The process of creating a duchy is not complex at all. All you do is select a lord and click a button. *poof* That lord become the duke of a new duchy. This is not complex or difficult, and it all explained already in the game, on the page where you do it.
But, under the new system, it is possible to have a duke who is neither region lord nor knight (although they can be ruler). Apparently that's not the case when you create a new duchy--it's like a remnant of the old system, although I understand why it has to be this way.
The requirements do look a little wonky, especially with lordship elections:
Requirement to gain an estate: not have an estate in another region.
Requirement to be lord: be elected lord, even if you have an estate in another region. OR, if appointed, the region lord must not have an estate in a different region.
Requirement to be duke: be a lord of a region in the duchy, or not have an estate. Granted automatically to lords of cities, thanks to old code.
See how it's not as simple as the wiki makes it out to be? the automatic dukeship, and having an estate in a different region if you are elected lord of another, are both inconsistencies.
