Burgundy

Primary culture

Burgundian (French)

Capital province

Bourgogne (192)

Government

Feudal Nobility

State religion

Catholic

Technology group

Western

Burgundian ideas

Traditions:

+10% Morale of armies

+1 Diplomatic relation

The Order of the Golden Fleece

+1 Yearly prestige

The Compagnies d'Ordonnance

−15% Mercenary maintenance

Promote the Estates General

+50% Mercenary manpower

Reform of the Feudal Army

+5% Discipline

Integrate the Towns in the Estates General

+10% Trade efficiency

Allow Freedom of Worship

+2 Tolerance of heretics

Create the Regimental System

+25% National manpower modifier

Ambition:

+15% Goods produced modifier

For the area, see Burgundy (area).

The Bourgogne branch of the Valois dynasty not only rules the duchy of Burgundy, de jure a French possession, but also a significant part of the Low Countries, Vermandois and the county of

Nevers. In short time they have created a realm that straddles some of the richest parts of

France and the Holy Roman Empire. Taken together the dukes of Burgundy can command an enormous wealth. These economic resources have been used by Philippe III, the Good, to expand the influence of his family even further, acquiring title after title along the Meuse and Rhine in an attempt to connect his realm.

While France has spent the last century being torn asunder in the on-going feud between English and French claimants to the French throne, Burgundy has grown to be the cultural and economic center of western Europe. Nowhere are the knightly ideals of the late middle ages as alive as in Burgundy, with great tournaments, grand feasts, and of course the Order of the Golden Fleece itself. A knightly order created by the Duke, aspiring to recreate the knighthood of the Arthurian legends or Greek myths. The Burgundian court also dominates fashion and art, with fortunes being spent on silk, paintings and fantastic illuminated manuscripts.

The Duchy of Burgundy already rival many kingdoms in influence, income and even military might. By playing off the English and French against each other the Dukes have for a long time been practically independent. De jure however the Dukes remain both subjects to France and to the Holy Roman Empire. With the Hundred Years War nearing, what looks like, its conclusion, the future of the Duchy seems uncertain. If it continues its meteoric rise Burgundy could be the embryo of a new kingdom. A strong state in the middle of Western Europe. But the dukes have also gained many enemies in this short time. Should Philippe and his successors play their cards right there may be a crown in their future, but that requires taking risks that might well cost them everything, potentially reducing their glorious domain to a footnote in the annals of history.

MissionsEdit

Main article: Burgundian missions

EventsEdit

Main article: Burgundian events

Burgundian events center around the Low Countries and the Burgundian Succession.

DecisionEdit

Burgundy is the only non Dutch/Flemish/Frisian nation that can form Netherlands.

id

Form Dutch Nation

The Dutch are emerging as one of Europe's most capable naval and colonial powers. Lucrative trade opportunities, locally and overseas, have resulted in a swift evolution for the country into one of the first capitalist countries in the world.

Potential requirements Playing with normal or historical nations Was never an end-game tag Has not formed Netherlands before Is not The Papal State Is not Netherlands Is not Holy Roman Empire Primary culture is Dutch, Flemish or Frisian or is Burgundy	Allow Administrative technology is at least 10 Is independent or a tributary Is not a steppe horde Is not at war Netherlands does not exist Owns core provinces Breda (95), Amsterdam (97), Utrecht (98), Gelre (99) and Den Haag (4383) Owns at least 10 provinces in the Low Countries. If country is Burgundy, does not currently have the Dutch Revolt.

Effects If not an Elector of the Holy Roman Empire and not the Holy Roman Emperor, remove all owned provinces from the Empire If country is Burgundy: Change primary culture to Dutch Change capital to Holland If country is Burgundy and France exists: All provinces in France region owned by Burgundy or their subject: owner and Burgundy loses the core France gains a core Cede province to France Country becomes Netherlands Netherlands gains a permanent claims on all non-owned provinces in Low Countries region except for East Frisia (1931) If government rank is Duchy: Set government rank to Kingdom Gain 25 prestige Trigger country event "New Traditions & Ambitions" unless using custom ideas or already using Dutch ideas

AI Burgundy will not take this decision.

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:

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

If the country is AI-controlled then it:

can not be a custom nation.
can not be former colonial nation.

Allow

France does not exist.
The country:

is not at war.
is not a subject nation other than a tributary state.
is not a nomad nation.
owns its core provinces:
- Maine (177), Berry (179), Vermandois (182), Paris (183), Orleanais (184), Nemours (185), and Champagne (186).

Effects

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.

The country:

becomes France.
gets new missions.
gets a permanent claim on every non-owned province in the region of France.
gets the modifier “Increased Centralization” for 20 years with the following effects:
- −0.05 monthly autonomy change,
- +1 national unrest.
gains 25 prestige.

If France:

is a member of the Holy Roman Empire but not the emperor or an elector
- then all its provinces are removed from the HRE.
is a duchy
- then it becomes a kingdom.
does not have custom ideas
- then it gets the event ‘New Traditions & Ambitions’.

StrategyEdit

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

The below strategy is heavily reliant on owning the Emperor DLC, due to Burgundy's unique missions they gain from it.

As Burgundy, you should focus the first 10 or so years on weakening your strongest neighbour, France. Unless you have gotten very lucky with early alliances, you would not ordinarily be a match for France's superior manpower and large amount of vassals, however through your mission tree and with smart movements you are able to effectively cripple the French for the remainder of the game in a single decade.

Assuming you have either the Res Publica or Common sense DLC, you should set your focus to military points to reach military tech 4 faster and lower your army maintenance, as doing so will give you a huge advantage against the French while keeping your treasury filled. A military adviser may also assist you, but this is not mandatory. You could also choose to delete all of your northern forts to save your economy, as they are fairly difficult to defend and are usually free war-score for France. Afterwards Burgundy's first main focus should be its "English alliance" mission. This can be accomplished by allying, or by rivalling then insulting both France and England. While an English or French alliance may at first seem tempting, doing so will hinder your expansion, and only serve to empower your future targets. Therefore it is recommended to first rival England and France, and insult them afterwards. Doing so will give you an improve relations modifier for 20 years, which may seem minor but is vital in the upcoming move.

To complete your next mission "League of the Public Weal", it is necessary for you to improve relations with 3 of France's vassals until they gain 100 opinion of you. After this is done, you may complete the mission which gives you claims on much of northern France, and increases liberty desire of every single one of the French duchies by 50%. This liberty desire will begin to tick down rapidly therefore you should only complete it once you have managed to hit military technology 4 before France has, and are prepared for war. The League of the Public Weal is less useful as a tool to cause mass rebellion against French rule, but rather an opportunity for you to invade without the duchies becoming involved. While the war is now significantly easier the loss of France's subjects does not guarantee a win, especially if you are not able to secure a victory quick enough.

During the war it is recommended you focus on defeating France and Provence's individual stacks while they are separated from the rest of their army. If you are not able to catch them split from each other you should still be able to win battles even with a numbers disadvantage due to your starting traditions and tech advantage. It is not recommended to race for forts against the French due to their superior siege general they get at game start, therefore you should have one army focused on pushing Provence out of the war as soon as possible, and a second army (ideally with your subjects armies attached) focused on combat. Do not be afraid to take out loans and hire mercenaries as the French will likely outlast you in terms of manpower. Due to France's ability to stay in the war for a very long time, it is recommended that you siege down Paris and your war-goal soon after knocking Provence out of the war. This should give you the war-score to take 3 provinces and as much money as you can possible take. Ideally you would be able to take more land however a large coalition may form, which you are in no position to face. If the war is still too difficult for you keep an eye for an Aragonese French rivalry, as if this exists the former would usually be more than happy to assist you in your struggles.

After the initial French war has been completed, Burgundy has many paths for conquest and diplomacy. They are able to join the HRE assuming you are on good terms with the emperor, or force their way in via Subjugation and restoration of the union wars on electors if your relations have been sour. They may choose to become Holy Roman Emperor, or have a very easy time in dismantling it. You can choose to continue conquering your way west, claiming the title king of the Franks for yourself, or you may even choose to restore the kingdom of Lotharingia, which comes with a very powerful idea set of its own. You can even colonise as you are situated directly next to the best trade node in the entire game (the English Channel). Burgundy's location puts them in a very flexible and versatile position, which when combined with its powerful ideas makes it a great candidate for a long term campaign, and can lead to many interesting runs.

WarEdit

"A wise king never seeks out war, but must always be ready for it" -- keep that in mind, Burgundy's strategy isn't dependent on who has rivaled you, but depends on who you target first. To expand into England, Austria and/or France, player should rival your rivals first and then decide your ally through that.

Your starting ruler is a 5 5 5 strong but old king, so make sure you're ahead of your enemy's military tech and keep the king safe. Remember! A wise king could turn a bad condition into a good one. Most of the time, you would want to start a war with England or France first, it is advisable to do so when the Surrender of Maine event has escalated.

DiplomacyEdit

Never start a war against either country even if their allies wouldn't join as Burgundy is simply too weak in the beginning, even with the help of its subjects Brabant, Flanders, Holland and Nevers. HRE Diplomacy is important, but at the start, Burgundy is not ready for it, especially the emperor Austria always defend for it.

France and England on the other hand are fighting each other, so the chance is obvious. Crushing France basically is a must for Burgundy, while England is not much a threat due to weaker army. Castile often rivals England and France, sometimes both, so they make a great ally. They will become even more helpful in wars when the Iberian Wedding wedding has escalated and they have Aragon and Naples as junior partners. If for some reason allying Castile is not possible, Austria sometimes is friendly with Burgundy from the beginning and thus make a good ally, especially against France Aggression whom Austria will often rival from the beginning. Besides, as a Catholic nation, it is better to get pope supporting you. Savoy is a good short term ally as they usually friendly with you and may find useful to kill big nations such as Austria and France. However, Savoy might be a target for Burgundy, so don't hesitate to kill them after the shadow kingdom event, if you want to.

ExpansionEdit

Mercenaries are very crucial, even in the first battle. Don't hesitate to take out loans often, because you will need them. Declare the first war on France could be tricky, as France could get strong allies such as Aragon, Castile, Venice or even Denmark. However, declare Provence could bring Savoy and Papal States to fight with you. France should be broken by that. You might want England taking some French lands, so that when you declare them. They could give a high price.

If you just want the achievement, after your invasion on French and English one by one, player could take steps in Italy and HRE to reach Austria. The Burgundian Conquest requires both France and Austria becoming vassals. Poland, Bohemia or even Ottomans could be your future ally. However, the further expansion at this stage should be no big problem.

IdeasEdit

Burgundy's idea is more focused on economy and mercenary while having good diplomacy, so a small Burgundy could do many style as you want.

Economic ideas is a powerful idea group allowing the player to build a strong economy just to be prosperous .
Influence ideas allows you a vassal swarm as well as getting faster inheritance from your PU subjects.
Diplomatic ideas helps you to control HRE electors and thus expand eastern without the need of colonization.
Innovative ideas may be desired for a further mercenary cost reduction and cheaper technology.
Exploration ideas is usually tough for Burgundy because of survival and mediocre location. However, after Annexing France, their economy should be great to hold colonies.
Expansion ideas with exploration ideas, Burgundy has the best trade nodes, money from the new world should overcome the cost of colonization.
Administrative ideas would be a very good choice for its mercenary benefits. If the player is very aggressive, the core-creation cost reduction will also be beneficial.
Quantity ideas a small burgundy could do huge army with many forts, essential to defend big nations and expand rapidly.