A government is the system that rules characters and land. In Crusader Kings III, there are various government types or forms. These determine the laws available to a character as well as any obligations (taxes and levies) a vassal may have to their liege. There are three playable government forms (feudal, tribal and clan), along with two that are unplayable (theocracy and republic).
Feudal
Feudal governments can create new holdings and cadet branches. They also have access to the 
Crown Authority law. Each feudal vassal has a feudal contract, which can only be changed once per character and determines their obligations as well as whether they have special rights.
Obligations
The feudal contract of each feudal vassal determines their obligations, which can only be changed one step at a time. Obligations can be lowered at any time but raising them will add +20 tyranny opinion unless the liege lowers the other obligation or provides the vassal a right. The liege can also use a hook on the vassal to avoid tyranny.
Obligations may be reduced if a character is not a vassal's rightful liege. By default, the reduction is 50%. If the liege holds the de jure title two ranks above the vassal (e.g. king over count), the reduction is only 25%. To be the rightful liege, a character must hold the direct de jure liege title of the vassal's primary title. Dukes whose liege holds the de jure empire title are exempt from the penalty.
| 义务类型 | 免除/无效果 | 低效果 | 正常效果 | 高效果 | 严苛/大规模效果 |
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 税收
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 征召兵
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权利
Rights grant a 
vassal permissions that vassals do not have by default. A right can be added when increasing an obligation in order to avoid tyranny. Revoking a right will incur tyranny unless another right is added.
| 权利 | 领主效果 | 封臣效果 | 要求 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 铸币权：已赐予 |
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金属硬币革新 |
| 内阁权：保证 |
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| 城防权利：已赐予 |
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城垛革新 |
| 宗教权利：受保护 |
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Vassal does not have liege's faith |
| 继承权利：强行分割继承 |
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| 剥夺头衔：受保护 |
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| 宣战权：许可 |
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可以随意使用“索要内阁职位”互动
Cannot Demand Conversion from the vassal
Convert Faith within the vassal's domain
Special contract
Special contracts are only available towards duke and king vassals and require a certain innovation. All special contracts grant additional bonuses to the vassal.
| Special contract | Liege effects | Vassal effects | Required innovation |
|---|---|---|---|
| 兵役免除税 |
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−20% Men-at-arms maintenance
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 兵役免除税
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| 边区 | −50% Tax from vassal
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 乡堡
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| 王宫特权 |
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 君权神授
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Clan
Clan governments can create new holdings and cadet branches and have access to the crown authority law; just like feudal governments, innovations are required to unlock higher crown authority. They also have access to the Conquest casus belli, which can be used once in a lifetime to invade a realm, with higher-rank realms allowed at higher levels of fame.
Clan vassals provide taxes and levies based on their opinion of their liege. There is always a minimum of taxes and levies they will provide, which is determined by the liege's crown authority law. Powerful vassals will also gain 
red opinion (and other vassals gain red opinion) if they're not in an alliance with their liege.
If a clan ruler is a dynasty head, their realm will be named after their dynasty rather than the primary title.
Taxes and levies contribution
By default, a clan vassal will provide 15% of their taxes to their liege, and 30% of their levies. This amount is then adjusted with the vassal's opinion of their liege.
Scaling contribution
For every point of opinion above 0, a clan vassal will provide an additional 0.1% taxes and 0.305% levies, for a maximum of +10% taxes and +30.5% levies at green opinion.
For every point of opinion below 0, a clan vassal will subtract 0.3% taxes and 0.4% levies from their obligations, meaning that at red Opinion of their liege, a clan vassal will provide no taxes, and that at red opinion of their liege, a clan vassal will provide no levies.
The following table gives a quick recap of a vassal contribution to their liege, taking their opinion of said liege into account.
| Opinion of their liege | −100 | −50 | 0 | 50 | 100 |
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| 税收
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| 征召兵
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Minimum contribution
The minimum amount of taxes and levies provided by a clan vassal is dictated by the liege's crown authority law. The following table gives the minimum contribution of a lord's vassals, depending on the lord's crown authority law.
The "Opinion of their liege" line corresponds to the opinion needed by a clan vassal to be provided the same amount of taxes or levies. A vassal having a worse opinion of their liege would not affect their contributions to their suzerain.
| Crown authority | Autonomous vassals | Limited crown authority | High crown authority | Absolute crown authority |
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| Minimum taxes
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| Minimum levies
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Player vassal
If the clan vassal is a human player, then they will always contribute 10% of their taxes and 25% of their levies to their liege. This amount is flat, and will not be adjusted by the player character's opinion of their liege. This is roughly equivalent to a clan vassal having red opinion of their suzerain.
Tribal
Unlike feudal or clan governments, tribal governments have access to the Tribal Authority law, and can raise it without having to research innovations. If tribal authority is high enough, a tribal ruler can reform their government to become feudal or clan.
Tribal governments have the following unique effects:
- Holdings cannot be created in counties ruled by a tribal ruler, even by a clan or feudal liege.
- Development will only affect supply limit, as tax and levy development increase does not apply in counties ruled by a tribal ruler. (However, a certain level of development is needed to reform government.)
- Development does not passively grow in counties ruled by a tribal ruler.
- Tribal baronies only provide half of their supply limit to armies belonging to other governments.
- Tribal rulers can only discover Tribal-era innovations.
- For succession, tribal rulers are locked to Confederate Partition.
- Tribal rulers can also be challenged by other tribal characters for their titles via personal combat (duel).
- Tribal rulers pay for men-at-arms using prestige instead of gold.
- Tribal rulers can raid (unless their religion forbids it).
- Once per lifetime, a tribal Ruler can use the Subjugation casus belli.
- Tribal rulers cannot prevent their vassals from declaring war, and cannot imprison vassals or courtiers without passing level 2 tribal authority.
- −50% Title creation cost.
- red Opinion with feudal, clan, and republic vassals.
Tribal vassals contribution
Tribal Vassals provide taxes and levies based on the Liege's Level of Fame.
For each level of fame, a character tribal vassals will contribute an additional 10% of their taxes and 20% of their levies, starting at 0% for both when the liege is 
Disgraced, and ending at 50% taxes and 100% levies when the liege is 
The Living Legend.
Reformation
Reforming tribal government is significantly easier if the tribal ruler swears fealty to a non-tribal liege, as it only requires the ruler to adopt low tribal authority (and have an organized religion). Remaining independent requires the ruler to go all the way to absolute tribal authority and imposes other conditions.
Also, all buildings in tribal holdings are destroyed during the conversion, which means that a tribal realm is weakened significantly after the reformation. This applies to all vassals who reform their governments and you will lose about 80% of your vassals' gold income. It is best to save up at least 8,000 gold before reforming into feudal or clan.
Republic
Republic government is used by characters whose capital holding is a city and is not playable. Republic vassals always provide 20% taxes and 10% levies to their liege.
Theocracy
Theocracy government is only available to faiths with the 
Theocratic clerical tradition doctrine and is used by characters whose capital holding is a temple. Theocracy governments are not playable. Theocracy vassals provide taxes and levies based on the liege's level of devotion.
Holy order
主条目：Holy order Holy order government is used by characters who own a holy order title and is not playable. They may own land, but usually (and initially) lease holdings from feudal rulers of their religion, typically cities. Holy order vassals do not pay taxes or levies, but allow their armies to be hired for free.