Achievement

Crusader Kings III has 56 different achievements, all using the Steam achievements mechanics. Achievements have no in-game effects; the achievement just pops up in-game, and is then added to the player's Steam profile.

The difficulty of each achievement varies; some achievements are very easy (e.g. Marrying another character), while some are more difficult (e.g. Reconquering all historical Roman territories).

Achievements can only be gained in single-player Ironman games. They can be earned while playing older versions of the game as long as said achievements were present in that version. Playing game in offline mode (saving game in offline even once) permanently disables achievements for this savegame. Certain game rules will also disable achievements for the savegame; usually, such rules make the game easier. If the Ruler Designer was used, achievements can still be obtained as long as no more than 400 customization points are spent.

It is not possible to gain achievements if the checksum has been changed - either by tampering with game files, or by running the game using mods that affect gameplay mechanics (graphical mods do not affect checksum), or a corrupted installation (the Ironman mode icon will change to reflect this).

List of achievements

• This article should not have been verified for the current version '1.0' of the game.
• The "Notes" column lists helpful short tips/strategies.
• The Starting conditions column may denote the requirements needed for the player character before the achievement requirements are fulfilled.
• The column denotes achievements which can't be completed without the use of DLC mechanics (currently 0 out of 56).
• The "Ver" column indicates in which version a certain achievement was added. Achievements cannot be earned prior to the version they were added in.
• The "DI" column is for difficulty as assessed by wiki editors. VE = Very Easy, E = Easy, M = Medium, H = Hard, VH = Very Hard, I = Insane, UC = Uncategorized.

Achievement	Starting conditions	Requirements	Notes		Ver	DI
Death Did Us Part Murder your spouse		Spouse has been murdered by player in a scheme.	The Intrigue lifestyle and Skulduggery focus will help greatly.		1.0	VE
It’s not a Cult! Create a faith		Has created a faith.	King Louis II of Italy in 867 offers the best start both because of the level of devotion and because Catholicism has the slowest Fervor growth.		1.0	VE
Until Death Do Us Part Marry another character		Has married.	Start as an unmarried ruler.		1.0	VE
A House of My Own Create a Cadet Branch of your Dynasty		Has created a cadet branch.	In 1066 Duke Leofwine Godwineson of Kent can immediately create a Cadet Branch.		1.0	VE
The Emerald Isle Starting as an Irish ruler, hold the Kingdom of Ireland	Is Irish Capital is in Ireland region	Owns the Kingdom of Ireland	Murchad from the 1066 Bookmark "Rags to Riches" offers a strong and safe position in Ireland to unify the island. Fabricating claims is sufficient for this, as most of Ireland is divided among independent counts. In 867 High Chieftain Áed mac Gormlaith also offers a good start and has casus belli to conquer all other Counties, but is at risk of being attacked by Vikings.		1.0	VE
Above God Have a strong hook on your Head of Faith		Has a strong hook on the Head of Faith	Using the character finder (hotkey C) on the selection screen allows searching for characters with the Schemer trait, meaning they completed the perk tree with the same name. Alternatively a Temporal Head of Faith can grant the title to someone with a Strong Hook.		1.0	E
Dreadful Ruler Have the maximum amount of dread		Has 100 Dread	Mass executing prisoners can quickly generate a considerable amount of dread. Be aware that each execution will also cost 100 piety and decrease clergy opinion unless a prisoner is of a hostile or evil faith, or you have the Divine Retribution perk from the Torturer tree of the Intrigue lifestyle. No more than 10 prisoners should be needed. Can be combined with the "Turning to Diamonds" achievement if done with a character who has the Compassionate and/or Just trait as each execution will also generate stress.		1.0	E
Fine Print Use a hook to modify a feudal contract		Modified a vassal contract with a hook.	In 1066 King Harold II Godwineson of England starts with a Strong Hook on a Vassal.		1.0	E
Moving up in the World Increase your rank		Gain a title that is a higher rank than previous title.	In 867 Jarl Rurik Rurikid of Novgorod starts with the land and gold required to create the Kingdom of Novgorod.		1.0	E
Not So Feudal System Use the Claim Throne scheme successfully		Gain a claim on a title with a scheme.	The Claim Throne scheme requires the Meritocracy perk which in turn requires the Stewardship lifestyle.		1.0	E
Seductive As any one character, successfully seduce ten people		Successfully seduce 10 characters.	Using the character finder (hotkey C) on the selection screen allows searching for characters with the Seducer trait, meaning they completed the perk tree with the same name.		1.0	E
Stressful Situation Suffer from a Mental Break		Gain a Stress level.	A Mental Break can be triggered as soon as the game starts by resetting Lifestyle perks.		1.0	E
The Succession is Safe Have ten living children	Do not have 10 living children.	Have 10 living children.	You can't use the Ruler Designer to start with 10 children, but you can use it to start with 9 children and the  Lustful and  Fecund traits.		1.0	E
The Things Love Does for Us Have a lover save you from a murder attempt		A lover saved the player from a murder attempt.	You will need at least one lover, who is not a ruler (landed or otherwise), for this to trigger. The Mortal Adoration perk is not necessary but greatly increases the odds. In 1066 King Alfonso VI has his own heir, King Sancho II, as his rival who will want to kill him for his titles. Make Alfonso's high intrigue lover, Urraca, as his spymaster to protect him until he has the needed perk and other lovers. Then break up with her to make her angry. She will likely join Sancho's plot and thus making the assassination attempt significantly more likely to succeed. Do not marry for legal children or legitimize bastards, as this may cause Sancho to not attempt an assassination plot as he will no longer be Alfonso's heir.		1.0	E
The Things We Do for Love Murder your lover's spouse		Murder a lover's spouse.	The Seduction perk tree will help greatly in seducing someone already married.		1.0	E
Turning to Diamonds Reach the highest possible Stress level		Have max stress.	In 867 Jarl Björn of Uppland starts with the Honest personality trait and can immediately reach the highest possible Stress level by starting 10 Murder Schemes.		1.0	E
Way of Life Complete an entire Lifestyle (all three trees)	Does not have the full set of lifestyle traits in a tree: Has neither: Diplomat, August and Patriarch / Matriarch Schemer, Seducer and Torturer Whole of Body, Scholar and Theologian Strategist, Overseer and Gallant Avaricious, Architect and Administrator	Has a full set of lifestyle traits in a tree: Diplomat, August and Patriarch / Matriarch Schemer, Seducer and Torturer Whole of Body, Scholar and Theologian Strategist, Overseer and Gallant Avaricious, Architect and Administrator	Use the Ruler Designer to create an 18-year-old character with the highest Education Trait and Genius. This greatly speeds up perk acquisition while giving you plenty of time to complete the three trees. If you don't plan on doing anything else in the playthrough, the Learning education and perk trees are recommended for the health boosts.		1.0	E
A Legacy to Last the Ages Complete an entire Dynasty Legacy	Dynasty does not have a legacy	Dynasty has a legacy	If an AI character becomes Dynasty Head it will try to complete the most currently-unlocked legacy.		1.0	M
Álmost There As Álmos Árpád, form Hungary and convert to Christianity	Is playing as Álmos Árpád of the Mogyër Confederation in 867	Owns the Kingdom of Hungary Is Christian Is playing as Álmos Árpád	Declaring war using the Migrate to Pannonia casus belli will create two powerful armies in the Realm Capital.		1.0	M
An Unfortunate Accident Inherit a title from someone you murdered		Murder a character whose heir is the player.	Starting as an Heir Vassal and murdering a disliked parent (e.g. heir of Abbasid, Bulgaria or Hungary) is the easiest way to gain the achievement.		1.0	M
Bad Blood Go to war with one of your siblings over a Claim		Declare war against a sibling with the Claim Casus Belli	Rulers of the Karling dynasty in 867 can declare such a war as soon as the game starts.		1.0	M
Celebrity Reach the highest possible Prestige Level		Have max prestige level.	In 867 Count Hæsteinn of Montaigu starts with the Exalted among Men level of Fame.		1.0	M
Followed by Shadows Know ten secrets simultaneously		Know 10 secrets.	Each seduced character will grant a secret. See the Seductive achievement for tips.		1.0	M
For the Faith! Take part in a successful Great Holy War, on either side		Win a defensive or offensive Great Holy War.	Under the usual starting conditions of 1066, only Catholicism and Ash'arism satisfy the conditions for declaring Great Holy Wars, and the Pope will unlock this ability in 1095, before the Caliph. Thus starting as a Catholic in 1066 and participating in the first Crusade is the quickest way to get this achievement.		1.0	M
Frankokratia As a French Catholic, hold the Kingdom of Thessalonika without being vassalised to Byzantium		Completely controls the Kingdom of Thessalonika Is French Is not Orthodox Is not Iconoclast Does not own the Byzantine Empire Does not own the Roman Empire A liege does not own the Byzantine Empire A liege does not own the Roman Empire	Note that you don't need to be independent or hold the Kingdom of Thessalonika title and, differently from what the description says, you don't need to be Catholic. You can be from any faith except Orthodox or Iconoclast. This achievement is easiest obtained by starting as Jarl Haesteinn in 867. He can convert to French culture right from the start, which conveniently also gives access to siege weapons. Conquer the County of Napoli to be within range of Byzantium and prepare to invade them. If Byzantium allies with West Francia, swearing fealty to the French will prevent them from defending their Byzantine allies when you declare war. Then use the Conquer Kingdom (Thessalonika) Casus Belli. It is possible to do this achievement by starting as the Byzantine Empire, obtaining a second Empire title, and destroying the Byzantine Empire title. Then send your heir to be educated as French Catholic and wait until you play as them.		1.0	M
Going Places As Haesteinn of Montaigu in 867, hold any Kingdom tier title	Is playing Count Hæsteinn of Montaigu in 867 and is still alive.	Own a Kingdom title or higher.	Simply declare war on Cornwall using the Conquer Duchy Casus Belli. You should have no problem winning the war unless the Cornish get a strong ally (just restart if that happens). Move your capital to Cornwall, convert to the local culture, then use the special decision to restore the Cornish Kingdom.		1.0	M
Keeping it in the Family Have a child with the Inbred trait	No child has the Inbred trait.	A child has the Inbred trait	In 1066 King Alfonso VI of León and Infanta Urraca Fernandez of León are both full siblings and lovers.		1.0	M
Know Your Place Defeat a faction in war		Win a civil war.	A Peasant Rabble revolt will not count for this achievement.		1.0	M
Land of the Rus Starting as Rurik the Troublemaker in 867, lead your dynasty to rule the Empire of Russia	Is playing Duke Rurik Rurikid of Novgorod in 867	Owns the Empire of Russia	The Kingdom of Novgorod can be created right from the start. Then, to form the Empire of Russia within Rurik's lifetime, you need to do as the Varangians did and convert to the local culture and religion. Your neighbors will be happy and accept vassalage if you are de jure their liege (some gifts might be required). Use your once-per-lifetime Subjugation casus belli to conquer Minsk, then continue to use the Conquer Duchy casus belli. Alternatively, you can start multiple murder plots to stress suicide Rurik, allowing you to play as his only heir, a 17-year-old who also uses the martial tree. His stats are worse than Rurik's, but you have much longer to form Russia before succession issues.		1.0	M
Monumental Fully upgrade a duchy capital building anywhere in your personal domain		Has a directly owned province with a fully upgraded duchy building.	The highest building levels require the most advanced innovations. An Indian culture in 1066 offers the best start for this.		1.0	M
Non Nobis Domine Found a Holy Order		Create a holy order.	King Louis II of Italy in 867 comes closest to meeting the creation requirements.		1.0	M
Norman Yoke Starting as William in 1066, win the Invasion, become English, and have only English vassals	Is playing Duke William the Bastard of Normandy in 1066	Win the Norman Conquest Is English Owns the Kingdom of England Any de jure vassal is English	Moving the Realm Capital within the de jure territory of Kingdom of England enables the Embrace English Culture decision. A strategy you can use to get this fast is to apply the "North Korea" strategy, where you imprison and revoke all land from all your vassals until none are left anymore, in which the achievement will be triggered and earned. A bit simpler approach is to revoke all the duchies of non-English vassals and transfer non-English counts to English dukes if you have at least one in the realm - the achievement checks direct vassals only. If you have an Anglo-Saxon child as a duke vassal, you can educate them and convert culture.		1.0	M
Royal Dignity Starting as Vratislav Přemyslid in 1066, lead your Dynasty to rule Bohemia and the Holy Roman Empire	Is playing Duke Vratislav Přemyslid of Bohemia in 1066	Owns the Kingdom of Bohemia Owns the Holy Roman Empire	The de jure territory of Kingdom of Bohemia starts controlled entirely but more Gold and another Duchy title is needed to create it.		1.0	M
Saint Reach the highest possible Piety Level		Have max piety level.	In 867 King Louis II of Italy starts with the Faithful level of fame.		1.0	M
Seven Holy Cities As a Hindu ruler, hold all seven Hindu Holy Sites at the same time		Is Hindu Owns or is liege of the owner of the Counties of: Varnasi Ayodha Mathura Hardiwar Kanchipuram Ujjayini Dwarka	In 867 Maharaja Bhoja of Pratihara starts in control of all but one of the Holy Sites and needs only to gain a casus belli against a Duke Ruler.		1.0	M
The Emperor's New Clothes While holding any empire title, be naked	Character doesn't start naked.	Own an Empire title. Is naked.	The easiest way to obtain the achievement is to start as a Christian emperor and then convert to Adamitism.		1.0	M
Trapped in the Web Have strong hooks on three direct vassals		Has 3 strong hooks on vassals.	Using the predominant Homosexuality game rule, choose a ruler under a faith which criminalizes it—Björn Ironside in 867 is a safe option—then wait a few years for vassals to start their criminal love affairs for you to find. Also, with the Truth is Relative perk, your spymaster can fabricate Strong Hooks with the Find Secrets task. The task typically fabricates Hooks on courtiers, not rulers, but you can use it to get Hooks on your own courtiers and then land them.		1.0	M
A Name Known Throughout the World Have your dynasty reach the highest possible Level of Splendor		Have max splendor level for the dynasty.	In 1066, members of the Pugyel Dynasty in Tibet start with Famous Level of Splendor.		1.0	H
Al-Andalus Starting as an Iberian Muslim, control Iberia and take the Avenge the Battle of Tours decision	Is Castilian, Basque, Portuguese, Catalan, Andalusian, Visigothic or Suebi Is a Muslim Capital is in Iberia.	Taken the Avenge the Battle of Tours decision. Completely controls Iberia.	Any Muslim starting with the right culture and their capital in Iberia can do this achievement. Note: This is not possible to achieve currently with most Iberian Muslims in 867 start as they're Bedouin culture. You can, however, use the character creator to make a Muslim ruler who is, e.g. Visigoth, and start as the Umayyad caliphate in 867. That will allow you to satisfy the achievement.		1.0	H
Beacon of Progress Have your culture unlock all innovations, excluding regional and culture-specific innovations		Have all Innovations for a culture.	Indian cultures in 1066 offer the best start.		1.0	H
Blood Eagle Starting as any child of Ragnarr Lothbrok, conquer all of the British Isles	In 867 is playing as either: Duke Björn Ironside of Uppland Duke Ivar the Boneless of the Isles Duke Halfdan Whiteshirt of Jorvik Duke Sigurdr Snake-in-the-Eye of Sjælland Ubbe Ragnarrsson	Completely control the Empire of Britannia (Only need to hold the region of Britannia, do not need to hold the empire title)	Children of Ragnarr Lothbrok are present in 867: Jarl Ivar 'the Boneless' of the Isles, Scotland Jarl Björn 'Ironside' of Uppland, Sweden Ubbe Ragnarrson Ubbing (unlanded; court of Halfdan) Jarl Halfdan 'Whiteshirt' of Jórvík, England Jarl Sigurd 'Snake-in-the-Eye' of Sjealland, Denmark		1.0	H
End of an Era Play until 1453		Date is 1453.1.1	Starting in 1066 reduces the necessary time. Playing a game for this long makes most of the milestone achievements, such as Saint, Monumental or Prolific, rather easy to get, so consider combining all of them in a single playthrough.		1.0	H
From Rags to Riches Starting as a Count, lead your line to rule an Empire	Highest ranked title is a County.	Own an Empire title.	The easiest way to obtain the achievement is by starting as the heir of Seljuk in 1066.		1.0	H
Kings to the Seventh Generation Starting as Eudes Capet in 867, lead your Dynasty to rule the Kingdom of France	Is playing Count Eudes Robertine of Anjou in 867	Owns the Kingdom of France	Start by obtaining the Duchy of Anjou. Use the Abduct Scheme in the Intrigue branch to Abduct whoever is king of France right after you declare a Claim Throne war using the Stewardship Branch. Once your war enemy is your prisoner, you get 100% war score. (Note: this may not be possible after the patch that made it much more difficult to abduct a war target) The other way to build up your power among vassals in relative safety is to modify your feudal contract, offering your liege high levies in exchange for protected title revocation (or offering high taxes if March contract is available).		1.0	H
Last Count, First King Starting as Duke Nuño of Portucale in 1066, form Portugal	Is Playing Duke Nuño Mendez of Portucale in 1066 and is still alive.	Owns the Kingdom of Portugal Is Playing Duke Nuño Mendez of Portucale.	Sometimes the character starts with the Meritocracy perk, allowing the Claim Throne scheme to be used from the start with adequate success chance. Note that you will still have to defeat several Muslim neighbors in order to form Portugal. Alternatively, try allying France on day 1 and immediately declaring an independence war on your liege, then using your French ally for the two back-to-back wars you'll need to take the south. Divorcing Duke Nuño’s first wife can help secure a useful alliance. You can also align with William the Conqueror early, but his special troops will be preoccupied with England for a while.		1.0	H
Paragon of Virtue Have three or more virtuous traits	Don't have 3 virtuous traits.	Have 3 virtuous traits.	This achievement won't unlock if you use the Ruler Designer to start with three virtues of your religion, but you can start with three virtues of some other religion and convert to it as soon as possible.		1.2	H
Prolific Have one hundred living dynasty members		Have 100 living members of the dynasty.	The Seljuk dynasty in 1066 offers both the best start and the fastest progression.		1.0	H
Reconquista Starting as an Iberian Christian, convert all of Iberia to Christianity	Is either from the Iberian culture group or has Andalusian culture. Is Christian	Completely controls the Iberia region All counties in the Iberia region is Christian Is from the Iberian culture group or Andalusian Is Christian	This achievement does not require being Catholic, only Christian. It can be faster to complete this by converting to or creating a new Christian faith that has faster conversion tenets and doctrines and higher fervor. The Theologian tree in the Learning lifestyle offers 20% faster conversion and the ability to ignore fervor when converting. Landing learning lifestyle characters can make the process of conversion faster as well, if they take those perks. Don't forget about the islands (e.g., Ibiza) east of the Iberian Peninsula.		1.0	H
Sibling Rivalry Starting as any of the Jimena siblings in 1066, become Emperor of Spain	In 1066, is playing either: King Alfonso VI of León King García of Galicia King Sancho II of Castille Countess Urraca of Zamora Elvira	Owns the Empire of Hispania	The achievement does not require total control of Spain, only enough to create the Empire of Hispania title. Alfonso of León is a high Intrigue character—with some luck and preparation you can kill your two brothers within two years to get their kingdoms (you might need to wait a few months after starting the game before agents are willing to join your murder plots). Then, press your claim on the Kingdom of Navarra. At this point, you can use the Unite the Spanish Thrones decision to unite León, Galicia, Castille and Navarra, giving you a strong core from which you can expand into the rest of the Iberian peninsula. It is not necessary to complete this achievement in one character's lifetime.		1.0	H
Wily as the Fox Starting as Robert the Fox in 1066, rule Sicily, hold a Greek Kingdom, and convert it to Catholicism	Is playing Duke Robert de Hauteville of Apulia in 1066	Owns the Kingdom of Sicily One of the following: Completely Controls the Kingdom of Epirus All Counties are Catholic Completely Controls the Kingdom of Thessalonika All Counties are Catholic Completely Controls the Kingdom of Hellas All Counties are Catholic	Start by obtaining enough gold to create the Duchy of Calabria and then the Kingdom of Sicily, then focus on Kingdom of Epirus. The achievement does not require you to be independent, so it is possible to swear fealty to the Byzantine Empire, obtain the Religious Rights feudal contract via hook, and conquer and convert the required provinces as a vassal.		1.0	H
Give a Dog a Bone Starting as Matilda di Canossa in 1066, rule Italy, have 50 Dynasty members, and found a Holy Order	Is playing Duchess Matilda di Lucca of Tuscany in 1066	Any dynasty member owns the Kingdom of Italy Have 50 living members of the dynasty. Create a holy order.	Fabricate claims to conquer all the independent counties in Italy (restart if your Realm Priest has poor Learning). Meanwhile, try to request a claim on the Duchy of Lombardy, either by befriending the Pope or fabricating a hook on him (requiring perks in the Family Hierarch or Schemer perk trees, respectively). You should then have enough land to form the Kingdom of Italy. To accelerate the siring of dynasty members, land all your sons and matrilineal sons-in-law. Rulers and their spouses receive a fertility bonus.		1.0	H
A Perfect Circle Have only two distinct parents, grandparents, and great grandparents		Missing unique ancestors is 50 or more.	Does not require two distinct grandparents or great-grandparents. Requires having no more than 12 unique characters among the player's parents through great-great-great-grandparents (the maximum possible is 62; 62 − 50 = 12). If there is no recorded parent, as for lowborn, it's counted as a whole tree of unrelated ancestors. Start in Iceland with the restricted diplomatic range rule, where you're rather isolated and can be left alone. Use the Ruler Designer to create a character of the Messalianism faith with the Divine Blood trait, then inbreed siblings for three generations. The greatest threat to this achievement is cuckoldry. Playing a female ruler (easy as Messalianism is gender-equal) together with the predominant Homosexuality or Asexuality rules can alleviate this.		1.0	VH
Carolingian Consolidation Starting as a Karling, be the only independent Karling to hold a landed title	Is playing someone in the Karling Dynasty	Is independent All dynasty members except the player is not landed or an independent ruler	In 1066 Count Herbert of Vermandois, a vassal of France, is the only landed Karling. Playing as him, focus on getting the Kidnapper perk and then kidnapping the French king, your liege. Before that, you can fabricate a Hook on the king to become his spymaster when you're ready to abduct him, for greater Scheme Power. Once he's in jail, start an independence faction and immediately send an ultimatum—the king won't be able to refuse, as he's your prisoner. This makes you an independent Karling count, which technically counts as consolidation.		1.0	VH
Mother of Us All Starting as Daurama Daura, have your line reform an African faith, and convert all of Africa to it	Is playing Countess Daurama Daura of Kano in 867	Has reformed and converted all African Counties to one of the following religions: Siguism Bidaism Orisa Bori Roog Sene Akom Kushitism Waaqism	Reforming the Faith with the Fundamentalist doctrine and the Mendicant Preachers, Reincarnation and Sanctioned False Conversions tenets will increase the realm's conversion speed and resistance. Revocable Clergy appointment doctrine allows you to select a priest with higher learning to speed up manual conversion. Try not to overuse Holy Wars, for they decrease fervor and at 40% or less there can be a heresy outbreak. Also, ensure that all of the vassals in your realm (at every level) are converted to the proper faith. Moving your capital to Cairo and converting to Egyptian culture lets you feudalize early and obtain an advantage that may be necessary to expel the Abbasids or Byzantines from Africa. Remember: all of Africa has to follow your religion, not your faith. Those who follow the unreformed version of your faith are still following your religion.		1.0	VH
Rise from the Ashes Restore the Roman Empire		Own the Roman Empire.	See the Restore the Roman Empire decision for full requirements. The easiest start is 1066 Byzantium - after surrendering to the Seljuks, you can declare De Jure wars for Croatia, the Sicilian counties and Venice; Holy wars for the African/Middle East ones. Claim Latium manually - wait for the Duchy claim event and be swift before the Pope hires too many mercs. Rush Divine Right to get both Genoa and Romagna (they need to be claimed manually as well) in a single war with the HRE.		1.0	VH
What Nepotism? Have your Dynasty rule ten independent realms of at least Kingdom tier simultaneously		At least 10 dynasty members are independent and own a Kingdom title or higher.	If you try to do this by slowly conquering foreign lands for your dynasty, you might struggle with making sure nobody loses their throne, so it's better to get everyone their own independent kingdoms in one fell swoop. Ruling an empire, conquer ten kingdoms outside its de jure structure and then grant them independence all together. This is probably easier to do while tribal because it grants you extra Casus Belli and the confederate partition is no problem.		1.0	VH

Achievements guides

Very easy	-
Easy	-
Medium	-
Hard	-
Very hard	Mother of Us All
Insane	-

Mechanics