Marriage & Family

In Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord, your character will eventually age and die. To ensure your campaign continues, you must build a family. Marriage is the first step to securing a lineage, gaining powerful allies, and bolstering your clan with high-tier lords.

Securing a spouse and raising heirs is the only way to play a multi-generational campaign.

How to Find a Spouse

Not all nobles are eligible for marriage. To find a potential partner:

1. Open the Encyclopedia (N key).

2. Go to the Heroes tab.

3. Filter by Alive, Female/Male (opposite of your character), and Not Married.

4. Look for nobles with good stats (Steward, Scouting, or Combat skills) and good equipment.

Top Picks:

• Ira (Southern Empire): Daughter of Empress Rhagaea. Good combat stats.

• Corein (Battania): Daughter of Caladog. Excellent warrior.

• Svana (Sturgia): High stewardship and combat.

• Arwa (Aserai): Excellent all-rounder.

The Courtship Process

Once you find your target, you must woo them. This involves a persuasion minigame that relies heavily on your Charm Skill.

1. Introduce Yourself: Tell them you are an ardent admirer.

2. First Conversation: You must pass a series of dialogue checks. High Charm and social traits (Generous, Daring) help.

3. Wait: You usually have to wait a few days before the second interaction.

4. Second Conversation: Pass the final checks.

5. Dowry: Once they agree, you must speak to their Clan Leader and pay a dowry/barter to finalize the marriage.

Failing the courtship dialogue blocks you from marrying that specific noble. Save before you speak!

The "Arranged Marriage" Shortcut

If you have plenty of money and low Charm, you can skip the courtship entirely. Go directly to the Clan Leader of the person you want to marry and propose an alliance. It will cost significantly more gold, but it is guaranteed if your relation is decent.

Growing Your Family

Once married, your spouse joins your clan. You can assign them to your party, a caravan, or as a governor.

Having Children:

• You and your spouse must be in the same settlement (waiting there) or in the same party together.

• There is a daily percentage chance of pregnancy.

• The chance decreases as the character ages (especially for females past 35-40).

Babies will eventually grow into children, then teenagers, and finally adult lords at age 18. For a deep dive on raising them, check out our Marriage & Heirs guide.

Children inherit attributes from their parents, so choosing a strong spouse creates strong heirs.

Spouse Roles & Management

Your spouse is often your best companion.

• Governor: If they share the culture of a captured town, they are the best choice to prevent rebellion.

• Party Leader: They can lead a second party for free (no companion slot used) to bolster your army.

• Quartermaster: If they have high Steward skill (like Svana), they can make your party size massive.

Building a strong family is the key to long-term Clan Management and eventual Kingdom Management.