More than 7 Electors in the HRE

[thErgonomic]

So is it possible to have more than 7 Electors in the HRE and if so then how?

 

[tabascun]

OK, I don't know the answer, but I'll hijack, or rather extend, the question:

7 seems to be the target number in unmodded games. I assume you can change that target number somewhere. Does anybody know where? I thought it'd be fun to fiddle around with a "mega HRE mod", where you start with a balkanized France, add all resulting French and Italian minors to the HRE, add some additional French and Italian electors, and just sit back and watch what happens.

 

[henzington]

No 7 is the max in the normal game although you can have zero electors in theory but I have only seen 2 as the fewest before I dismantled the HRE.

 

[Illianor123]

One of the bookmarks has 8, not sure which one it is though

 

[zodium]

There is a maximum number of electors defined in defines.lua, and for the base game that number is 7. You can have less than 7, but you will lose 0.1 IA per month for each elector below 7. If there are no electors, the HRE becomes hereditary (the elector interface title even changes to "Hereditary Rule").

 

[IIWW]

There is a maximum number of electors defined in defines.lua, and for the base game that number is 7. You can have less than 7, but you will lose 0.1 IA per month for each elector below 7. If there are no electors, the HRE becomes hereditary (the elector interface title even changes to "Hereditary Rule").

The point is: historically there were times when there were more than 7 electors, but there were never fewer. The game seems to state completetly opposite.
The whole HRE mechanism is highly ahistorical, and once we accept it, the number of electors ain't such a big deal.

 

[zodium]

I don't know anything about history, I'm just describing the mechanics. :v

 

[gaius valerius]

The point is: historically there were times when there were more than 7 electors, but there were never fewer. The game seems to state completetly opposite.
The whole HRE mechanism is highly ahistorical, and once we accept it, the number of electors ain't such a big deal.

If by the 8th you mean Bohemia, that is somewhat legally unclear whether it may be called an official Electorate. It wasn't really but it occupied a special place in the empire.

 

[RobRoy3]

The point is: historically there were times when there were more than 7 electors...

If by the 8th you mean Bohemia, that is somewhat legally unclear whether it may be called an official Electorate...

I suspect he's referring to some of the shenanigans during the 30 years war: the Palatinate electorate was revoked during the war and given to Bavaria (both were Wittelsbachs); but at the Peace of Westphalia, the Palatinate got the title back, so there were eight+ from then on. Brunswick/Hannover got the title in the late 17th century (don't recall exactly why), so there nine for most of the 18th century, until the two Wittelsbach electorates merged, via inheritance, bringing it back to eight in the late 18th century.

When titles were revoked, they were often given back during the peace deal (e.g., two more were revoked and reinstated during the War of Spanish Succession).

I think, technically, some were also added during the Napoleonic period, but these were during the death throes of the HRE, so they probably don't count.

Might be interesting to allow more, under certain conditions, maybe with some IA penalties. IIRC, there could be eight in previous versions of the game. But I'm not really sure it'd add a whole lot to the game. HRE representation is a bit of a fantasy, as it is, but an interesting and entertaining one; and one that works reasonably well. Not sure this is an area where greater historicity would enhance the game.

@OP - No, you can't ever grant more than seven, without changing the number of target electors in the defines.lua file. Some bookmarks probably do reflect the historical realities of eight or nine, though.

 

[Closet Skeleton]

There were 9 electorates before 1803.

Mainz
Cologne
Trier
Palatinate of the Rhine (transferred to Bavaria in 1623)
Palatinate of the Rhine (yes, another one created in 1648)
Brandenburg
Saxony (transferred to Thuringia between 1464 and 1547)
Bohemia
Brunswick-Luneberg (aka Hanover, created in 1692)

The duplicate Palatinate was made redundant when both were inherited by the same person in 1777 and it was decided that you couldn't ever have 2 votes, bringing us down to a functional 8.

EU3 allowed you to have 8 and just pretended that Habsburg Bohemia didn't exist in bookmarks.

After 1803 the Archbishops lost their status and 5 more were added to give us 10

Salzburg (later transfered to Wurzburg)
Hesse-Kassel (only state to keep the Electorate title until 1866)
Regensberg
Baden
Wurtemburg
Palatinate of the Rhine/Bavaria
Brandenburg
Saxony
Bohemia
Hanover

But the HRE was dissolved in 1806 before they could actually vote on anything.