To build an empire that outlives your character in Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord, you need a family. Children carry your clan name, act as free companions, and inherit your kingdom if you die. This guide details how to find a spouse, negotiate dowries, and secure your clan line's inheritance.
Courtship & Speech Checks
If you want to marry for love (and save denars), you can court a noble lord or lady directly. The process is as follows:
- Find an unmarried noble of the opposite sex who is not currently a prisoner.
- Initiate a conversation and declare your admiration.
- You must pass two distinct speech checks. These rely on your Charm skill and character traits (like Honest, Generous, or Daring).
- If you fail any check, they will reject you permanently for the rest of the campaign! Make sure to save your game before starting these conversations.
Political Arranged Marriages
"If you fail courtship speech checks, you can still secure a marriage by bypassing the spouse and talking directly to their Clan Leader. This requires offering a dowry in denars or items."
— TaleWorlds Forum Guide
Arrange marriages directly by speaking to the leader of a target clan. Offer a marriage alliance in the barter menu. You will need to offer gold, horses, or fiefs as a dowry. Arranging a marriage this way is immediate, requires no speech checks, and raises your relation with their entire clan, forming a powerful political alliance.
Having Heirs & Succession
Once married, your spouse will join your clan. To produce children and heirs:
- Add your spouse to your active party, or stay in the same town/castle as them for several days.
- Each day spent resting in a settlement together gives a chance of pregnancy.
- This chance is increased by having the Virile perk (in the Athletics tree) and keeping a high stock of diverse food and drinks in your inventory.
Children will grow up over several in-game years. Once they reach age 18, they join your clan as active nobles with their own armor and stats. If your main character dies in battle or from old age, you will choose one of your adult children or your spouse to become the new Clan Leader, carrying on your conquest legacy.