Brittany

Primary culture

Breton (French)

Capital province

Nantes (172)

Government

Feudal Nobility

State religion

Catholic

Technology group

Western

Breton ideas

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Traditions:

+1 Yearly navy tradition

+10% Trade steering

Legacy of Breton Independence

+1 Yearly legitimacy

+0.3 Yearly republican tradition

+1 Yearly devotion

The Estates of Brittany

−1 National unrest

Breton March

+20% Fort defense

Breton Catholicism

+1% Missionary strength

+2 Yearly papal influence

Protect the Coastline

−10% Ship cost

League of the Public Weal

+1 Diplomatic reputation

The Catholicon

+1 Yearly prestige

Ambition:

+25% Naval force limit modifier

For the area, see Brittany (area).

Brittany's situation in 1444 is much the same as in previous centuries. Caught between

England and

France, its Dukes have long had to struggle to maintain independence. France in particular has repeatedly made diplomatic and military attempts to annex Britanny into its domain.

The Second Treaty of Guérande, signed in 1381, formally declared Brittany neutral in the Hundred Years War. This conflict seems likely to once again lead to hostilities, as French demands for the surrender of Maine go unmet by England. How far the Dukes of Brittany will honour their promise of neutrality remains to be seen; there could be much to gain from involvement in the war, but also many dangers. Brittany is unlikely to be able to stand against either of the warring powers alone, and to that end may consider cooperation with the rising power of Burgundy.

Brittany is a rich and fertile land with much potential for development. The capital of Nantes has seen grand reconstruction efforts following a bloody succession war and currently stands as one of the major Atlantic port cities. The port of Brest meanwhile would make an ideal naval dockyard, being both a sheltered natural harbour and strategically located to intercept both French and English fleets.

Brittany must choose its friends and enemies carefully if it's to survive in the modern era. If the tumultuous politics of Europe fail to offer opportunities, perhaps Brittany's destiny may lie beyond its shores.

Brittany is a mid-sized country in the French region. They border France, a potential threat to their independence. Although European Brittany is usually absorbed by France and the rest of her ends up exiled in the colonies when played by the AI, in a human player's hands the nation has a huge potential to become a European powerhouse, or colonial empire. Both ways provide a fun, interesting and challenging game.

Missions[edit | edit source]

Main article: Breton missions

Decisions[edit | edit source]

id

Form French Nation

This year will mark the beginning of an evolutionary period for our nation. The old feudal ways will begin to make way for a more modern centralized nation. Although struggling financially due to miscalculated projects and military campaigns, we have managed to transform ourselves into one of the most dominant powers of Europe.

Potential requirements

The country:

was never an end-game nation.
is not the Holy Roman Empire, France, the Papal States or Spain.
has not yet enacted this decision.
is not a colonial nation.
is in the French culture group or has Basque or Breton as primary culture.

If the country is AI-controlled then it:

is not a custom nation
is not a former colonial nation.

Playing with normal or historical nations.

Allow

France does not exist.
The country:

is not a subject nation other than a tributary state.
is not at war.
is not a nomad nation.
owns its core provinces:
- Paris (183)
- Orleanais (184)
- Champagne (186).
owns at least 15 core provinces in France region.
Paris (183) is part of a state.

Effects

The country:

becomes France.
gains 25 prestige.
gets new missions.
gets the event ‘New Traditions & Ambitions’, unless it is a custom nation.
increases rank to kingdom, if it is a duchy
removes all provinces from the Holy Roman Empire, if it is a member and not an elector or the emperor.
gets a permanent claim on France (region).
gets “Increased Centralization” for 20 years, giving:
- −0.05 monthly autonomy change,
- +1 national unrest.

If Paris (183) is part of the HRE, but its owner is not a member then:

the province is removed from the HRE.
the Holy Roman Emperor:
- gets the opinion modifier “Removed provinces from the Empire” towards the owner, worth −50 opinion with a yearly decay of 1.
- loses 1 imperial authority.

Paris (183):

becomes the new capital of the owner country.

AI will always take this decision

Strategy[edit | edit source]

The below is one of many player suggested strategies for Brittany. Bear in mind, due to the dynamic nature of the game, it may unfold differently for other players.

Position and neighbours[edit | edit source]

Brittany share borders with England at north-east, France at south, and Provence at east. Each of these are discussed in turn.

France[edit | edit source]

France is a large threat to Brittany. France begins allied to Provence and Provence will likely rival Brittany. This can cause France to be hostile toward Brittany from November 11, 1444. However, Brittany can Royal Marry France at the very start of the game this can be helpful for protection against coalitions, however allying france at the very beginning is not recommended due to the possibility of fighting in the Hundred Years War and France will not give you territory even if you fight in the war. It is uncommon for France to warn player Brittany very early in the game, possibly complicating the conquest of Anjou from Provence. Sometimes you will see the French break their alliance with Provence, but beware of warnings when planning conquest. France has the potential to have a lot of enemies, so there may be an opportunity to expand into Provence despite a warning from France. It is also quite likely that Burgundy and France will go to war over Provence early in the game. Should Provence fail to gain any other large allies next to France, it is likely that Burgundy could be the aggressor. Conversely, should Provence be able to maintain its alliance with France, you could see France or Provence declare war on Brittany should the player fail to form worthwhile alliances.

Provence[edit | edit source]

Provence usually starts rivaled to Brittany, and although larger than Brittany, their lands are distributed. Provence begins allied with France, but loses this friendship often enough. Provence also shares dynasty with the French.

Despite being protected by the French, there sometimes arises an opportunity for Brittany to take Anjou if France is involved in multiple wars. Provence can sometimes pull alliances from other European powers, but this seems inconsistent.

England[edit | edit source]

England starts with extensive French holdings, and are often rivaled to both France and Burgundy. They are usually too busy being ejected from mainland Europe by France or Burgundy to concern themselves with Brittany. Although a potential ally against an aggressive France, it is recommended to attempt to get alternative alliances, because England can have trouble dropping off enough troops to meaningfully assist in a war against France.

England has a few circumstances early-game that can help player Brittany if strategized properly. The Hundred Years War, Lollard Heretics, and the War of the Roses can seriously hamper AI England early game. These events can fire rapidly back to back and can both set them behind in technology and leave them with a depleted treasury and manpower reserve. Should War of the Roses fire and the French fight the English over Maine, player Brittany could find themselves in a position to expand into Normandy, Alencon, or Maine. If England is mutually rivaled with Burgundy, there is a great chance they will help in early war for promise of land. A seriously opportunistic player might be able to swipe a couple of occupations and the fort on Normandy and demand the province of Pale, of East Ireland, opening up many opportunities for expansion, while at the same time limiting what the French can take in their defensive war against the English AND strengthening ally Burgundy with the offering of Calais.

Another possible problem for the English early game is their 0/0/0 starting ruler, should he live a long life and produce an heir, England could fall behind in tech significantly. That could pose additional incentive to attack for mainland holdings in a second war of aggression against England. Taking land on the mainland will greatly anger France, so make sure you have worthwhile allies before attempting such bold maneuvers.

Thus if the player is feeling bold, it's possible to declare war on England right after France declares theirs (obviously after securing a claim first). Make sure the English armies never engage yours, and after occupying the wargoal go straight for a fort for the warscore it provides. If played right England can be a great avenue for expansion.

Burgundy[edit | edit source]

Burgundy starts the game with personal unions over Holland, Flanders, and Brabant and with Nevers as a vassal. They are often rivaled to France, England, Austria, or Denmark. Their large number of subjects means that Burgundy brings a significant allied force to war with them. However, their border with the Holy Roman Empire and predisposition to attack into it has a tendency to drag their allies into wars against not only those nations, but also the Holy Roman Emperor and all of their allies. Sometimes AI troop coordination causes Burgundy's subjects to be caught in the open alone, resulting in heavy losses. They tend to be better in wars for land rather than using Show Superiority casus belli because of their lack of coordination. Despite this, Burgundy is essential to Brittany's survival early game.

A major downside to depending on Burgundy is the Burgundian Inheritance event. During the event, Burgundy and its vassals are inherited by either France, the Emperor, or any nation they have a royal marriage with. This results in Brittany's alliance and protection of Burgundy evaporating and a target getting painted on Brittany's back. It is imperative to find other allies early game to mitigate this risk. However, if Brittany offers a royal marriage to Burgundy before the event, they may inherit Burgundy themselves, granting a massive boon to the player and setting them up for success. Even still, finding other allies is a must for survival.

Irish insertion strategy[edit | edit source]

In order to avoid Brittany's initial wars being with England, France, or Provence, all of which command larger armies than Brittany, one method of early expansion is to no CB Cork by sailing six troops to the western coast declaring, landing, and sieging. Cork will usually only have 1 ally so you should be able to win with just six troops. Keep the fort in Finistire activated to protect against a landing. Once a single province in Ireland is under Breton control, it is a relatively straightforward process to fabricate on and consume most of the rest of them. This can allow Brittany to approximately double in size before returning to mainland Europe and attempt to make gains there, or alternatively, a closer staging point from which to launch into the New World by means of exploration and colonization. Some of the Irish minors are vulnerable to becoming vassals under England so be wary of this threat, especially during planning stages. From here try to form an alliance with Scotland and thus choke England and prevent their expansion. Scotland regularly allies with France which can lead to beneficial conflicts of interests for the Bretons.

Colonization and exodus[edit | edit source]

Brittany's westerly position is an advantage for the colonization game, and the New World is rich for expansion potential as well as for increasing trade value returning to the Old World for Brittany to collect. The Mexican and Caribbean regions are especially sought after because it is possible to grow a Mexican colonial nation very easily by means of conquest from the Aztec and Mayan states. However, take care as to not grow any colonial nations so large as that they being seeing themselves stronger than their overlord, or they may begin to seek independence. The player may also attempt to colonize the natural harbors and estuaries in North America to boost the player's trade steering through there.

Colonization is also useful for attempting an Exodus strategy. In which rather than becoming a European power, after colonising 4 provinces in the New World rather than completing another and allowing a colonial nation to form, all remaining European provinces in the state in which the capital resides are sold off or given to vassals. This allow the player to the move the Capital into the New World. This allows for fast and extensive expansion against the technologically inferior Native American nations.

Ideas[edit | edit source]

Brittany can play a number of ways, either as a trading power, a warring mainland Europe nation, and also a colonial power.

For a trading power, Trade ideas, as well as maritime, for the extra merchants and naval force limit, allowing extra light ships are worth strong consideration.
If playing as a warring mainland Europe state, then Administrative, Diplomatic, as well as Quantity, Quality, Offensive and Defensive ideas are all worth considering. Care should be taken when selecting a military idea as the first idea group, as it can be challenging to keep up to time on military technology while simultaneously investing in military ideas, so generally these can prove to not be an ideal first idea group.
If playing as a colonial power, then the Exploration is almost a must, and Expansion is well worth considering also.

Forming France with Brittany kind of feels strange as the player could have just started as France, but is viable for role-playing campaigns. It also adds the benefit of the very powerful French National Ideas, should the player choose to abandon their Breton roots as well as cores on the entire French region.

Country guides

Western technology group