
The Kingdom of Bene-Israel is essentially India, where Malabarism, which is an interpretation of Judaism from the Malabar region, is dominant. It’s an interesting challenge for players as it is an alternative history that could’ve actually happened, with the Bene-Israelis being a legitimate group in India throughout history.This kingdom is quite difficult to formas there are not many rulers around India that follow Malabarism inCK3, so players will most likely need to convert their chosen ruler.
Having a Malabarism following character is a requirement for forming the Kingdom of Bene-Israel, along with players having to control the duchies of Chera Nadu and Konkana. Players must have a piety level of “Devoted Servant,” while also having their realm capital in the region of India.
7Danelaw
A Real-Life Situation That Occurred
The Viking raids of England and the British Islesare some of the most famous conflicts of all time. However, inCrusader Kings 3, players can end the conflict for a while by forming Danelaw in England. This kingdom is unique as it requires players to negotiate with the neighbors of the claimed Viking land in England. Upon acceptance of Danelaw from the West Germanic or Brythonic neighboring ruler in England, two kingdoms are created: the Kingdom of Danelaw and the Kingdom of England.
Players need to have a tribal government while having at least “Distinguished” as their fame level. Players must be a Count or Duke who controls two Duchies which are de jure to the Kingdom of England region, along with having their realm capital within the Kingdom of England region. Once formed, the Kingdoms of Danelaw and England enter a truce for 25 years, meaning that if the players' counterpart in this negotiation is loyal to their word, then the players' kingdom will be safe from any local threat.
8Switzerland
Heavily Disputed Location Makes Forming Switzerland Difficult
The Kingdom of Switzerland is quite an odd kingdom to form as players must be part of an empire and cannot have any title which is higher than Duke or Duchess. Forming the kingdom seems relatively simple when looking at the requirements. However, with Switzerland sitting just above the ever-changing Italy and below such contested realms like Burgundy, France, and Lotharingia, players will have to win many battles and fend off large threats.
Players must control the Duchies of Currezia and Transjurania whilehaving a level of fame that is at least"Illustrious." Players must also have a liege who holds any empire title, so starting as a Duke or Duchess of a nearby empire is a good idea for making this challenge more straightforward. The final requirement is the players' character must have a Central Germanic, Latin, or Frankish culture.
9Toledo
A Minor Spanish Kingdom Plagued with Conflict
The kingdom of Toledo is in a difficult place. It doesn’t often get formed because there are other, easy options available to both players and the AI in its region. It also required the Mozarabic faith to form, which is one of the minority faiths part of the Iberian Struggle.
All this means that Toledo can feel like a difficult choice to form, especially since it’s unavailable to characters not following the Mozarabic faith. But it can still be a good choice for players who want to win the struggle with the Mozarabs, and it’s an interesting choice.
10Israel
Disputed Territory and a Minority Religion
Forming the Kingdom of Israel as a Jewish character inCrusader Kings 3is quite a difficult task. Characters of Jewish faiths have few allies available to them, and many of them start in very precarious positions with stronger opponents all around them.
Not only that, but the decision requires a good level of Fame (Illustrious) anda good level of Piety (Devoted Servant) in addition to the standard land and faith requirements. But this is a great goal to work toward inCrusader Kings 3,even if it is one of the more difficult kingdoms to form.
