Granada

Primary culture

Andalusian (Iberian)

Capital province

Granada (223)

Government

Iqta

State religion

Sunni

Technology group

Muslim

Granada ideas

Traditions:

+15% National tax modifier

+25% Religious unity

People of the Book

+3 Tolerance of heathens

Recover Al Andalus

−15% Core-creation cost

Beacon of Learning

+10% Institution spread

Strait of Gibraltar

+10% Domestic trade power

+10% Trade steering

Alhambra

−10% Construction cost

Moors

+10% National manpower modifier

Successor Caliphate of Cordoba

+1 Yearly prestige

Ambition:

−10% Idea cost

Granada is a small four province Muslim nation that starts on the southern coast of the Iberian peninsula as the remnants of the Muslim nations that once ruled most of the region. It is usually quickly conquered by its powerful northern Catholic neighbours as it is required to form Spain.

Missions[edit]

Main article: Granadan missions

With Golden Century Granada has a unique set of missions.

Events[edit]

Main article: Granadan events

Decision[edit]

id

Restore Al-Andalus

Once all of Iberia was ruled by the glorious Muslim rulers of Andalusia. Let us undo the shameful Christian Reconquista and retake the lands of our ancestors.

Potential requirements

The country:

is not Spain, Andalusia, the Papal State, the Holy Roman Empire or the Roman Empire.
was never an end-game tag.
is not a colonial nation.
is in the Maghrebi culture group or has Andalusian as primary culture.
is in the Muslim religion group.
has not yet enacted this decision.

If the country is AI-controlled then:

it is not a custom nation
it can not be a former colonial nation.
it must have at least 6 cities and must own at least 1 province in Upper or Lower Andalucia.
Andalusia does not exist.

Allow

Andalusia does not exist.
The country:

is not a subject nation other than a tributary state.
is not at war.
is not a nomad nation.
has not a tribal government.
owns its core provinces:
- Murcia (221)
- Granada (223)
- Sevilla (224)
- Córdoba (225)
- Gibraltar (226)
- Jaén (1748)
- Cadiz (1749)
- Almería (222)
- Albacete (4547)
- Huelva (4548)
owns either its core provinces:
- Beja (229) and Algarve (230)
- Alicante (1750) and Xàtiva (4549)

Effects

If Córdoba (225) 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.

Córdoba (225):

becomes the new capital of the owner country.

The country:

becomes Andalusia.
gets new missions.
gains 25 prestige.
gets the country modifier “Increased Centralization” for 10 years with the following effects:
- −0.05 monthly autonomy change
- +1 national unrest
Gets a permanent claim on:
- every not-owned province in Toledo, Upper and Lower Andalucia areas.
- Badajoz (218), València (220), Alicante (1750) and Caceres (1747)

If Andalusia:

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 Andalusian as primary culture
- then Andalusian becomes primary culture.
has tribal government
- then it becomes Monarchy
does not have custom ideas
- then it gets the event ‘New Traditions & Ambitions’.

If the 'Golden Century' DLC is active:

(hidden)if Andalusia was formed by Morocco:
- then it completes the missions Rout the Pretenders! and Moroccan Ties without rewards.
If the mission Liberate Qurtuba is completed:
- Andalusia gets a permanent claim on every not-owned province in Alentejo and Beira areas
If the mission Seize Trade Dominance is completed:
- Andalusia gets a permanent claim on every not-owned province in Western Mediterranean Islands and Baleares areas
If the mission Restore Faith in the Throne is completed:
- Andalusia gets a permanent claim on every not-owned province in Algiers, High Plains, Barbary Coast, Kabylia, Tunisia, Djerba, Central Morocco, Gharb, North Morocco and Tripolitania areas

To form Andalusia, all provinces in orange must be owned and cored, as well as either both green or both red provinces.

Strategy[edit]

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

Granada is a very challenging nation, but that difficulty can be mitigated with the right allies. Tunis, Morocco, and in some cases the Ottomans can be helpful in beating back Spain or Aragon. Morocco will always start friendly towards the player, so it makes a good first ally, while Tunis might join in on the pact if Morocco and Tunis are not rivaled to each other.

North Africa is one of the only routes of expansion open for Granada, so the player should look that way as soon as possible while securing allies. Tlemcen makes a good first target since they always rival the player and are often aggressive towards Morocco and Tunis. It would be wise to attack Tlemcen early, so that the potential long-term ally Ottomans will not ally them, cutting off that route of expansion. Rather than conquering (or force-vassalising) Tlemcen directly, it's worth considering releasing their land as the vassal Algiers and even granting the remaining provinces to the new vassal, who will have good relations because they were not force-vassalised.

During the conquest, the Granada disaster might fire, if the player does not have an heir or have a heir with lower 5,5,5 stats. However, this will allow Granada to get a better heir or ruler depending on player action.

After the conquest of Algeria, it's important to consolidate and strengthen Granada's position as Castile will look to invade before 1450. Territories from Algeria alone, however, will probably not be enough to fight off the Spaniards. It may be useful to force vassalage on some of the smaller Maghrebi states such as Fezzan, Touggourt, Djerid or Mzab, as doing so will make it easier to rival Castile and Portugal. Fezzan in particular is close to the Ottomans and, once annexed, will significantly reduce the "distance from borders" malus against forming an alliance.

The Morocco-Independence Turnabout[edit]

One eventuality that the Granada might encounter after allying with Morocco is that their vassal Sus frequently turns rebellious, gets their independence supported by Castile, and declares war. In most cases this pits the alliance of Morocco (plus Marrakesh and Tafilalt) and Granada against the weak and isolated Sus and Castile in the north. On paper this looks frightening, but isn't necessarily cause for despair.

If Granada retained the fort in Malaqah, this war could potentially go well for the Granadan-Moroccan alliance. Morocco and her vassals can easily and quickly dominate Sus while the Castilian troops are unable to reach Jabal Tariq and cross the Straits of Gibraltar. If Sus's capital falls before Malaqah then the combined forces of Morocco, Marrakesh, Tafilalt and Granada can march back across the strait, attack the besieging armies in Malaqah and/or Granada (with the benefit of mountainous terrain on their side), and go toe-to-toe with the Castilians.

In this case the Granada player should be careful to ensure they begin (and so control) sieges on the coast of Andalusia, or Morocco will claim the provinces themselves, and also be ready to peace out early. Remember that Morocco's goal in the war is only to continue the vassalage or to fully annex Sus, so they are not aiming for 100% warscore. Granada could claim a couple of provinces or consider annulling treaties between Castile and Portugal, leaving the Portuguese relatively exposed and vulnerable.

Iberian wars[edit]

Also, keep in mind that the Castilian Civil War will happen, so that is potentially a good time to snatch a province or two, or if they are ever being warred by Aragon. Breaking Alliance between Portugal, England and Castile could be useful, so that a player with strong Muslim allies could retake the lands more easily.

It's important to be tactical about the provinces you seize in your early wars. Centres of trade, provinces producing gold and colonial-range-extending bases are all strategically valuable targets.

As Granada expands into Castile, Aragon and Portugal the player should be conscious that the weakened Iberian countries look like increasingly easy pickings for France, Provence, Savoy and even powers further afield such as Naples. It may be worth taking control of provinces along the Pyrenees border, for example Navarra and Rousillon, to make Iberia's weakened kingdoms less appealing to scavengers from the north.

Expansion overseas[edit]

Beyond expansion into Algeria and the Maghreb, another source of wealth and power with which to resist the Reconquista can come from colonisation overseas. Provinces such as Gran Canaria, Madeira and Azores can be claimed from Castile and Portugal at very low warscore cost, giving Granada much greater colonial range and slowing down the Iberians in their expansion into the New World.

Idea groups[edit]

Administrative ideas provides Granada with extensive coring cost reductions to help with integrating the reconquered provinces of Iberia. Religious ideas provides a reliable casus belli against the Christian states that will be a primary target for much of the game. Exploration ideas will be vital if the player wants to set Granada's sights on lands across the ocean. Influence and diplomacy ideas are both useful for maintaining vassals (a helpful way to incorporate new territory without burning through thousands of administrative power points) and winning new allies. All of the military idea groups are useful depending on the player's strategy, but it's worth noting that quantity ideas provide a clear diplomatic benefit by increasing the size of Granada's army, improving the "army strength" modifier when making alliances.