Also, if I may ask, how did you get your Burgundy run to be that successful before 1550? My last burgundy run ended up with me doing a partition of France with Castille and Savoy, and raking in money, but only post 1600. Any tips, ideas and also initial starting set up? The money you make at the start was pitiful for me, even with about 8-10 churches built and forts morthballed.
I deleted all forts, I allied Castile and called them in against France when France was fighting England, I grabbed the CoT in Champagne and the one in Lyonnais. I set merchants to collect in Channel and Genoa. I integrated Nevers. I managed to get Papal Controller once, excommunicated France and Savoy and took a large part of their land. You can't get much land because of AE, even with excommunication, but I still asked the good 1000 ducats from France every time and war reps from everyone all the time. Humiliation, too. I grabbed Calais and Cornwall from England one time where they were busy fighting Scotland and Irish minors, that allowed me to bypass their navy for rest of the game. I integrated unions, moved capital to Amsterdam to have main tradenode in Channel and prevent dutch revolts. Other merchants still collecting in Champagne and Genoa, obviously, collect everywhere as usual. Grabbed Provence, grabbed Caux. I'll get Genoa soon. That trade income and the war reps and money in peacedeals means I could spam buildings.
I don't know which country you're used to play, but Burgundy is the richest country I've played in over a year. I could afford 2 half-priced level 2 advisors, one level 1 advisor, 20k men with several mercs and still gain money at full maintenance on day 1. Obviously, delete all the forts. It's about the snowball. Minmax estates. I had quickly built all churches and workshops valuable, and manufactories on wine. I had 12k when I could start spamming cloth manufactories, I instantly build all of them and still had 5k.
There wasn't a single war where I wasn't outnumbering the ennemies massively, and I took one loan of the entirety of the campaign. And I did not have exceptional luck, I got Papal Controller, but just for a few years, and no random PU or exceptional luck.
France, England, Castile, Scotland and Muscovy all bankrupted one or several times. This patch is absurdly easy, everyone lags behind in tech because of the constant bankrupts and the fact they can't afford high level advisors. Just sit on a fully occupied France until you have call for peace and ask 5 loans from them, and strip them of their CoT. Repeat every time truce is up even if you can't take land, 1000 ducats, humiliation, war reps.
Nothing that strikes me as special (ideas are influence, admin, diplomatic), probably a combination of small minmaxing things that add up. I'm not exactly used to play European majors who have access to the two best nodes of the game, and I generally face some challenge at one point or another. For someone who has played as much as I did, Burgundy is a walk in the park.
Don't know what you did, but the ally all the electors and occupy the capitals still works on my test game. Maybe some weird ass edge case that cause a bug.
I allied all electors bar 2 (austrian allies) - didn't invite any elector to join the war, and dismantled the usual way.
maybe one of your electors in war have their capital sieged ? that would make you 'not in control'
I checked and I have no idea. Brandenburg was unwilling to join because they're at war with Pomerania but their capital is not occupied, nore is the capital of any of my allies. Mine is not either.
Here is the savefile if someone can understand what happens, or if someone like
@Shatter12 wants to have a look.
If noone finds, no dismantling I guess. I'll have to release tons of nations in the HRE instead of taking land to put Austria below 100% WS and vassalize them for the achievement. AE in Europe is such a mess.
Is the "force union" CB I get from a mission as England permanent?
(I would like to force France into union just after they take the exploration idea and I wonder if it is possible)
It lasts for 30 years as of 1.25 iirc.