Vassalization of country with huge negative opinion

[Haener]

In my Iron man run to achieve a world conquest (as Byzantium, v1.32) I've recently vassalized Austria, after reducing them to 3 provinces. They have many cores that are interesting to feed them, especially in the low lands. The year is 1630.

However, I have a -800 or so negative AE opinion modifier. I have been a bad boy, that much is true.

Unfortunately that means I won't be able to integrate them at any time before the end of the game, as even in 1800 this would still amount to about -300 (decaying at 3 point/yr for 170 years). The impact on liberty desire is also pretty bad of course but I can handle that. I also still need to force them to Orthodox; another hit to opinion and liberty desire.

I'm not sure how to proceed:

• Continue as planned; feed whatever I can in the HRE and accept an ever rebellious vassal. I don't need to integrate them to get world conquest (or one faith). However, Austria would become quite large at some point; it would get much of the HRE.
• Release them as early as possible; maybe after getting provinces from them through subject interaction. I've never released an existing vassal, not sure how that works. (As opposed to releasing a vassal from provinces I own)
• Keep them small and work on relations? Maybe there are ways to reduce this AE opinion modifier I'm unaware off?
• Something else?

Any thought?

 

[LazySiege]

You can only speed up the AE Reduction but at -800 its near impossible.
When three are their only states atm, i would realease them. Trucebreak attack them, take the cores. Then realease them as vassal. That resets the AE.
But they will get every Austria core you own atm.

This is sometimes better for the future. Just take all cores and after that release the nation.

 

[necro84]

@LazySiege you can also use return core option after full annexing. That will retur only 1 province and you have only standard 5 year truce.
Truce breaking and vassalization in this situation will have less impact on AE because you vassalize OPM

 

[Haener]

You can only speed up the AE Reduction but at -800 its near impossible.
When three are their only states atm, i would realease them. Trucebreak attack them, take the cores. Then realease them as vassal. That resets the AE.
But they will get every Austria core you own atm.

This is sometimes better for the future. Just take all cores and after that release the nation.

Good suggestion for the future, certainly the resetting of AE. However, in my current run I think I would have to give them a bit too much as I own most Austrian cores with the exception of the low lands (the stuff they get through the Burgundian inheritance).

 

[TK3600]

Good suggestion for the future, certainly the resetting of AE. However, in my current run I think I would have to give them a bit too much as I own most Austrian cores with the exception of the low lands (the stuff they get through the Burgundian inheritance).

Maybe they will lose the core after 50 years?

 

[brifbates]

Enforcing religion actually usually helps relations as you get rid of the heretic modifier(s) and gain same religion & DotF. That won't help your specific AE number go down faster but it can help some in the overall relation picture. On that note, though, if you have all the other favorable modifiers, even without events you can annex a nation that still has a fair chunk of ae (200+50+25+25+25+10+25-190=170 neg ae countered by imp relations, being vassal, same religion, gp influence, gift, DotF, and rm). Of course that's not including things like boosts for same dynasty, killing their rebels, taking back occupied provinces, or random events which can easily add another 75+.

 

[nobodyinparticular]

How did you even get to that much AE with them? Ate HRE nations without disbanding it? No-cbs? Trucebreaks?