How to prepare for my Personal Union with Portugal

[Masquerouge]

I am playing France, and after an intense and bloody succession war with Spain, I'm now the leader of a PU with Portugal.
I have 200 relation with them, and I plan to integrate them in 50 years. But it's my first PU in EU4 so I'd like to get some advice.
Is there anything I should be prepared for? Anything to do during those 50 years to make sure it will work?
Is integrating guaranteed to succeed after 50 years (like diplo-annexion)?
What will happen to all the provinces I get that are not my culture group, will they be unhappy?
Are my neighbours going to be angry at me for integrating Portugal?

Any help would be appreciated!

 

[lordelenath]

The only difference in terms of continuation and future annexation between vassals and PUs are the 50 years and you have to keep relations and prestige positive to keep the PU. If your king dies while either relations or prestige are negative the PU will end (and you'll get a restoration CB).

 

[Masquerouge]

Prestige negative... do you mean lower prestige than Portugal, or actually negative prestige? I never got under 50 as France, but Portugal has some crazy high prestige due to all the colonization.

 

[grisamentum]

Prestige negative... do you mean lower prestige than Portugal, or actually negative prestige? I never got under 50 as France, but Portugal has some crazy high prestige due to all the colonization.

Actually negative.

 

[minhtuvn]

Like above, keep your prestige and your relation with Portugal positive. Similar to vassal, you have 200 improve relation cap with junior partners in PU, so use it whenever necessary.
Integration will give you core on every province which Portugal owns. If those provinces give you more than 20% tax income, Portuguese will become accepted culture, thus no penalty. Your other vassals and PU partners (if you have any) will have -30 opinion after integration.
Some of Portugal neighbours could be pissed off because of your aggressive expansion, but the negative amount is unclear.

 

[joelzhl]

Integrating Portugal, especially if they have colonized quite a bit, will give you tons of AE. This will most likely start a coalition against you. Just be prepare for that to happen.

 

[Rubidium]

And note that the AE will be calculated based on distance from your capital, not on distance from Portugal, so e.g. Austria/Burgundy will get a full load. So keep that in mind when the time comes.

 

[Masquerouge]

Integrating Portugal, especially if they have colonized quite a bit, will give you tons of AE. This will most likely start a coalition against you. Just be prepare for that to happen.

Ah! That's useful. Will I bee able to see beforehand how much AE I will get if I integrate?

 

[joelzhl]

Ah! That's useful. Will I bee able to see beforehand how much AE I will get if I integrate?

It varies depends on your size. The actual formula is different from the AE annexation formula. From my experience with a similar size country, it's usually around 3 AE per province.

 

[dstarsboy]

I wouldn't integrate them until the 1800s. Just keep them happy at 200 and they'll be a loyal ally.

The reasons are:
1) They'll continue to colonize on their own. Yay, free land!
2) Statistically, you're much more powerful militarily having the PU than if you integrated and created the troops yourself. For example, say France has force limit 150 and Portugal has force limit 80. Then you integrate and France has force limit 180 or something. Not quite apples to apples.
3) The less land you own, the more you can build it up. I just finished a game with France and just kept France's general territory and had full buildings on every province. Monthly profit (minus advisors/army/etc, zero colonies) was 250+ ducats and Force Limit was 400+ (Russia's force limit was around 200+). You do NOT need a huge land mass to be the most dominant country in the world but almost everyone thinks this is is case.
4) You can win wars without fighting. Get a few large vassals and PUs, declare war, sit back and drink coffee and your allies will carpet siege everything in sight without you having to lift a finger.