Castile

Primary culture

Castilian (Iberian)

Capital province

Toledo (219)

Government

Feudal Nobility

State religion

Catholic

Technology group

Western

Castilian ideas

Please help with verifying or updating this infobox. It was last verified for version 1.33.

Traditions:

+15% Morale of armies

+25% Marines force limit

The Reconquista

−1% Yearly army tradition decay

Spanish Inquisition

+1 Missionary

+2% Missionary strength

Cabildos

+10% Production efficiency

Inter Caetera

Can fabricate claims on any overseas province, provided it is overseas for its owner

+1 Colonist

Infantas

+1 Diplomatic reputation

+33% Chance of new heir

School of Salamanca

+10% Institution spread

Nueva Planta

−0.05 Monthly autonomy change

Ambition:

+25 Global settler increase

For the area, see Castille (area).

Shaped in the battles of the Reconquista, the Crown of Castile is in fact not just one kingdom but a union of the kingdoms of Castile,

León, Toledo,

Galicia, Murcia, Jaén, Córdoba and Seville under the Castilian branch of the Trastámara dynasty. What remains of the Moorish presence in Iberia is now restricted to the southern kingdom of

Granada, still a rich Muslim sultanate in many ways but also marred by infighting and the frequent border skirmishes with Christian raiders. Surrounded on all sides by Castilian castles it seems to be a matter of time before the Reconquista is brought to its logical conclusion and the kingdom is annexed.

For now however Castile has problems of its own. The Castilian Nobles and the local Cortes of the various constituent kingdoms still hold a large degree of power and many Trastámara kings have found themselves at the mercy of the estates of their kingdoms. Factions acting entirely out of their own interests have not shied away from supporting foreign pretenders from Portugal and Aragon in the past.

If the kingdom can be united by a strong ruler, and the Reconquista completed, Castile will have a fearsome military force in its hands with a long tradition of fighting for the expansion of the Christian faith. While Castile lacks the seafaring tradition of neighboring Portugal they have just as good access to the Atlantic Ocean and the new trade routes that are opening up to the west and south-east.

The kingdom of Castile in 1444 is the largest and most influential country in the Iberian peninsula, bordering Portugal, Aragon, Navarra, Granada, England and (indirectly) Morocco, Tlemcen and France. It is one of the recommended country starts for new players. Historically, Castile joined with Aragon in a personal union to form Spain and went on to establish a massive colonial empire in the Caribbean, Mexico and South America. In Europa Universalis IV Castile is well-positioned to be a major player in politics both in Europe and around the world.

Missions[edit | edit source]

Main article: Castilian missions

Castile's missions focus on completing the Reconquista against the Muslim state of Granada and expanding into the New World as it did historically.

Events[edit | edit source]

Main article: Spanish events

Iberian Wedding[edit | edit source]

Between 1450 and 1530, if neither Castile nor Aragon are vassals and the monarch of one of them is male and the monarch of the other is female (or one of them has a regency), then there is a high chance of this event happening. After it fires Aragon will enter into a personal union led by Castile with a -50% liberty desire reduction.

Italian Ambition[edit | edit source]

If both Castile and France own provinces in Italy between 1490 and 1590, they will be able to claim each other's lands, reflecting the Italian Wars that consumed the attention of these two rivals in this period. This event will lead to worsened relations between the nations and a greater likelihood of war.

The Portuguese Crown[edit | edit source]

Between 1550 and 1650, if Castile has a marriage with Portugal, and neither are subject nations, both have the same religion, and Portugal has a regency, then there is a chance of this event happening. Accepting will have Portugal enter into a personal union under Spain.

Burgundian Inheritance[edit | edit source]

Main article: Burgundian Succession Crisis

If the Holy Roman Emperor refuses the land from the Burgundian Inheritance or has less than 4 non-colony provinces, Castile or Spain will get the event (if they have more than 6 non-colony provinces).

A Strategic Marriage[edit | edit source]

If both Castile/Spain and Austria rival France, France rivals both back, and Castile/Spain and Austria do not rival each other, Castile/Spain can gain a Habsburg heir. Castile/Spain and Austria must have a royal marriage, and Austria must have a Habsburg ruler.

Decisions[edit | edit source]

Castile's only non-generic decisions involve forming Spain. Spain can be formed either militarily, by conquering and coring most or all of Aragon, or diplomatically, by integrating Aragon if it is a vassal or junior personal union partner, which is likely due to the "Iberian Wedding" event.

id

Form Spanish Nation Militarily

Global expansion in newly discovered areas and the establishment of colonies is transforming Spain into one of the most powerful and wealthiest nations of our time. Spanish explorers are constantly moving into new lands and extending our borders. Immense amounts of gold and silver are being brought back to our motherland, filling the coffers of our state Treasury.

Potential requirements The country: was never an end-game nation. is not the Holy Roman Empire, the Papal States, Andalusia or Spain. is not a colonial nation. Is not France or The Knights Is not Muslim is in the Iberian culture group or has Basque as primary culture. If the country is AI-controlled then it: is not a custom nation is not a former colonial nation. if is Castile or Aragon, the other one is AI-controlled has at least 3 cities and Spain does not exist. is not Portugal Playing with normal or historical nations	Allow Spain does not exist. The country: has an administrative technology of at least 10. is not a subject nation other than a tributary state. is not at war is not a nomad nation. owns core provinces: Barcelona (213) Zaragoza (214) Valladolid (215) Salamanca (216) Toledo (219) València (220) Granada (223) Sevilla (224) No Muslim nation owns a province in Iberia region.

Provinces map All orange provinces must be owned and cored. Formation grants permanent claims on shaded area.

Effects The country: becomes Spain. gains 25 prestige. gets new missions.^[1] 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 Iberia region, except Alentejo and Beira areas. gets “Increased Centralization” for 20 years, giving: −0.05 monthly autonomy change, +1 national unrest.

AI will always take this decision
AI gives "high priority" (400) to this decision

id

Form Spanish Nation Diplomatically

Global expansion in newly discovered areas and the establishment of colonies is transforming Spain into one of the most powerful and wealthiest nations of our time. Spanish explorers are constantly moving into new lands and extending our borders. Immense amounts of gold and silver are being brought back to our motherland, filling the coffers of our state treasury.

Potential requirements

The country:

was never an end-game nation.
is Castile or Aragon
has its capital in the Iberia region
is not playing the tutorial

If the country is AI-controlled then it:

is not a custom nation

Playing with normal or historical nations

Allow

The country:

has an administrative technology of at least 10.
is not a subject nation other than a tributary state.
is not at war
is not a nomad nation.
has 100 legitimacy.
any of the following is true:
- All of the following is true:
  - Is Castile.
  - Aragon is a subject of Castile.
  - Aragon has less than 40 cities.
- All of the following is true:
  - Is Aragon.
  - Castile is a subject of Aragon.
  - Castile has less than 47 cities.

No Muslim nation owns a province in Iberia region.

Effects

The country:

becomes Spain.
inherits Castile or Aragon, as appropriate and the other is AI-controlled.
gets new missions.^[1]
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.
(Hidden) gets a permanent claim on all provinces of Iberia region, except Alentejo and Beira areas.

AI will always take this decision
AI gives "high priority" (200) to this decision

Strategy[edit | edit source]

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

Castile starts in a strong position at the western end of the Mediterranean Sea in 1444, poised to play a pivotal role either in the New World, in colonization and trade, or in the politics of the Old World. Castile's historical friendship modifier with Portugal (+25 relations bonus) means that it usually only needs to worry about rivals and attacks from one direction and makes it easier to get an alliance that can potentially last the entire game. Due to its position Castile can be a good country for a beginner to learn the basics of the game, such as colonization and trade, while staying relatively insulated from major wars. For an experienced player, Castile offers a powerful set of ideas that can be leveraged to make it a formidable power both in the Mediterranean area and around the world. This guide will be written largely for a new or inexperienced player, with some more advanced options at the end.

Before Discovery Age[edit | edit source]

Castile is in a prime position for colonization and receives great bonuses to doing so in its national ideas, making Exploration ideas an excellent first choice. While waiting for the first idea group to be unlocked, there are several things to occupy Castile in the Old World.

Navarra, the single-province nation to the north of Castile, is a prime candidate for vassalization. If Castile does not do it France or Aragon is almost certain to, and one or both of them are likely to be Castile's rivals. If Golden Century is enabled, vassalizing Navarra will give Castile a free castle in the province, which could be useful to defend against France or Aragon. Vassalizing Navarra requires increasing their opinion to +190 faster than France or Aragon can. This can be done by giving gifts or subsidies along with improving relations and influence Navarra. Navarra can be easily annexed after ten years, freeing up a diplomatic relations slot for other things. It can also be given French provinces should war break out between France and Castile, allowing more land to be taken with less aggressive expansion when it is annexed. The player can grant province Vizcaya to Navarra and Navarra then gains free core on England's Labourd. If Castile is allied to France, with some luck, they might be called into war against England, occupy Labourd and get it in separate peace. As vassals do not choose Explo/Expa idea groups, it should be annexed. It can be released later - if Navarra has a coastal province and is released in later game, it will have Explo/Expa idea groups as 6th & 7th. Same case is for Leon and probably Asturias too (but Asturias cores are at this stage of game probably already gone) as all 3 nations have one national idea related to colonization. However there is usually not much land to be colonized at this stage of game. If that's not the case, Navarra can be released - it has some nice missions with claims in Ireland and Canada which can be completed by its overlord.

Castile has the early mission Reclaim Andalucia for conquering Granada early in the game. If Portugal has been allied, this should prove to be an easy fight, even if Granada has managed to ally Tunis or Morocco, taking some additional land in North Africa will help the player get a head start on completing the Continue Reconquista mission.Finishing the Reclaim Andalucia mission will cause the Fate of the Kingdom of Granada event to happen. One option in this event will covert all the provinces in Andalucia to the Catholic Religion with the cost of 2 stability, allowing a player with Golden Century to complete the Convert Iberia and Expel the Moriscos missions.

Hint after conquering Granada: player can avoid unnecessary religion conversion effort by not selecting event "Fate of the Kingdom of Granada" immediately. Instead wait for event "Torquemada and the Conversion of the Moors", choose Toleration option to gain 1 stability and wait for event "War of Las Alpujarras". Choosing the other option - the Conversion option in Torquemada event is tempting but Alpujarras event would change the religion back to sunni. Once Alpujarras event is done / 5 years after Torquemada passed / it should not happen at all if player doesn't start conversion (this should be confirmed), event Fate of Kingdom of Granada can be safely selected in the mission tree and the religion of Granada will be converted to catholic without danger of conversion back to sunni.

Aragon will likely rival Castile, and is large enough to be a threat, but due to the possibility of the Iberian Wedding event happening between 1450 and 1530 and possibility of getting Aragon in a personal union it is advisable to avoid war with Aragon where possible as long as the event has a chance to fire, as getting Aragon in a personal union and eventually inheriting it by the decision will be vastly less trouble and cost less administrative power than conquering it by force. If war is unavoidable, not taking provinces in peace deals in favor of other reparations might be a good idea. If it is later than 1530 (and thus no chance of the event firing) and the event has not fired, there is no further reason not to conquer Aragon militarily.

After the Iberian Wedding there is a mission with PU restoration casus belli over Portugal. This war can be won without a single battle between Castile and Portugal happening at all (both army or navy) which would keep the historical friend relation bonus after forming PU. This bonus is helpful to maintain higher Portugal loyalty. Instead of fighting battles with Portugal directly the player just needs to focus on sieging provinces and fighting Portugal's allies, Aragon usually could compete Portugal in the size of army itself.

Some more options for the early stages of the game are:

Beware of Ruler of Burgundy Dies, Burgundy has 3 personal union in the rich England Channel trade node. There is a fair chance that Castile could inherit all Burgundy's HRE lands. The end node provides huge trade income, a strategic position as well as fulfills the Spanish mission the Spanish Netherlands for Austria and eventually English Succession. Update 1.30 introduced major changes to the Burgundian Inheritance. Instead of being based on random luck the Burgundian Inheritance now goes to either France, the Emperor or Burgundy's ally. Because Burgundy starts with three PU's they only have one relationship slot open for alliances. Thus if the player wishes to try for the Burgundian Inheritance it is recommended to ally Burgundy at game start.
Due to Castile's size and strong missionary strength, Castille usually generates a significant amount of Papal influence. This can be used either to attempt to become the Papal controller, or on any of the variety of bonuses that Papal influence can be spent on. If Castile does become the Papal controller, Excommunication and Crusades may be used to further Castile's interests.
Expanding into the Maghreb region of northern Africa will allow Castile to draw more trade value from the Safi node. It will also generate little to no aggressive expansion with most European countries, due to the invaded countries being Muslim. If Castile has managed to become the Papal controller, calling a crusade against a target here can make wars against them easier. If Aragon is in PU under Castile and already selected mission with permanent claims to Algiers and Barbary Coast provinces, these can be fed to Aragon in order to save ADM points by coring them (as Aragon inheritance is instant) - just keep in mind the province limit as Aragon must be kept at 39 provinces or fewer for the decision to Form Spain Diplomatically. If Golden Century is enabled, Castile could choose a holy order for extra missionary strength for faster conversion.
If conditions are favorable and a good alliance network can be constructed, attacking France early, before they have their second national idea Elan!, may be useful to help limit its power. Allying France's rivals England or Burgundy or Austria can provide allies who will fight against France and open up another front in the French war. This is not necessarily recommended for a new player, as France is quite tough. However, if France can be beaten taking land along the Mediterranean coast in the Valencia trade node will let Castile create a land bridge to it's Italian holdings.
Alternatively, France can make an excellent ally against England, Burgundy, Aragon, and Austria, some or all of which tend to rival both Castile and France at some point during the game. Completing the Italian Ambition and Italian Conquest missions can be much easier if the Big Blue Blob is on your side.

Beginning colonization[edit | edit source]

Once Exploration ideas have been taken, Castile can begin to expand into the New World, or into sub-Saharan Africa and around the cape into Asia, if so desired. The player is usually first to colonize the province Tenerife for further mission tree before Portugal gets it. If Portugal hasn't colonized Arguin it makes a good stepping-stone to increase Castile's colonial range. From here, it should be possible to reach provinces along the Ivory Coast in Africa, in Brazil in South America, and possibly in the Caribbean. Any of these are excellent choices and can help steer trade money into the Seville node, though if the El Dorado DLC is active it would be prudent to see where Portugal is colonizing in order to avoid incurring the significant penalties for breaking the Treaty of Tordesillas. At this point it may be a good idea for Castile to focus on either the Old or New World rather than dividing its energies between them.

New World focus[edit | edit source]

If focusing on the New World, new colonies can be used as stepping-stones to reach further locations for colonization. Grabbing provinces with trade bonuses (such as estuaries or Centers of Trade) will help steer trade money back to the Sevilla trade node, and can serve as the basis of future colonial nations. Conquering the gold-rich nations in the Mexico and Peru regions will also increase income. If Golden Century DLC is activated then the gold provinces in the New World will create lucrative gold fleets which will bring massive wealth to Castile. When colonizing, it is important to keep in mind the flow of trade. Provinces on the eastern coast of North America and in Canada do not flow into the Sevilla trade node and are therefore much less valuable to Castile unless Castile has expanded into the Bordeaux or English trade nodes.

If El Dorado is active, colonial nations with at least 10 provinces will provide Castile with an extra merchant, who can be placed to transfer trade steer trade ducats back to the Sevilla trade node. In addition, each large colonial nation of at least 10 provinces provides Castile with +10 Naval Force Limit and +5 Land Force limit as well as 5% global trade power.

Old World focus[edit | edit source]

If the Old World is the focus, colonizing down the coast of Africa and around the cape will allow Castile to expand into sub-Saharan and Central Africa, potentially picking up the lucrative gold provinces in the East African region. From here, Indian Ocean islands can be used as stepping-stones to reach the rich Malacca and Moluccas trade nodes. The rich provinces of southern India can also be easily conquered in order to better steer trade back to the Seville or Genoa nodes. If the Wealth of Nations DLC is active, provinces in African and Asian trade company regions can be assigned to trade companies to increase their trade power. If a trade company has over 50% of the power in a trade node they will provide Castile with an additional merchant. Thus, targeting provinces with trade bonuses is especially important. In addition, the Cape province in South Africa is a great target to colonize and add to trade company as that single province will provide over 50% of the trade power for that trade node and provide an extra merchant.

Further options[edit | edit source]

By the mid-1500s Castile should be in a good position, with a burgeoning colonial empire swelling its coffers and a strong position in Europe. From here, there are many ways to go:

Expand or continue expanding into northern Africa, perhaps even challenging the mighty Ottoman Empire for the rich provinces of Egypt, or even the Holy Land.
Expand into central or sub-Saharan Africa, which will provide lucrative trade goods such as slaves and ivory, and usually little resistance.
Go to war with France in order to keep it from growing too large and posing a threat.
If Aragon is in a personal union with Castile, integrating them into Castile and forming Spain is a good goal. Aragon can be immediately integrated into Castile and Spain formed by decision, as long as the conditions are met. Due to the lack of the usual Diplomatic point cost, expanding with Aragon is a good strategy. However, it should not be given more than 39 provinces or the decision will no longer be available.
- If Naples is also in a personal union, integrating them will give a significant foothold in Italy, perhaps allowing an expansion into the rest of Italy (though taking Rome from The Papal State should be avoided to avoid taking significant penalties for holding it) or even the Balkans.
Further colonization and conquest in either the New or Old World, to continue bringing foreign ducats into Castile's treasury.
Once Aragon is integrated, it is a good idea move Spain's trade port to the rich Genoa node (especially if more Trade Centers such as Provence and Lyonnaise have been taken).

Advanced options[edit | edit source]

For experienced players who can make best used of Castile's position and national idea bonuses, Castile offers some additional options. By rivaling Portugal, England, and either Aragon or Burgundy at the beginning of the game and allying with France it may be possible to take provinces from both England and Portugal in one war, as they begin the game with an alliance. Signing separate peaces will allow taking more land, and annulling treaties between Portugal and England will be helpful in the future. Forcing England to release the country of Gascony after forcing the return of the province of Gascony to France will result in the newly released country being a single province and willing to be diplomatically vassalized.

When the truce with Portugal has expired, it can be attacked and hopefully vassalized. This may require a second war depending on how much was taken in the first peace and whether they have been attacked by Morocco or not. If Morocco has taken Portuguese land, they can be attacked and forced to return Portugal's cores. Vassalizing Portugal allows for more control over the Sevilla trade node, and doing so after they have committed to the Exploration and/or Expansion idea groups allows for even more rapid colonial expansion.

At this point the alliance with France can be broken and an alliance with Austria sought, and Gascony can be given its cores in ensuing wars with France when France is preoccupied to help speed up the conquest of French land. From here there are also several ways to proceed:

Continue advancing into France and feeding Gascony. France is one of the four major colonizers, so crippling them can free up more space for Castile.
Expansion into Italy can be undertaken, especially after northern Italian nations leave the Holy Roman Empire after the Shadow Kingdom Imperial incident.
Castile can try to become the Holy Roman Emperor, by either improving relations with and allying the Holy Roman Electors or vassalizing them (though beware of coalitions forming due to the increased aggressive expansion in the Holy Roman Empire).
Similarly to France, England may be attacked in order to keep it from colonizing, leaving the New World to Castile and its vassal Portugal.

By the mid-1500s Castile should be able to have control of most of France, North Africa, and Italy, with near complete control over the Genoa trade node. Ideally, Castile's ruler is also the Holy Roman Emperor and the Burgundian Succession has fired, leaving Castile in control of some of the highest development provinces in the world. After this point there is really no guessing how the world has turned out, but Castile should be in a strong position to go on conquering throughout Europe or around the world, or even attempt a World Conquest. Good luck!