How do I fix this issue when I smash the Reformation too hard?

[Revshawn]

The year is 1589 AD. The Reformation as penned and provocated by Martin Luthor has gone the opposite way as he intended. The Kingdom of Westphalia, born into existence by the Hessians, have taken the opportunity to kick some infidel ass. Protestantism in this timeline never grew as large as Martin Luthor thought it would. Instead it was smashed almost singlehandedly by the King Wilhelm I and his descendants, who journeyed across the Holy Roman Empire curbstomping every rebellious and confused Duke that dare desecrate the Holy Scriptures with their new fangled ideas and enlightened idiocy. Through much hard work and effort, the protestant movement was halted in their tracks and remained just a fad movement that only found fertile ground in the sewer realms of Europe. They seemed doomed to die.

But the Protestants, being the proper servants of the Devil that they are, didn't fight fair. The Holy League wars that followed didn't just pull in the two or three protestant Kingdoms that remained. It pulled in the vast realm of the Ottomans. It pulled in the Commonwealth. It pulled in France, despite it being another Catholic realm! For some reason, the drooling Emperor of Austria didn't pull in their most loyal fervent ally in Westphalia to fight them! And well, after a little bit of time the Holy Roman Empire became this disgrace:

What are we to do boys? This is not what God intended! The Holy Roman Empire must remain good and Catholic and based. Is there any way to save it for our boys or must I burn this disgrace to the ground, end the Holy Roman Empire, and reforge from it a new order where this joke of a heresy is only whispered from the lips of psychotic parents to into the frightened ears of their children to scare them in their sleep?

I await your replies.

 

[Siddy00]

Alas! what a cruel trick fate has played on the faithful princes of the Holy Roman Empire --- or rather the Heretic Roman Empire! The new official faith of the empire, though misguided and unwise, is forever set in stone. Unless you wish to corrupt yourself and lead the empire as its new Protestant emperor, you must purge the empire of its heretic beliefs by force! Dismantle it and unite a devout Catholic Germany under your own pious rule!

(In more normal English: there are no game mechanics to change the empire's faith once it has been decided by (absence) of the league wars. You could create a mod and use the set_hre_religion = catholic effect to change it back to Catholic, but obviously that's not achievement-compatible if you care about that (they are enabled based on your screenshots). You could go Protestant yourself and convert other princes to create a thriving Protestant empire; otherwise, dismantling the empire is probably the way to go. It will make conquering the former princes easier since you won't have as much aggressive expansion, but the same will be true for other nations. Then again, I don't expect Wolgast to offer much military assistance anyway, should the Commonwealth decide to conquer some German territory
Anyway, good luck and have fun! )

 

[Revshawn]

This was the best reply and everything I could have ever hoped for! Thank you so much for your wisdom wise general! Much appreciated. I shall begin the purge!

Pure awesomeness here.

 

[bokorthedust]

It was a long con. Now when Martin's descendant, Lex Luthor takes the reins of this Heretic Empire, only Superman will be able to take the fight to him. I'd try taking colonial ideas and make Smallville, Kansas the realm's capital to stand any chance at this point.

 

[Revshawn]

The Deed is Done.

 

[Fusilliban]

Now all you have to do is conquer France, Iberia, the Balkans, Anatolia, and Mashriq, and a few heathen cities. And then you can establish you own, truer, Roman Empire.

 

[Nostalgium]

The Deed is Done.

View attachment 827675

Can we take a moment to mourn how disbanding the HRE still doesn't prompt an event? Just a measly little popup? China gets an event - give the HRE an event. ;_;

 

[agonistes]

Can we take a moment to mourn how disbanding the HRE still doesn't prompt an event? Just a measly little popup? China gets an event - give the HRE an event. ;_;

I've never dismantled it, just let it rot in negative modifiers, so I didn't know this. A travesty!

 

[Fusilliban]

Can we take a moment to mourn how disbanding the HRE still doesn't prompt an event? Just a measly little popup? China gets an event - give the HRE an event. ;_;

Has the HRE ever been dismantled by an AI nation?

 

[bokorthedust]

Has the HRE ever been dismantled by an AI nation?

Only indirectly, when a situation arises without player intervention where there's no eligible ruler and the empire disbands, but I've never seen the AI push the button. I doubt it was ever taught to do so.

 

[Nostalgium]

Only indirectly, when a situation arises without player intervention where there's no eligible ruler and the empire disbands, but I've never seen the AI push the button. I doubt it was ever taught to do so.

Even if it were, the situations where it'd be able to would be extremely rare, because the AI likes to peace out 100% occupied war participants. So even if one elector is an OPM, the AI is pretty much incapable of meeting the requirements, as it will peace out the Elector.