Culture

Culture groups in 1444

Individual cultures in 1444

Culture as represented in EU4 is the representation of the local populaces on a provincial level. The culture represents the combination of the local language, customs, ethnicity and nationality of the people. Religion is split from this list, as it is represented by provincial religion which has a separate representation in the game.

The cultures of EU4 are divided in culture groups consisting of multiple cultures which have similar customs, have a similar language or have a shared history. EU4 has a total of 68 culture groups with multiple different cultures as represented with the two maps to the right.

Primary culture

All countries have one primary culture. This is normally fixed, although it can be changed either through the culture mechanics or via certain national decisions. The main interaction of the nation with local culture is by spending diplomacy points .

Cultural shift

Any accepted culture that has at least 50% of the development of the country’s state cores can be promoted to the primary culture of the nation. This costs 100 diplomatic power, and replaces the previous ‘Accept Cultural Shift’ decision. The previous primary culture will consequently become an accepted culture.

The country cannot shift to a culture that is accepted due to the cultural union granted by Empire level government. Shifting the culture to outside the players cultural union shifts the cultural union, enabling the player to shift back to the preferred culture in the original cultural union.

It can be advantageous for a player to set a new primary culture to be able to form a country with a different tag (with new national ideas), or to be in a larger culture group, to have more brother cultures and save promoted culture slots.

If the nation has very few states active, it can state and de-state provinces to frequently change the primary culture to obtain Nationalism casus belli on more countries, as well as to reduce the time of coring.

Accepted cultures

Government interface

The player has the ability to promote a culture to make it accepted or to demote it, removing it from accepted cultures.

• The player can promote any culture in their nation that has at least 20 cored development in a state. It costs 100 diplomatic power, but it could be advantageous in the long run.
• Demoting a culture from 'accepted cultures' costs 10 diplomatic and adds +5 unrest in all provinces with that culture, that will decay over time.

Having at least 5 different promoted cultures is an Age Objective in the Age of Absolutism.

Every country can promote a base value of up to two cultures. Additional slots can be gained via the following modifiers, ideas and policies:

	Conditions
+3	Monarchy government reform Mamluk Government Choosing "The tribes must be reorganized" after completing the Mongol culture group mission Unite the Mongols.
+2	Monarchy reform Decentralized Bureaucracy Monarchy reform Imperial Austrian Monarchy (requires ) Choosing "Implement only limited reforms" after completing the Austrian mission Multicultural Empire (mutually exclusive with the previous item) Completing the Lotharingian mission Rex Germaniae Owning Inukshuk (only with )
+1	at diplomatic technology levels: 8, 14, 20, 26, 31 Trading in silk Republic government reform Universal Suffrage Mahayana/Theravada/Vajrayana decision Monastic Education Completing the Tatar culture group mission Dominate Central Asia Completing the Hanoverian mission Anglo-German Unity Completing the Westphalian mission Integrated Rhineland Owning Inukshuk (only with ) Owning Borobudur Temple while either province and owner religion is in Buddhist group or culture is Javanese and accepted (only with )

	Traditions	Ideas	Bonuses	Policies
+2	Livonian Knight traditions Livonian traditions PLC traditions	Horde government idea 7: A Magnanimous Empire Humanist idea 5: Cultural Ties Bharathi idea 2: Unite the Subcontinent Cascadian idea 1: Cascadian Melting Pot Dalmatian idea 3: The Dalmatian Language Fijian idea 1: Crossroad of Cultures Hawaiian idea 4: Ohana Iroquoian Federation idea 6: Sachems Kamilaroi idea 2: Land of Languages Lanfang idea 5: Integrate Local Communities Lusatian idea 7: Cultural Influences Trent idea 3: South Tyrol Identity Vermont idea 5: The Vermont Constitution West Indies idea 5: Miskito-Zambos	Eora ambition	—
+1	Arakanese traditions Cirebonese traditions Deccani Sultanate traditions Muskogean traditions Pattani traditions Polish traditions Shan traditions Tumbuka traditions Vindhyan traditions	Alaskan idea 5: Alaskan Religious Diversity Arawak idea 4: Tribal Tolerance Athenian idea 2: Athenian Openness Bahmani idea 3: Dakani Language Banteni idea 7: Cultural Richness Beninese idea 6: Adoption of Benin Customs California Native idea 1: Division as a Strength Caucasian idea 1: Crossroad Of Cultures Deccani idea 1: Dakani Language Frisian idea 7: Brothers in Arms Fulani Jihad idea 6: Community of the Faithful Gond idea 4: Flexible Caste System Ilkhanid idea 3: Persian Language at Court Kaffan idea 2: Minjo Usurpation Lan Na idea 5: Red and Black Vassals Lan Xang idea 1: Laotian Ethnic Diversity Laotian idea 4: Laotian Ethnic Diversity Latgalian idea 4: Latvian People Lorraine idea 5: Two Languages, One Land Malaccan idea 5: Harbor Masters Mexican idea 2: The Republic of Indians Moravian idea 5: German Quarters Mossi idea 3: Nyonnyonse Vassals North Western Native idea 7: Division as a Strength Northeastern Woodlands idea 2: Deer Clan Ottoman idea 1: Kanunnames Palawa idea 2: Dual-Identity Rûmi idea 2: Sultan al-Sharq wa al-Gharb Sligonian idea 3: Cultural Crossroads Utrecht idea 6: Cultural Resilience West African idea 7: Maintain Minor Kings Westphalian idea 4: Assimilation of the Rhenish People	Delhian ambition Malvi ambition	Humanist-Diplomatic: Multilingual Diplomats Humanist-Plutocratic: Cultural Recognition Act

Cultural union

Cultural unions will automatically accept all sub-cultures within their respective culture group. Any nation can become a Cultural Union (CU) of its culture group upon reaching the Empire government rank, or 1000 development if the player does not have the Common Sense DLC. As part of this change, it is possible for several nations to be a CU for the same culture group. A nation can become an empire as part of a mission, decision, event, reaching a certain development level or by upgrading the government rank; Cultural Unions make it so that sister cultures don't have to be promoted to be accepted by the country.

Penalties for unaccepted cultures

A province with a non-accepted culture will provide less tax and have higher unrest alongside other penalties. A province with a culture in the same culture group, but not the same culture as the owner will get lighter penalties:

Same culture group (Culture name will be in yellow, and will have a star next to their names on the culture tab)

	−15%	Local tax modifier
	−15%	Local manpower modifier
	−10%	Local sailors modifier

Different culture group (Culture name will be in red)

	−33%	Local tax modifier
	−2%	Local missionary strength
	−33%	Local manpower modifier
	−20%	Local sailors modifier
	+2%	Local unrest

Republican Cultural Sufferance

Republics get an additional cultural sufferance modifier in different culture-group provinces. This stacks with the usual penalty, mitigating but not eliminating it.

	+10%.0	Local tax modifier
	+10%.0	Local manpower modifier
	+5%.0	Local sailors modifier
	−0.5%	Local unrest

Culture conversion

The culture of a province can be changed to another culture if the province is cored by its owner, has the same religion as its owner (for Confucian, harmonized religions work as well), and has no unrest from separatism. The cost for converting culture is 10 diplomatic power per development and the duration for the change to take place is 10 months per development. Like coring costs, culture conversion costs are capped at 30 development, so improving a 30 development province will not increase the cost of converting its culture. Sieges and occupations will pause culture conversion but will not cancel it; the culture conversion will continue as soon as the province is liberated, although conversion will be cancelled if the province's ownership changes. If the conversion is cancelled before progress reaches 10%, all diplomatic points will be refunded.

A province can have its culture changed to the primary culture of the province's owner. With The Cossacks, a province's culture can also be changed to any owned neighbouring province's culture or its culture can be restored to whatever it was originally.

Converting a province from culture A to culture B will incur a relations hit with every country whose primary culture is culture A.

Cost

The cultural conversion cost modifier reduces only the diplomatic power needed to change a province's culture. The time needed for the change to be complete cannot be reduced.

After applying "Culture conversion cost" modifiers, the cost is raised to a minimum of 1 per development.

${\text{cost}}=\min \left(30;{\text{development}}\right)\cdot \max \left(1;10\cdot \left(1+\sum {\text{modifiers}}\right)\right)$

	Conditions
−30%	in provinces with the Dominicans or Qadiri Holy orders
−25%	Embracing Enlightenment institution Borobudur Temple Buddha Statues
−20%	as Hussite with "Adamite Services" aspect active with the Fraternité Ideals government reform for revolutionary countries
−15%	"Assimilation and Settlement Policy" as an active issue in Parliament at Isolationism isolation level as Shinto
−10%	Borobudur Temple Buddha Statues Baku Ateshgah Great Living Chola Temples
−5%	Baku Ateshgah Great Living Chola Temples

Ideas and policies:

	Traditions	Ideas	Bonuses	Policies
−25%	—	Kitaran idea 7: Rich History Tiwi idea 7: One People	Fully Religious	—
−20%	—	Icelandic idea 7: Icelandic National Identity Karamanid idea 1: Mehmet Bey's Firman	—	Influence-Religious: Cultural Unity
−15%	Dai Viet traditions	Ando idea 5: Integration of Other Cultures Ionian idea 7: Ionian Academy Meath idea 4: Englishtown Nizhny Novgorod idea 7: Russian Ambition	—	—
−10%	—	Divine idea 5: Alpha and Omega Federation idea 4: Native Sign Language Kongolese idea 5: Aggressive Migration Lunda idea 5: Warrior Migrations Moldavian idea 6: Vlachs Tongan idea 4: True Claimants to Polynesia	Divine ambition	—

Conditional Bonus:

The following modifiers also applied additively:

−25%	if the province borders or is adjacent by sea to another owned province with the desired culture (adjacency bonus)
−50%	if the province is being restored to its original culture (original culture bonus)
−80%	if the province is overseas, is the country's main religion and has a core from a existing Primitive nation (called "same religion overseas" in game)

Culture conversion cost are also affected by many events and missions.

Primary nation

Most cultures have a primary nation. These nation will keep uncontested cores indefinitely, so long as their cores are in provinces of their culture - culture conversion will force these cores to obey the normal 50/150 year expiry timers for cores depending on whether or not the new culture is the same culture group as the nation with a core there. Primary nations of each culture can be found in the list below.

Lost cultures

Cultures in the Lost Cultures group do not exist at game start, but can be created as custom nations or during the invasion. The only cultures that can be re-discovered are the Roman culture by Restoring the Roman Empire that changes the primary culture of the nation, and the Norse culture by the event Return of the Norse culture. All provinces with a culture in the culture group of the former nation's primary culture will change to Roman culture.

Culture groups

Note that culture groups are not just based on linguistic criteria - for example, Romanian is grouped with the Carpathian cultures due to cultural similarities and for gameplay purposes, even though Carpathian is not a linguistic family.

Primary nations of each culture are listed to the right of each culture.

List

Aboriginal

• Gamilaraay Kamilaroi
• Gunwinyguan Larrakia
• Kulin Wurundjeri
• Kuric Eora
• Nyoongah Nyoongah
• Palawa Palawa
• Paman Awngthim
• Yura Kaurna

Altaic

• Kazakh Kazakh
• Khalkha Khalkha
• Korchin Korchin
• Kyrgyz Chagatai
• Mongol Mongolia
• Oirat Dzungar
• Turkmeni Khiva
• Uyghur Yarkand
• Uzbek Uzbek

Andean

• Aimara Charca
• Chimuan Chimu
• Diaguita Calchaqui
• Quechua Cusco

Apachean

• Eastern Apache Apache
• Lipan Lipan
• Mescalero Mescalero
• Navajo Navajo

Araucanian

• Het
• Huarpe
• Mapuche Mapuche
• Patagonian

Aridoamerican

• Chichimecan Chichimeca
• Guamares Guamar
• Otomi Otomi
• Tecos Colima
• Tepic Xalisco
• Yaqui Yaqui

Baltic

• Estonian Estonia
• Latvian Latgalia
• Lithuanian Lithuania

British

• American United States
• Cornish Cornwall
• English England
• Scottish Scotland
• Welsh Wales

Burman

• Arakanese Arakan
• Burmese Taungu
• Chin Manipur
• Kachin
• Karen

Byzantine

• Gothic Theodoro
• Greek Greece
• Pontic Trebizond

Caddoan

• Caddo Caddo
• Pawnee Pawnee
• Wichita Wichita

Caribbean

• Carib Carib
• Lokono Arawak
• Maipurean
• Taino

Carpathian

• Hungarian Hungary
• Romanian Wallachia
• Slovak Nitra
• Transylvanian Transylvania

Caucasian

• Armenian Armenia
• Circassian Circassia
• Dagestani Gazikumukh
• Georgian Georgia

Celtic

• Highlander Gaeldom
• Irish Ireland

Central Algonquian

• Anishinabe Ojibwe
• Cree Cree
• Illini Illiniwek
• Innu-Naskapi Innu
• Mesquakie Fox
• Myaamia Miami
• Shawnee Shawnee

Central American

• Aztec Aztec
• Matlantzinca Matlatzinca
• Purepecha Tarascan
• Totonac Totonac

Central Indian

• Garjati Garjat
• Gondi Garha
• Jharkandi Jharkhand

Chibchan

• Caran Quito
• Miskito Miskito
• Muisca Muisca

Chinese

• Cantonese Yue
• Gan Ning
• Hakka Huai
• Hubei Xi
• Jianghuai Ming
• Jin Jin
• Manchu Manchu
• Min Min
• Shandong Qi
• Sichuanese Shu
• Sino-Altaic Yuan
• Sino-Korean
• Sino-Tibetan
• Sino-Vietnamese
• Wu Wu
• Xiang Chu
• Xibei Shun
• Zhili Yan
• Zhongyuan Liang

Congo

• Chokwe Chokwe
• Jukun
• Kongolese Kongo
• Kuba Kuba
• Luba Luba
• Lunda Lunda
• Mbangala Kasanje
• Mbundu Ndongo
• Sawabantu
• Yaka Yaka

Cushitic

• Afar Aussa
• Amhara Ethiopia
• Harari Harar
• Oromo Jimma
• Sidamo Kaffa
• Somali Adal
• Tigray Medri Bahri

Dravidian

• Kannada Mysore
• Malayalam Venad
• Tamil Madurai
• Telugu Golkonda

East Bantu

• Bena
• Malagasy Sakalava
• Swahili Kilwa
• Takama
• Thagiicu

East Slavic

• Byelorussian Polotsk
• Muscovite Muscovy
• Novgorodian Novgorod
• Ruthenian Kiev
• Ryazanian Ryazan

Eastern Algonquian

• Abenaki Abenaki
• Delaware Lenape
• Mahican Mahican
• Maliseet Maliseet
• Massachusset Wampanoag
• Mikmaq Mikmaq
• Pequot Pequot
• Powhatan Powhatan

Eastern Aryan

• Assamese Assam
• Bengali Bengal
• Bihari Tirhut
• Kochi Koch
• Nepali Nepal
• Oriya Orissa
• Pahari Garhwal
• Sinhalese Kotte

Eskaleut

• Aleutian
• Inuit

Evenki

• Buryat Buryatia
• Evenk Solon
• Jurchen Jianzhou
• Tungus
• Yakut
• Yukaghir Khodynt

French

• Aquitanian Toulouse
• Breton Brittany
• Burgundian Burgundy
• Francien France
• Gascon Guyenne
• Louisianan Louisiana
• Norman Normandy
• Occitan Provence
• Québécois Quebec
• Walloon Hainaut

Germanic

• Austrian Austria
• Balten Riga
• Bavarian Bavaria
• Dutch Netherlands
• Flemish Flanders
• Frisian Friesland
• Franconian Franconia
• Lower Saxon Hanover
• Pomeranian Pomerania
• Prussian Prussia
• Rhenish Hesse
• Saxon Saxony
• Swabian Swabia
• Swiss Switzerland
• Westphalian Westphalia

Great Lakes

• Ganda Buganda
• Masaba
• Rwandan Rwanda

Hindustani

• Avadhi Oudh
• Hindavi Delhi
• Kashmiri Kashmir
• Panjabi Punjab
• Vindhyan Bundelkhand

Iberian

• Andalusian Granada
• Aragonese Aragon
• Basque Navarra
• Brazilian Brazil
• Castilian Castile
• Catalan Catalonia
• Galician Galicia
• Leonese León
• Mexican Mexico
• Portuguese Portugal
• Platinean La Plata

Iranian

• Afghan Afghanistan
• Azerbaijani Ardabil
• Baluchi Baluchistan
• Khorasani Khorasan
• Kurdish Ardalan
• Luri Luristan
• Mazandarani Mazandaran
• Persian Persia

Iroquoian

• Cherokee Cherokee
• Huron Huron
• Iroquois Iroquois
• Laurentian Osheaga
• Susquehannock Susquehannock
• Tionontate Tionontate

Japanese

• Kyushuan Otomo
• Saigoku Mori
• Togoku Japan

Je

• Charruan Charrua
• Ge Tapuia

Kamchatkan

• Ainu Ainu
• Kamchatkan Kamchadals

Korean

• Korean Korea

Latin

• Dalmatian Dalmatia
• Ligurian Genoa
• Lombard Milan
• Maltese Malta
• Neapolitan Naples
• Piedmontese Savoy
• Romagnol Ferrara
• Sardinian Sardinia
• Sicilian Sicily
• Tuscan Tuscany
• Umbrian Urbino
• Venetian Venice

Levantine

• Bedouin Najd
• Egyptian Mamluks
• Hejazi Hejaz
• Khaleeji Haasa
• Mahri Mahra
• Mashriqi Iraq
• Omani Oman
• Syrian Syria
• Turkish Ottomans
• Yemeni Aden

Lost Cultures

• Anglo-Saxon
• Aramaic
• Athenian
• Atlantean
• Babylonian
• Etrurian
• Hebrew
• Jan Mayenese
• Old Egyptian
• Parthian
• Phoenician
• Pruthenian
• Roman
• Scanian
• Scythian
• Spartan

Maghrebi

• Algerian Algiers
• Berber Tlemcen
• Moroccan Morocco
• Tunisian Tunis

Malay

• Acehnese Aceh
• Bornean Brunei
• Cham Champa
• Filipino Sulu
• Javanese Majapahit
• Madagascan (unused)
• Malayan Malacca
• Moluccan Ternate
• Nusa Tenggara
• Sulawesi Makassar
• Sumatran Palembang
• Sundanese Majapahit

Mande

• Bambara Segu
• Bozo Jenné
• Dyola Kong
• Mali Mali
• Songhai Songhai
• Soninke Macina

Marañón

• Chachapoyan Chachapoya
• Jivaro

Matacoan

• Chacoan

Mayan

• Chontales Yokotan
• Highland Mayan Kiche
• Lacandon Tzotzil
• Mayan Maya
• Putun Itza
• Wastek Huastec
• Yucatec Xiu

Mon-Khmer

• Khmer Khmer
• Mon Pegu
• Vietnamese Dai Viet

Muskogean

• Catawba Cofitachequi
• Chickasaw Chickasaw
• Choctaw Choctaw
• Creek Creek
• Natchez Natchez
• Yamasee Altamaha
• Yoron Casqui
• Yuchi Chiaha

Na-Déné

• Athabascan
• Chipewyan
• Haida Haida

Nordic

• Danish Denmark
• Finnish Finland
• Icelandic Iceland
• Karelian Karelia
• Norwegian Norway
• Sámi Sápmi
• Swedish Sweden

Otomanguean

• Mixtec Mixtec
• Tlapanec Tlapanec
• Zapotek Zapotec

Pacific

• Melanesian
• Maori
• Papuan
• Polynesian

Penutian

• Chinook Chinook
• Salish Salish
• Yokuts Yokuts

Plains Algonquian

• Arapaho Arapaho
• Blackfoot Blackfoot
• Bungi Ojibwe
• Cheyenne Cheyenne
• Plains Cree Nehiyaw

Sahelian

• Bilala Yao
• Fulani Fulo
• Hausa Hausa
• Kanuri Kanem Bornu
• Senegambian Jolof
• Tuareg Air
• Tunjur Wadai

Siouan

• Chiwere Oneota
• Dakota Sioux
• Nakota Assiniboine
• Osage Osage

Sonoran

• Kiowa Kiowa
• Piman Pima
• Pueblo Pueblo
• Shoshone Shoshone

South Slavic

• Albanian Albania
• Bulgarian Bulgaria
• Bosnian Bosnia
• Croatian Croatia
• Serbian Serbia
• Slovene Cilli

Southern African

• Bemba
• Khoisan
• Makua Makua
• Nguni Zulu
• Nyasa Maravi
• Shona Mutapa

Sudanese

• Acholi
• Beja Beja
• Nubian Funj

Tai

• Khon Muang Lan Na
• Lao Luang Prabang
• Shan Shan
• Tai Ayutthaya
• Zhuang Changsheng

Tatar

• Astrakhani Astrakhan
• Bashkir Bashkiria
• Crimean Crimea
• Kazani Kazan
• Mishar Great Horde
• Nogai Nogai
• Siberian Sibir

Tibetan

• Bai Dali
• Miao Miao
• Tibetan Tsang
• Yi Yi

Tupi

• Guarani Guarani
• Tupinamba Tupiniquim

Ugric

• Ingrian (unused)
• Ostyak
• Samoyed
• Uralic Perm

West African

• Akan Ashanti
• Dagomba Dagbon
• Fon Dahomey
• Mossi Mossi
• Nupe Nupe
• Yoruba Oyo

West Slavic

• Czech Bohemia
• Polish Poland
• Silesian Silesia
• Sorbian Lusatia

Western Aryan

• Gujarati Gujarat
• Malvi Malwa
• Marathi Marathas
• Parsi Gujarat
• Rajasthani Mewar
• Saurashtri Junagarh
• Sindhi Sindh

Footnotes

Mechanics

Customization

Nation designer • Random New World

Ages and Institutions

Ages • Institutions

Innovativeness and Technology

Innovativeness • Technology

Defense

Fort • Zone of control