HRE for Free (As Commonwealth)

[AndersSchm]

Playing an Ironman playthrough to complete the trilogy of achievements available for Poland I have had a strange occurrence with the HRE being handed to me on a plate by France. I'd stayed out of the HRE territory all game, expanding my humanist Commonwealth East and South against Muscovy and Ottomans. I helped Austria and Brandenburg split Bohemia in two and maintained good relations for the Western Arm Trade tech bonus.

Unchecked by me, the reformation ran rampant in the HRE and the Protestant alliance switched the empire to Protestant with the Palatinate as emperor from Catholic Austria. A period of peace followed where the rest of the empire abandoned Catholicism.

France (with union Castille/Denmark) and Aragon at some point join the Catholic alliance and the blue blob sweeps through the Empire, defeating the Palatinate and its allies. In the peace treaty France demands that the empire become Catholic again.

As the only Catholic province, Salzburg is appointed the only elector and immediately votes in the Commonwealth as the Emperor (as all other Catholic countries are hostile). All I had to do next is add all my provinces to the HRE and without any effort on my behalf vassalise the entire empire, all thanks to my new arch enemy France!

 

[Yorkie-GBR]

lol, wow a story for the ages

 

[Achanei]

that is pretty gorious...france "didnt want that empire anyways" im sure.
But yeah, seems the emperor religion restrictions can cause pretty funny situations with emperorship getting handed to random catholic nations around the world...

 

[hajutze]

In such case Salzburg should just become the Emperor (by voting for itself) ...

 

[vleup]

This is why i love this game! Every now and then you will run into a pretty weird and unexpected situation during a playthrough (those could be good, like in the OP's case, or bad). Stuff like the OP's scenario or for example the burgundian inheritance not firing (wich happens like almost never ^^) just make the game so much more interesting from a storyline standpoint.

 

[User29]

In such case Salzburg should just become the Emperor (by voting for itself) ...

theocracy

 

[hajutze]

Doesn't hurt to add an event in which it asks them if they want to convert the government to Despotic Monarchy or something, for the sake of the empire

 

[AndersSchm]

It is maybe odd that with all the nations in the HRE being protestant/reformed except OPM Salzburg that an event didn't fire immediately to end the religious wars and lock in Protestant as the official religion?

Though Catholic France, Denmark and Aragon all own provinces in the empire while not being members.

 

[Demetrios]

Why do I have Dire Strait's "Money for Nothing" in my head now.

"Get your empire for nothing, and its perks for free"

"I want my, I want my, HRE..."

 

[AndersSchm]

Why do I have Dire Strait's "Money for Nothing" in my head now.

"Get your empire for nothing, and its perks for free"

"I want my, I want my, HRE..."

Love it

 

[Jeggred86]

Something like that happened in my current Poland game as well after the first League war was won by the Ottomans and I (Protestant) became Emperor. Then someone named "Zegimantiassomething" got on my throne (elective monarchy, foreign heir) and I lost the Emperor title suddenly... it was a female ruler. You can't see which gender your foreign heir is.

 

[wergy]

Epic story man, congrats

 

[AndersSchm]

If I unify the HRE can I still complete "Poland Can Into Space" ?

 

[Sunspawn]

HRE is a different tag and as such, no, you can't.

Why would you want to though? Just revoke privilegia and zerg the world.

 

[wergy]

Yeah, revoke privilegs, you can vassalize the minors and slowly annex them. They can do nothing abut it.

 

[calvinhobbeslik]

Yeah, revoke privilegs, you can vassalize the minors and slowly annex them. They can do nothing abut it.

Why would you annex them? They don't cost diplo slots, and annexing them will make all the others hate you more and tank your reputation.

 

[AndersSchm]

True I haven't annexed them, just keeping them as vassals - I was wondering whether to annex them all for the naval force limit but just having a swarm of little armies to launch at people seems more fun.

 

[Ultrix Prime]

...

You should immediately go buy a lottery ticket.

These sorts of things never happen to me in EU4. I wish you streamed. This would have been wonderful to watch and quite the Lol moment.

 

[AurochsAway]

If I unify the HRE can I still complete "Poland Can Into Space" ?

Yes, you can, but it's less powerful than just having the vassal swarm.

achievement_poland_can_into_space = {
	id = 35
	
	possible = {
		ironman = yes
		start_date = 1444.11.11
		tag = POL
	}
	
	happened = {
		adm_tech = 32
		dip_tech = 32
		mil_tech = 32
	}
}

 

[sermaciej]

If I unify the HRE can I still complete "Poland Can Into Space" ?

You can, but man, that ugly colour and ugly sprites :/