Religion

Topic

Religions

Christian denominations

Catholic

Protestant

Reformed

Orthodox

Coptic

Anglican

Hussite

Muslim denominations

Sunni

Shia

Ibadi

Eastern denominations

Mahayana

Theravada

Vajrayana

Confucian

Shinto

Pagan denominations

Animist

Fetishist

Totemist

Inti

Mayan

Nahuatl

Tengri

Norse

Alcheringa

Dharmic denominations

Hindu

Sikh

Additional denominations

Jewish

Zoroastrian

Crusader Kings II denominations

The religion that a nation follows and how tolerant it is of other faiths is an important aspect of gameplay in EUIV. The religion of a nation will confer specific benefits, enable different mechanics, and affect diplomatic actions as nations of mutually accepted religions have a better chance of reaching agreements with one another. Religion is also connected to unrest and provinces of non-tolerated religions are more rebellious. The player has some control over religion by having the option to change the state religion, send missionaries to convert heathen or heretic provinces to the state religion, and carry out religious decisions. In the top left corner of the religion tab, there is a icon of a catholic cross with an arrow, click on that and then you can choose an available religion to convert to. Take over territories of desired religion, let them take some territories and give into their demands of changing the state religion.

Religions and denominations

Religion by province in 1444. For more details use the navigation box (legend) above.

Since EU4 first came out many of its featured religions have been further developed and fleshed out with unique mechanics.

The following table details which religions are expanded by which DLC (in order of appearance).

DLC	Expanded mechanics
Wealth of Nations	Reformed Hindu Norse
El Dorado	Inti Mayan Nahuatl
Common Sense	Protestant Mahayana Theravada Vajrayana
The Cossacks	Tengri
Rights of Man	Coptic Fetishist
Mandate of Heaven	Confucian Shinto
Third Rome	Orthodox
Cradle of Civilization	Sunni Shia Ibadi
Rule Britannia	Anglican
Emperor	Hussite Catholic
Leviathan	Alcheringa Totemist Zoroastrian Sikh
Origins	Jewish

Religious unity

Religion interface

Religious unity is the percentage of a country's development provided by provinces that follow the state religion or a positively tolerated heretic or heathen religion.

In addition:

• Provinces assigned to trade companies are not considered when calculating religious unity.
• Likewise, certain estate privileges (“Guaranteed [estate] Autonomy”) cause provinces of the relevant religions to be disregarded.
• Provinces of the state religion always contribute 100% unity regardless of tolerance.
• Provinces of a heretic or heathen religion contribute a percentage determined by how tolerated they are.

The effects of tolerance on religious unity per province are as follows:

Tolerance	Contribution
< 0	+0%
0	+25%
1	+50%
2	+75%
3	+100%

For example, suppose a Catholic country has a 10 development Catholic province, a 4 development Protestant province, and a 16 development Sunni province. If heretic tolerance is +1 and heathen tolerance is −2, the country's religious unity will be (100% * 10 + 50% * 4 + 0% * 16) / (10 + 4 + 16) = 40%.

Ideas and policies which increase religious unity:

	Traditions	Ideas	Bonuses	Policies
+50%	—	Bengali idea 1: Bengali Hindu-Sufi Syncretism Gujarat Sultanate idea 1: Garba! Indian Sultanate idea 1: Tolerate the Idol Worshipers Jaunpuri idea 3: Sants and Sufis	—	—
+33%	South Indian traditions	—	—	—
+30%	Sami traditions	—	—	—
+25%	Bosnian traditions Granadan traditions Papal traditions Punjabi traditions	Horde government idea 3: Mandate of the Khan Humanist idea 1: Tolerance Bahmani idea 2: Legacy of Gisu Daraz Ferraran idea 1: Papal Recognition Hessian idea 3: Welcome the Reformers Kazani idea 1: Steppe Tolerance Malvi idea 2: Malvi Art & Architecture Permian idea 6: Komi Tolerance Urbinate idea 4: A Humanist Court Zaporozhian idea 6: Steppe Tolerance	—	—
+20%	Ayutthayan traditions	Aboriginal idea 6: Dreamtime Bamberger idea 1: Bishop of Bamberg East Frisian idea 3: Center of Religious Thought Javan idea 1: Candi Shrines Karamanid idea 6: Home of the Whirling Dervishes Burmese idea 3: Nat Worship West African idea 4: Ancestors and Crescent	—	Humanist-Aristocratic: Enlightened Aristocracy Religious-Diplomatic: Policy of Calculated Delay Religious-Offensive: The Anti-Heresy Act
+15%	—	Luccan idea 1: Mending the Papal Schisms Smolenskian idea 1: Smolenskian Resolve	—	—
+10%	—	Ansbach idea 3: Franconian Reformers Bayreuther idea 4: Franconian Reformers Gond idea 2: Tribal Religion Highlander idea 4: Episcopalianism Pueblo idea 6: Clown Societies	—	—

Additional modifiers:

• +25% from the "Brahmin Legitimacy to Rule" privilege
• +15% from the tier 3 "Religious Societies" government reform
• +25% upon taking the "Edict de Nantes" decision as France

Religious unity directly affects the following:

• for each percentage point of religious unity:

	+0.01%	Monthly fervor
	+0.05%	Maximum absolutism
	+0.05%	Clergy loyalty equilibrium
	+0.05%	Brahmins loyalty equilibrium
	+0.01%	Yearly harmony increase

• for each percentage point of religious unity below 100%:

	+1.0%00	Stability cost modifier
	+0.030%	National unrest
	−1.0%00	Church power
	−0.010%	Yearly devotion
	+0.001%	Yearly corruption

Tolerance

Countries have three tolerance values. These tolerance values are national, but have provincial effects depending on the province's religion, relative to the state religion.

Each point of positive tolerance gives:

−1

Local unrest

Each point of negative tolerance gives:

	+1.25%	Local unrest
	−10%.00	Local tax modifier
	−10%.00	Local goods produced modifier

Additionally, positive tolerance of heretics and heathens allows those provinces to contribute to religious unity (see above). Penalties from negative tolerance, and any contribution to religious unity whether positive or negative, are ignored in provinces assigned to trade companies.

Note that there are some national ideas which remove all penalties for having negative tolerance.

	Traditions	Ideas	Bonuses	Policies
yes	Colonial traditions Texan traditions Vermont traditions	Hungarian idea 7: Create the Estates General Kiwi idea 1: Maori Seats Piratical idea 1: Religious Apathy Rothenburg idea 1: Zarfat Registry	—	—

Tolerance of the true faith

This refers to the state religion. For example, if the state religion is Catholic, Catholic provinces will use this tolerance value. The base value of tolerance of the true faith is +3, and there is no maximum value.

Ideas and policies that affect tolerance of the true faith:

	Traditions	Ideas	Bonuses	Policies
+3	Byzantine traditions	—	—	—
+2	Ladakh traditions Lan Xang traditions Laotian traditions Leonese traditions Lusatian traditions Québécois traditions Romanian traditions Sukhothai traditions Tapuian traditions Tirhuti traditions Trierian traditions	Religious idea 4: Devoutness Ainu idea 6: Yukar Al-Haasa idea 2: Lord of the Bedouin of the East Anhalt idea 3: Incorporation of the Bishopric Amago idea 6: Kizuki Antemoro idea 5: Religious Control Ardabili idea 3: Leader of all Shiites Asakura idea 6: Control of Buddhist Sects Asturian idea 2: Camino de Santiago Bamberger idea 6: Vierzehnheiligen Berg idea 7: Respecting the Autonomy of the Clergy Bharathi idea 5: Ganga Bremish idea 2: Memories of Verden Cham idea 1: Memory of the My Son Temples Chernihiv idea 6: Renovate the Transfiguration Cathedral Chosokabe idea 7: Support of the Temples Cornish idea 3: Prayer Book Traditionalism Dithmarscher idea 2: Kirchspiele Farsi idea 1: Land of the Persians French ducal idea 4: Religious Conviction Fulani Jihad idea 5: Islamic Scholarship Garhwali idea 6: Protecting the Land of the Gods Garjati idea 6: Jagannath Cult Georgian idea 3: Legacy of Saint Nino Greek idea 1: Greek Orthodox Faith Hejazi idea 1: Custodian of the Two Holy Cities Herzegovinian idea 1: Eparchy Interlacustrine idea 4: Holy Lineages Khorasani idea 6: Great Sheiks of Khorasan Kitabatake idea 2: Blessing of Amaterasu Lan Na idea 4: The White Elephant Lorraine idea 6: Trois-Évêchés Manipur idea 4: Mayek Medri Bahri idea 2: Christian Legacy Miao idea 1: Sacrificing to the Spirits Moravian idea 2: Religious Sanctuary Mossi idea 6: Honoring the Masks Münster idea 1: Great Procession Najdi idea 7: Enforce Tawhid Northumbrian idea 3: Cradle of British Christianity Offaly idea 4: The Fear of God Ogasawara idea 7: Zenko-ji Orleanaise idea 3: Faith and Devotion Papal idea 1: Ecclesiastical Primacy Pegu idea 3: Dhammazedi Pyatton Perugian idea 3: Meeting of the Five Conclaves Pueblo idea 6: Clown Societies Rajputana idea 5: Protectors of the Dharma Rostov idea 3: Ecclesiastical Center Sami idea 5: Defend the Noaidi Traditions Samtskhe idea 7: A Sacred Land Songhai idea 6: Sharia Tokugawa idea 6: Toshogu Transylvanian idea 6: Unitarian Zeal Trent idea 1: Prince-Bishop Tumbuka idea 4: Office of the Mulwa Tyrconnell idea 3: Religious Patrons Ulmer idea 7: Finish the Ulm Minster Württemberger idea 5: Grosse Kirchenordnung Yarkandi idea 4: Empower the Khojas Yi idea 5: Promote the Bimoism	Mushasha ambition	—
+1	Aboriginal traditions Clanricarde traditions Thomondian traditions	Croatian idea 4: Antemurale Christianitatis Dhundhari idea 3: Restore Hindu Ceremonies Genevan idea 4: Spiritual Leader of Geneva Gujarati Princedom idea 5: Protect the Dwarkadhish Temple Hatakeyama idea 3: Mount Koya Kanem Bornuan idea 4: House of Kanem Khmer idea 2: Theravada Buddhism Kievan idea 5: Center Of Orthodox Church Montenegrin idea 2: Metropolitanate of Montenegro Muscovite idea 3: Seat of Metropolitan Bishop Nepalese Princedom idea 3: Institute New Festivals Prussian idea 1: Legacy of the Teutonic Knight Ruthenian idea 7: Birth of Russian Orthodoxy Saluzzo idea 6: Chiesa San Giovanni Sardinian idea 2: Papal Restoration Sindhi idea 4: Expand the Makli Necropolis Swahili idea 3: Great Mosque of Kilwa Teutonic idea 7: One State, One Religion Theodorian idea 7: Cave Monasteries Three Leagues idea 2: The League of God's House Tunisian idea 7: Tunisian Caliphate Utrecht idea 1: Devotio Moderna Vindhyan idea 3: A Sacred Land Welsh idea 7: Welsh Church	—	—

Some religions come with tolerance of true faith for countries following that faith:

• +1 for Catholic nations
• +1 for Hussite nations using the "Bread and Wine" church aspect
• +1 for Orthodox nations
• +1 for Coptic nations
• +1 for Confucian nations at 100% harmony
• +1 for Confucian nations with the Dharmic religion group harmonized
• −3 for Confucian nations at 0% harmony
• +1 for Animist nations
• +2 for Fetishist nations using the "Mlira" cult
• +1 for Totemist nations
• +1 for Tengri nations with Orthodox, Vajyrayana, Inti or Zoroastrian as secondary religion
• +2 for Tengri nations with Animist, Fetishist or Totemist as secondary religion
• +1 for Inti nations
• +1 for Mayan nations
• +1 for Hindu nations
• +2 for Jewish nations
• +2 for Zoroastrian nations

Additional modifiers:

• +0.5 for ‘Trading in’ incense
• +1 for 100 legitimacy
• –2 for ruler with ‘Sinner’ personality

Tolerance of heretics

This refers to different religions within the same religious group. For example, if the state religion is Catholic, the religion group is Christian, and provinces that are Protestant, Reformed, Coptic, Orthodox, Anglican, or Hussite will use this tolerance value. The base value of tolerance of heretics is −2. The possible maximum value is +3.

Ideas and policies that affect tolerance of heretics:

	Traditions	Ideas	Bonuses	Policies
+5	—	American idea 1: Freedom of Religion	—	—
+4	Athenian traditions Bosnian traditions Cypriot traditions Epirote traditions Naxian traditions	—	—	—
+3	Dali traditions Lithuanian traditions	Ajami idea 2: In Honor of Ali Bohemian idea 1: Compacta of Prague Dutch idea 5: Embrace Humanism Lusatian idea 6: Rights for all Religions Qara Qoyunlu 3: In Honor of Ali Saxon idea 4: Wittenberg University Transylvanian idea 5: Patent of Toleration	Polish ambition	—
+2	Al-Haasa traditions	Humanist idea 3: Ecumenism Alaskan idea 5: Alaskan Religious Diversity Baden idea 4: Cuius Regio, Eius Religio Brabant idea 6: Tradition of Toleration Burgundian idea 6: Allow Freedom of Worship Canadian idea 5: The Quebec Act Dortmund idea 7: Reinoldikirche East Frisian idea 5: Refuge of the Mennonites French idea 7: Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité Ilkhanid idea 2: Favor Sufism Kurdish idea 2: Li Gora Gawirî Kurd Misilman e Luccan idea 1: Mending the Papal Schisms Lur idea 4: Popular Religion Pomeranian idea 4: Religious Freedom Ruthenian idea 2: Foreign Influences Swiss idea 2: Swiss Tolerance Thüringian idea 3: Protector of Reformers Utsunomiya idea 7: Mount Nikko	Gelre ambition	Religious-Plutocratic: The Tolerance Act
+1	—	Albanian idea 6: Albanian Tolerance Arawak idea 4: Tribal Tolerance Circassian idea 7: Religious Flexibility Frisian idea 6: Difference of Opinion Garhwali idea 7: Crossroads of Faiths Kikuchi idea 5: Religious Coexistence Ouchi idea 6: Welcome the Westerners Prussian idea 7: Religious Toleration Sligonian idea 7: Pragmatism Over All Tibetan idea 4: The Way of Virtue Urbinate idea 4: A Humanist Court Vijayanagar idea 4: Tolerance Westphalian idea 6: Religious Toleration	—	—

Additional modifiers:

• +1 for ruler with ‘Tolerant’ personality
• +1 for 100 legitimacy

Heretic conversion events

Tolerance of heretics of ≥ 2 will allow provinces to randomly convert to those heretic religions. The mean time to happen is 5000 months, lowered by Innovative Ideas and having a neighboring province with the new religion while increased by having the theocracy government type. Provinces with the "Religious Zeal" modifier will not receive these events at all.

A province is more likely to convert via event to a particular religion if a neighboring province has that religion. Adjacency is not required for most conversions. However, the following conversions only occur if a neighboring province has the new religion:

• Orthodox ↔ other Christian
• Buddhist, Shinto → Confucian

In addition, only Japanese-culture provinces can convert to Shinto as the result of an event.

Tolerance of heathens

This refers to religions of other religious groups. For example, if the state religion group is Christian, provinces that are of Muslim, Eastern, or Pagan religious groups will use this tolerance value. The base value of tolerance of heathens is −3. The possible maximum value is +3.

Ideas and policies that affect Tolerance of heathens:

	Traditions	Ideas	Bonuses	Policies
+3	Ottoman traditions Semien traditions	Andalusian idea 3: Alh Ulh Dhimma Granada idea 1: People of the Book Rûmi idea 4: Sultan of Rûm Siddi idea 1: Goma	—	—
+2	Javan traditions Kaffan traditions Kazani traditions Malian traditions Pagarruyung traditions Permian traditions	Humanist idea 7: Humanist Tolerance Arakanese idea 2: Rohingya Immigrants Bornean idea 2: Muslim Trading Communities Carib idea 6: Religious Syncretism French idea 7: Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité Golden Horde idea 7: Religious Pragmatism Guarani idea 4: Jesuit Conversions Ito idea 6: Sympathy for New Faiths Laotian idea 3: Satsana Phi Luzon idea 4: Tagalog Syncretism Malayan sultanate idea 2: Sufi Legacy Mindanao idea 1: An Islamicized Barangay Mysorean idea 3: Religious Tolerance Omani idea 3: Association With Unbelievers Sadiyan idea 2: Crossroad of Religions Tripuran idea 3: Religious Syncretism	Samtskhe ambition	—
+1	—	Albanian idea 6: Albanian Tolerance Brabant idea 6: Tradition of Toleration Circassian idea 7: Religious Flexibility Frisian idea 6: Difference of Opinion Garhwali idea 7: Crossroads of Faiths Kikuchi idea 5: Religious Coexistence Ouchi idea 6: Welcome the Westerners Sligonian idea 7: Pragmatism Over All Tibetan idea 4: The Way of Virtue Vijayanagar idea 4: Tolerance Westphalian idea 6: Religious Toleration	—	—

Some religions come with tolerance of heathens for countries following that faith:

• +1 for Hindu nations
• +2 for Fetishist nations
• +2 for Tengri nations with Hindu syncretic faith
• +2 for Tengri nations with Mahayana syncretic faith

Some government reforms apply tolerance of heathens:

• +1 for Sikh monarchy with Strength of the Khalsa reform
• +2 for republic with Equality Principle reform
• +2 for theocracy with The Many Fingers of God reform
• +3 for Indian Sultanate

Additional modifiers:

• +1 for ruler with ‘Tolerant’ personality
• +1 for 100 legitimacy
• +1 for successful Guarantee Religious Minorities parliament issue
• +1 with Brahmin Legitimacy to Rule privilege from Brahmins estate
• +2 with golden bull “Christiana Pietas” as catholic nation
• +2 with Norse cult as Fetishist nation
• +2 with non-disloyal Dhimmi estate (scales with influence)
• +2 with Enforced Interfaith Dialog privilege from Burghers estate
• +2 with Guaranteed Religious Minority Rights privilege from Dhimmi estate

Negative modifiers apply in the following circumstances:

• −1 for 0 legitimacy (scales up to no penalty at 50 legitimacy)
• −1 with disloyal Dhimmi estate
• −2 with Enforced Unity of Faith privilege from Clergy estate
• −2 during Clergy estate disaster
• −2 during Brahmins estate disaster

Missions and events give also tolerance of heathens modifier.

Dominant religion

The dominant religion is the religion with the highest development in the country. The development of all provinces is considered for this even if they are territories, trade companies, uncored or unfinished colonies. If there are more than two religions in a country, one of them can be dominant even if it has less than 50% of the development (as long as it has more development than each of the other religions). The development of the religions can't be directly seen in the game and has to be calculated from the development of their provinces. The charts page in the ledger can't be used to determine the dominant religion, because its percentages are calculated from the number of provinces of a religion and not the development.

The dominant religion matters for some events and decisions and for religious rebels. The demands of all non-pagan religious rebels includes the change of the state religion if the religion of the rebels is the dominant religion in the country.

Defender of the Faith

Each Christian or Muslim denomination can have one Defender of the Faith. It costs 500 ducats for a country to claim the title. Countries with female rulers (unless Anglican), regencies or which are subject nations cannot claim the title. Being Defender of the Faith gives the following modifiers (without Emperor):

	+1.00%	Missionary
	+5%.00	Morale of armies
	+5%.00	Morale of navies
	−0.03%	Monthly war exhaustion
	+1.00%	Yearly prestige
	+5%.00	Technology cost
	+1.00%	Yearly papal influence
	+0.50%	Yearly devotion
	+10%0	Church power
	+1.00%	Monthly fervor

Additionally, all other countries of the same religion get a +10 “Defender of Faith” relations boost with the title holder.

Countries automatically call the Defender of the Faith of their religion to arms if attacked by a nation of another religion. Since patch 1.8, it seems the Defender of the Faith gets a call to arms only for countries on the same continent or sharing their border. The Defender of the Faith doesn't get a call to arms if the country attacked is a co-belligerent (e.g., if France is the Catholic Defender of the Faith and Venice (Catholic) is allied with Serbia (Orthodox), then if Ottomans (Sunni) attack Serbia and make Venice co-belligerent, France doesn't get a call to arms).

Catholic countries that hold the Defender of the Faith title cannot be excommunicated by the Papacy, regardless of relations.

The Defender of the Faith loses the title, but not any prestige, if they lose any war. However, declining a call to arms will cause −20 trust with all countries of the same religion as the Defender of the Faith, so it is especially dangerous to refuse protect countries because your same religion allies can break alliance with you making you vulnerable. Additionally declining the call to arms will cause you to suffer the same penalties as if you decline the defensive call to arms from your ally. An additional penalty for declining is a −2 point hit to diplomatic reputation: −1 from "Dishonorable Defender of the Faith" and −1 from "Dishonored Alliance" (this last penalty will occur whether allied or not to the same religion defender).

If Defender of the Faith refuses a call to war, it gets a 5-years truce with the country that was calling. Therefore, if your ally is Defender of the Faith and you have a common enemy of the "defended" religion, this ally will not be able to join you in an offensive war against this enemy, as AI wouldn't break a truce.

Note: If the title holder ends any war with a result other than a white peace or victory, the title will be lost.

Depending on the strength of the faith (based on number of countries), multiple tiers of Defender of the Faith are available:

Number of countries	Effects – Defender of the Faith			Effects – All countries with the true faith
1–4		+1.00%	Missionary
		−10%.00	Missionary maintenance cost
		+1.00%	Yearly papal influence
		+10%.00	Church power
		+1.00%	Monthly fervor
5–9		+1.00%	Missionary
		−10%.00	Missionary maintenance cost
		+0.50%	Yearly prestige
		−0.03%	Monthly war exhaustion
		+1.00%	Yearly papal influence
		+10%.00	Church power
		+1.00%	Monthly fervor
10–19		+1.00%	Missionary
		−20%.00	Missionary maintenance cost
		+5%.00	Morale of armies
		+5%.00	Morale of navies
		+1.00%	Yearly prestige
		−0.03%	Monthly war exhaustion
		+1.00%	Yearly papal influence
		+10%.00	Church power
		+1.00%	Monthly fervor
20–49		+1.00%	Missionary
		−20%.00	Missionary maintenance cost
		+5%.00	Morale of armies
		+5%.00	Morale of navies
		+1.00%	Yearly prestige
		−0.03%	Monthly war exhaustion
		+1.00%	Yearly papal influence
		+10%.00	Church power
		+1.00%	Monthly fervor
		+20%.00	Manpower in true faith provinces
50+		+1.00%	Missionary
		−20%.00	Missionary maintenance cost		−20%	Missionary maintenance cost
		+5%.00	Morale of armies
		+5%.00	Morale of navies
		+1.00%	Yearly prestige
		−0.03%	Monthly war exhaustion
		+1.00%	Yearly papal influence
		+10%.00	Church power
		+1.00%	Monthly fervor
		+20%.00	Manpower in true faith provinces

Achievements

Defender of the Faith

Become Defender of the Faith.

God Tier

Become a Tier 5 Defender of the Faith as a nation that is neither Catholic nor Sunni.

Conversion

Province conversion

The most common way to convert provinces is the use of missionaries, but there are also several other methods.

Missionaries

Missionaries are envoys that can convert a province to a nation's official religion. Missionaries slowly convert provinces over time: each month, the effective missionary strength in that province is added as ongoing progress, and when it reaches 100% the province is converted. If strength is insufficient (less than 0%), the province will never convert (although the missionary will not lose progress). An active missionary in a province will increase the unrest there by +6%.

If you have the Cradle of Civilization DLC, you have the ability to directly convert your subjects' provinces to your subjects' State religion.

Each country has 1 missionary by default. More can be obtained through the following:

Conditions

+1

Defender of the faith. Coptic holding Alexandria (358) Hindu holding Varanasi (2095) Inti (reformed) holding Lima (809) Mahayana holding Luoyang (1836) Mayan (reformed) holding Sotuta (846) Nahuatl (reformed) holding Cholula (2644) Orthodox holding Alexandria (358), Antioch (2313), Constantinople (151), Jerusalem (379) and Roma (118) (as long as all provinces are Orthodox) Sikh holding Doaba (2075) as long as the province is Sikh Theravada holding Kandy (2099) Vajrayana holding Lhasa (677) Theravada, Vajrayana or Mahayana holding Pataliputra (558) Fetishist holding Ife (1146) Christian holding Mecca (385) Muslim holding Mecca (385) and Medina (384) Christian (non-Catholic) or Muslim holding Roma (118) Christian, Jewish or Muslim holding Jerusalem (379) “Propagation of State Religion” as active issue. as Shinto with Isolationism(level 3 only) as Feudal Theocracy holding Jerusalem (379) with the great project Holy City of Jerusalem while province religion is in Christian, Muslim or Jewish group and has the same religion as the owner. (only with ) otherwise you get instantly +1 Missionary as seen above holding Bratsberg (4144) with the great project Heddal Stave Church while province religion is in Christian group and same as owner. (only with ) holding Kotagede (2690) with the great project Prambanan Temple while province religion is in Dharmic group. (only with ) holding Bamyan (2225) with the great project Buddha Statues while province religion is in Buddhist group and same as owner (only with ) holding Jenne (1134) with the great project Great Mosque of Djenné while province religion is in Muslim group and same as owner (only with ) holding Pagan (2399) with the great project Bagan Temples while province religion is in Buddhist group and same as owner. Tier 3 gives +2 Missionaries (only with ).

Ideas and policies:

	Traditions	Ideas	Bonuses	Policies
+1	Asturian traditions Bamberger traditions Colognian traditions Divine traditions Sindhi traditions	Religious idea 1: Missionary Schools Ajuuraan idea 3: Gareen Imams Castilian idea 2: Spanish Inquisition Circassian idea 4: Franciscan Missionaries Ethiopian idea 5: The Ark of the Covenant Fulani Jihad idea 1: Wandering Scholars Herzegovinian idea 2: Saint Sava Jerusalem idea 4: Land of the Heathen Lotharingian idea 6: Land of Bishops Münster idea 3: Founding of Monasteries Mushasha idea 2: Messianic Legacy of Muhammad bin Falah Najdi idea 2: Hanbali School Otomo idea 5: Christian Converts Perugian idea 5: Heartbeat of Christianity Teutonic idea 6: Promote Prussian Bishops Tyrconnell idea 4: St Patrick’s Purgatory Utrecht idea 5: City of Churches	Bremish ambition Leinster ambition Munster ambition Najdi ambition Northumbrian ambition	—

Decisions and events:

	Event modifier	Trigger	Duration
+2	Counter-Reformation	Decision: “Embrace the Counter-Reformation”	until one of the four “The Counter-Reformation Ends” events.
+1	Melchior Klesl	Austrian event: “Melchior Klesl” Option: ‘Such devotion! We have need of this man on the privy council.’	until ruler changes.

Missionary maintenance

The player can adjust the missionary maintenance cost by a slider on the economy interface between zero and full funding. Reducing the funding reduces missionary strength linearly, up to −100% missionary strength without funding. At full funding the costs of an active missionary per month is calculated based on the development and local autonomy of the province as follows:

${\text{Monthly cost}}={\frac {0.5\times {\text{province development}}^{\left(1+{\text{autonomy}}\times 0.75\right)}\times (1+0.005\times ({\text{year}}-1444))}{12}}$

The province development is capped at 30

The following ideas reduce missionary maintenance cost:

	Traditions	Ideas	Bonuses	Policies
−50%	—	Religious idea 6: Inquisition	—	—
−25%	Jerusalem traditions	—	—	—

Missionary strength

Base missionary strength is +2%. Modifiers that increase strength include:

Countrywide modifiers

	Conditions
+3.0%0	with ‘The Guru's Wisdom’ government reform as Sikh country (tier 4 theocracy)
+2.0%0	for having an Inquisitor as advisor
	with ‘Open Public Elections’ government reform and Theocrats in power (tier 6 theocracy)
	as Hindu country with Vishnu personal deity
	as Catholic country with harsh position during the Council of Trent
	as Zoroastrian nation with the active ritual 'Navjote' (only with )
	for holding Bagan Temples while province religion is in Buddhist group and same as owner (only with )
	for holding Jokhang Temple while province religion is in Buddhist group and same as owner (only with )
	for holding Prambanan Temple while province religion is in Dharmic group and same as owner (only with )
+1.5%0	as Coptic country with activated ‘Send Monks to Establish Monasteries’ blessing
+1.0%0	as lucky nation
	having a ruler with a ‘Zealot’ personality
	with ‘Feudal Theocracy’ government reform (tier 1 monarchy)
	with ‘Sufi-Syncretism’ government reform (tier 2 monarchy)
	with ‘God and Man’ government reform (tier 7 theocracy)
	with Clergy estate and ‘Enforced Unity of Faith’ privilege
	as Protestant country with activated ‘Adult Baptism’ aspect
	with parliament and ‘Propagation of State Religion’ active issue
	for having the dominant religion in the Holy Roman Empire
	for holding Bagan Temples while province religion is in Buddhist group and same as owner (only with )
	for holding Buddha Statues while province religion is in Buddhist group and same as owner (only with )
	for holding Jokhang Temple while province religion is in Buddhist group and same as owner (only with )
	for holding Prambanan Temple while province religion is in Dharmic group and same as owner (only with )
	for holding Stonehenge while either province religion is in Pagan group and same as owner or culture is English and accepted (only with )
+0.5%0	for each point of positive stability
	for holding Prambanan Temple while province religion is in Dharmic group and same as owner (only with )
+0.03%	as Muslim country for each point towards mysticism
+0.02%	as Orthodox country for each percentage point patriarch authority
−100%.00	during Powerful Jain Society disaster

Ideas and policies:

	Traditions	Ideas	Bonuses	Policies
+3.0%	—	Religious idea 3: Divine Supremacy Byzantine idea 7: Restore the Ecumenical Patriarch	—	—
+2.0%	Bremish traditions Jerusalem traditions Najdi traditions	Armenian idea 1: Apostolic Church Austrian idea 5: Edict of Restitution Asturian idea 5: Millenarian Revival Castilian idea 2: Spanish Inquisition Divine idea 4: Let No Man Tolerate the Witch Hindustani idea 6: Patronize Sufi Missionaries Javan idea 3: Dharmasastra Kanem Bornuan idea 4: House of Kanem Moldavian idea 5: Metropolis of Moldavia Nubian idea 5: Nubian Religious Unity Nuremberger idea 5: Franconian Centre of Reformation Pagarruyung idea 1: Tantric Legacy Palatinate idea 5: Heidelberg Catechism Rigan idea 4: Denounce Witchcraft Savoyard idea 4: Crush the Vaudois Sindhi idea 2: Bab ul Islam Sumatran idea 2: Porch of Mecca Teutonic idea 4: Assume Religious Authority Trent idea 7: Trent Religious Unity Utrecht idea 5: City of Churches	Tsutsui ambition	—
+1.0%	Ajuuraan traditions Lan Xang traditions Tibetan traditions	Air idea 7: Ineslemen Teachings Arabian idea 4: Spreading the Prophet's Word Athenian idea 6: Preserve Archbishop of Athens Breton idea 4: Breton Catholicism Fulani Jihad idea 3: Fulani Jihads Genevan idea 5: Calvin's Laws German idea 5: Cuius Regio, Eius Religio Hejazi idea 6: Hajj Icelandic idea 3: Christian Identity Khivan idea 4: Djuma Mosque Kievan idea 5: Center Of Orthodox Church Leinster idea 1: Legacy of Palladius Muscovite idea 3: Seat of Metropolitan Bishop Novgorod idea 2: City of Churches Québécois idea 7: Jesuit Missions Saluzzo idea 6: Chiesa San Giovanni Sukhothai idea 4: Wat Si Sawai	Sami ambition	Religious-Aristocratic: The Witchcraft Act Religious-Diplomatic: Policy of Calculated Delay Religious-Espionage: Enforce Religious Law Religious-Trade: Religiously Sponsored Guilds

Provincial modifiers

	Conditions
+3.0%	with a Cathedral
	in area with Bagan Temples while province religion is in Buddhist group and same as owner (only with )
	in area with Holy City of Jerusalem while province religion is in Christian or Muslim group, or Jewish and same as owner (only with )
+2.0%	that are Pagan except Tengri
	in area with Bagan Temples while province religion is in Buddhist group and same as owner (only with )
	in area with Holy City of Jerusalem while province religion is in Christian or Muslim group, or Jewish and same as owner (only with )
+1.5%	in states of the Jesuits or Shadhili holy order
+1.0%	producing slaves
	in states with enacted ‘Enforce Religious Unity’ edict
	in area with Bagan Temples while province religion is in Buddhist group and same as owner (only with )
	in area with Holy City of Jerusalem while province religion is in Christian or Muslim group, or Jewish and same as owner (only with )
−0.1%	per point of development
−1.0%	that are Orthodox or Sikh
−2.0%	that are Coptic, Muslim, Shinto, Jewish or Zoroastrian
	in territories
	that are not a core province
	have a non-accepted culture
−5.0%	that are religious centers
	that have a center of reformation
−200.0%	in a trade company

There are also many modifiers from decisions, events and missions that also affect missionary strength.

Missionary strength vs heretics

Missionary strength vs heretics is an additional modifier that affect missionary strength when converting heretics, but has no effect when converting heathens.

	Conditions
+2.0%	as Hussite country
	with the triggered province modifiers ‘The Conquest of Bodh Gaya’ and ‘The Conquest of Jerusalem’
−5.0%	as Catholic country with conciliatory position during the Council of Trent

	Traditions	Ideas	Bonuses	Policies
+3%	—	Bavarian idea 4: Establish the Geistlicher Rat Colognian idea 5: Pivotal Ecclesiastic Territory Rûmi idea 7: Protector of Dar al-Islam	—	Religious-Offensive: The Anti-Heresy Act
+2%	—	Aachen idea 5: Expel Heretical Officials Anhalt idea 7: The Confessor Ardabili idea 4: Conversion of the Masses Bamberger idea 5: Witch Burner Bulgarian idea 2: Root Out the Heresies Flemish idea 3: Beeldenstorm Irish idea 4: Loyal Catholics Manx idea 6: Burn the Heretic Mushasha idea 7: Sufis and Shias of the Middle East Ulster idea 5: Catholic Ascendency	Finnish ambition Münster ambition	—
+1%	Kievan traditions	Clevian idea 3: Avid Reformers Herzegovinian idea 2: Saint Sava Welsh idea 7: Welsh Church	Divine Passion	—

There are also many modifiers from decisions, events and missions that also affect missionary strength vs heretics.

Missionary strength vs heathens

Similar to missionary strength vs heretics, this modifier only will affect missionary strength when converting heathens.

	Conditions
+1.0%	with Great Mosque of Djenné while province religion is in Muslim group and same as owner (only with )
+2.0%	with Great Mosque of Djenné while province religion is in Muslim group and same as owner (only with )
+3.0%	with Great Mosque of Djenné while province religion is in Muslim group and same as owner (only with )

Centers of reformation

The first three European nations to convert to Protestant, the first three to convert to Reformed, Bohemia if the Hussite religion is chosen, and a British nation if it takes one of the appropriate choices to convert to Anglicanism, have a random European province designated as a Center of Reformation. These centers of reformation will automatically convert nearby provinces to their religion. Provinces converted by a center of reformation get the −100% religious zeal modifier to missionary strength in that province for 30 years. Missionaries can't work in the same province that is being converted by a center of reformation. Each center of reformation can only convert one province at a time. Players will receive a notification if all provinces within the center's range have been converted to its religion.

Destroying centers of reformation

When playing as the Holy Roman Emperor, one may wish to destroy the centers of reformation in order to stop the spread of automatic religious conversion before religious disunity is able to drain too much imperial authority.

A center of reformation is destroyed if its province is converted to another religion. One method for a Catholic nation to slow or stop the spread of the reformation is to conquer and convert a province with a center of reformation, thereby eliminating its missionary effect on neighboring provinces. Forcing religion through a peace deal on a country with a center of reformation on its capital will immediately convert the province, destroying the center of reformation in the process. If the center of reformation is not in the nation's capital province, ceding every other province to yourself or to other nations in a peace deal will force the defeated nation's capital to move to the province with the center of reformation, letting you destroy it if you also demand "force religion" in the same peace deal.

A center of reformation will cease to convert provinces after start of the Age of Absolutism.

Conversion using trade policy

Muslim nations can enable "Propagate religion" policy in trade nodes inside a trade company region, provided that they control at least 50% of trade power in this node. While this policy is active, it will work the same way as a center of reformation, but it will only target provinces which have a non-abrahamic religion.

Colonists

If a colonist is present when a colony in a Trade Company Region is finished, the province will be converted to the religion of the parent nation on the following day (when the colonist returns to the capital). ^[verify]

National conversion

There are several different ways a country may change religion.

By direct action

Some religions may convert among certain heresies/sects via the Religion panel, at a cost of 100 prestige. This is true for Catholic, Protestant and Reformed Christians, Hindus and Sikhs once Sikhism is unlocked, as well as all Buddhists. Conversion by this method will give +10% missionary strength against heretics for ten years, making conversion of provinces of the old faith quite rapid. Sikhs can also convert to Sunni or Shia Islam this way.

Conversion is also possible through decisions in some cases, which causes a -4 stability hit (except for Sikh or Sunni/Shia conversion, which only reduces it by 2). With the Star and Crescent DLC, Sunni and Shiite (but not Ibadi) Muslims may convert to the other denomination if both their capital and the majority of their province development follows the other denomination.

Without Mandate of Heaven, Japanese daimyos, but not the Shogun or Japan itself, may convert to Catholicism by decision if the majority of their territories are Catholic, which can happen following certain events in the 16th century. With Mandate of Heaven, the Open outcome for the Ikko - Ikki, Neo-Confucianism, and Spread of Christianity Incidents will unlock a decision to convert to Mahayana, Confucianism, and Catholic respectively.

Pagan nations that are not Tengri may convert to any non-Pagan faith if they control even just one province of that faith (they do not require a majority of that faith to convert and can immediately accept religious rebel demands to convert); Tengri nations are limited to Vajrayana Buddhism.

Muslims owning a Sikh province may decide to convert to Sikhism - this decision probably mostly exists to allow Punjab to easily follow its historical religion.

If using rebels to convert (see the section below) be aware that newly acquired provinces will suffer separatism that will spawn separatists instead of religious rebels if being converted by a missionary on low maintenance. To avoid this make sure the new province only has the player's core on it, or that rebel progress is below 30% (hence 20% or lower) in which case the rebels will change from separatists to religious rebels.

By event

Totemist and Animist pagans get events to convert to Catholic, Protestant, or Reformed Christianity if they have neighbors of the appropriate denomination and a sufficient positive opinion with that neighbor. Tengri pagans with a dominant secondary faith may be prompted to change to it or face a -3 stability hit; they also have event chains that end in conversion to their secondary religion.

Kongo and Ming have special event chains to convert to Catholicism.

A nation in the British region, typically England, can get an event, based on the wives of Henry VIII, to convert to Anglicanism with the Rule Britannia DLC.

Some nations, for example Sweden, have unique events enabling them to change religion.

Countries that have the Indian Sultanate government by default, but are neither Muslim nor were forcefully converted to another religion, will quickly be forced to choose by event between conversion to the appropriate branch of Islam, or facing a large amount of rebels and a stability hit. This generally only is the case if they have been released as a vassal or in a peace deal, which will likely make them Hindu initially, because Indian sultanates rarely convert the local religion, and indeed have no need to due to their large bonus to heathen tolerance. AI will always choose to convert.

Forced conversion by other nations

• A nation can force a heretic country (hence only one in the same denominational group) to change their state religion as part of a peace deal. This can have significant strategic implications that will materially affect game play, for example:
  • It can help the player quickly reach higher levels of benefits if they are the Defender of the Faith
  • It can help the player ally such nations easier in the future as they "share the same religion" or have them get lower aggressive expansion against the player while they gobble up neighbouring "heretic" nations.
  • [More advanced methods] This same method can be used "in reverse" by the player to be converted by another AI heathen nation (hence in the same denominational group). To do this the player should get to a 100% war score against the enemy AI by sieging all their provinces. Then, instead of demanding something from the AI enemy, the player in facts offers to the enemy (as though it has lost the war) that the player itself be converted. Hence, for example, the player being an Animist Ryuku could "offer" to the AI Nahuatl enemy to be force converted into Nahuatl, which is in the same Pagan denominational group. Be sure that the player's overall country size must be less than 100% war score to be converted this way by the AI. Note that primitive nations cannot do such "reverse" force conversions until they are reformed.
  • [More advanced methods] In multiplayer games a Catholic player can for example gain an Orthodox province nearby from which they can spawn religious rebels and be converted. To do this the player needs to have an Orthodox human ally force convert say a neighbouring AI One Province Minor (OPM) within Catholic Europe with whom the player is at war. To do so both the player and the ally need to fight together in the war with the OPM. Once the player has sieged the capital of the OPM they can then as the war leader transfer control of that province to the ally. The ally would then be able to separate peace the OPM during which they will force convert them to being Orthodox. The player can then re-siege the OPM and annex them fully. The player would then have an Orthodox province from which they can spawn religious rebels to convert the country (see conversion by rebels further below).
• Without an appropriate casus belli such as "Cleansing of Heresy" or "Religious Conformance" (unique to the Holy Roman Emperor against HRE members), this will have the same war score cost as annexing the nation.
• Christian nations having upgraded the Cologne Cathedral in Koln will have a reduced cost of enforcing religion through war: tier 1 being -10%, tier 2 being -25% and tier 3 being -33%.
• Heathen nations can be converted by Theocracies that have enacted the final tier 8 reform "The Global Crusade". With the tier 2 reform "Mission to Civilize" such Theocracies can convert non-bordering Pagans anywhere in the world. And, with the final Deus Vult idea from Religious Ideas such Theocracies can also convert even non-bordering heathen and heretics anywhere in the world. Since the cost is only 75% of 75% of total development (hence 56%) even large nations can be converted by Theocracies especially once maximum admin efficiency is unlocked during the Age of Absolutism.
• When a country is converted through force religion, only the state religion and the capital province's religion change (if the current capital is taken in the piece deal the new capital will be converted). Therefore it is common that nations will eventually revert back to their original religion (or be forced by religious rebels to do so) since the majority development of their provinces is not that of this new forced religion.
• Once the religion of the Holy Roman Empire has been locked, the emperor can also request a prince to change their state religion depending on their opinion of the Emperor. Similarly to when forcing a religion of an enemy country, the prince has its capital converted while the rest of the provinces remained unaffected.
• With the Common Sense DLC, using the subject interaction screen, the player can force their subject nations to change religions if they follow a different faith. This requires the subject to have a positive opinion of its overlord and less than 50% liberty desire. Such a forced conversion will result in +50% liberty desire if heretic (hence in the same denominational group), and if heathen +100 liberty desire, both gradually ticking down over a very long time.

Forced conversion by rebels

Nations can support religious zealots in other countries. These rebels convert a province's religion to the one they represent when occupation is achieved.

Supporting religious zealots is only possible if the desired religion is present in the target nation and is the likely rebel type in a province with unrest above 0. If there are no such provinces in the target nation, one way to achieve it is to sell the target a province of the correct religion.

Generally the nation will be able to overpower the rebels if left to its own devices, so it is critical to support them militarily. This can be done by declaring war against the target nation using the "Support Rebels" casus belli.

A nation that is broken by religious rebels, or that accepts their demands, will convert to the rebels' religion provided that the rebels' religion is the plurality religion in terms of development (the autonomy of the provinces or the number of provinces do not matter). For most countries, giving in to religious rebels is the only way to change between religious groups.

However, only Animist rebels, not other types, can convert a non-Pagan nation to a Pagan faith. Thus Animism must serve as a springboard to conversion to other pagan faiths. The demands of the animist rebels can't be accepted as a non-Pagan nation, so they must enforce their demands to convert the country.

To trigger a religious rebel revolt and be forcefully converted by rebels the following steps are suggested:

• The player must ensure they own at least one province of the targeted religion and that the province has unrest (provinces in which there has recently been a revolt will have a -100% modifier, and will not be suitable).
• The player should reduce their missionary maintenance to zero and then send a missionary to the targeted province to try and convert it. At zero maintenance the province will never be converted and simply cause additional unrest.
• This should trigger religious rebels with a ticking progress meter.
  • If using rebels to convert be aware that newly acquired provinces will suffer separatism that will spawn separatists instead of religious rebels if being converted by a missionary on low maintenance. To avoid this make sure the new province only has the player's core on it, or that rebel progress is below 30% (hence 20% or lower) in which case the rebels should change from separatists to religious rebels.
• In the rebel interaction menu the player can then "provoke rebels" once the progress meter has reached 50%; this will spawn rebels at +50% strength.
• Once the rebels have spawned they will start converting provinces unprotected by forts (hence be sure to mothball forts before they spawn).
• Once the plurality of religion is of the new type the player can then accept their demands and be converted.
• Be aware that rebels can break a country prematurely if they control more than 50% of the country or have controlled the capital for a while (typically 24 months). However, rebels cannot enforce their demand during war (unless they somehow manage to convert 100% of all provinces, or they have controlled the capital for 24 months). So it may be advisable to be at war while these rebels are converting as much of the country as possible. These rebels are fragile though and need to be "protected" while converting.
  • The player should therefore set vassals to "snooze" in their own territories and not allow allies or other armies engaged in war to have access in the player's country so as to accidentally engage the rebels.
  • Also, uneven and untidy borders and straits blocked by ships may cause rebels to walk through neighbouring countries and be killed there.
• If they are killed, re-siege one of the newly converted provinces (ones without the -100% recent uprising modifier) to again try and convert it and respawning the rebels.
• Know that if one is not at war while the rebels are busy moving about one's country it will become a fine balance between (i) unsieging rebel-controlled provinces to avoid their premature enforcement of demands (before the 50% requirement is met) or triggering "rebels break the country" and (ii) not impeding their progress.
• Be considerate that they are very likely to re-siege the same provinces or to attack one in order to keep provinces under their control.
• Sadly there is no easy method to determine the plurality of a religion as the rebels progress, except for watching the "Accept rebel demands" to see when it changes to "X becomes the new state religion of Y". A rough guide to track the religious progress towards being the plurality of the religion is to use the "Charts" panel in the ledger (panel 35) under the Economy Section in the ledger. However, the charts are merely a proxy as they only show the number of provinces that have the particular religion and sadly is not weighted by development. An alternative method would be to check the religious unity in the religion tab although this is also flawed as the weighting is heavily affected by the nation's tolerance to heathens and heretics.

With some luck and God's will these rebels may be successful in their quest to convert the majority of the country and the player can soon enjoy following the path of this new accepted faith.

Strategy

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

• Base missionary strength is very small compared to modifiers, both positive and negative. This means that conversion can be very fast or impossible. Religious ideas are sometimes essential to make any progressive conversion work.
• Setting provinces as states is vitally important:
  • Provinces in territories and with an unaccepted population culture have a missionary strength modifier of -4% before other modifiers. In contrast, provinces in states can promote cultures to become acceptable and can further enact "Enforce Religious Unity" for a modifier of +1%, a net overall difference of +5% in such accepted culture enforce religious unity provinces.
• Provinces that do not have the state religion generally suffer from low tolerance and also lower the nation's Religious Unity. With that, nations that are challenged with large numbers of wrong-religion provinces will have to choose between converting them or tolerating them, and with the 1.26 update the main way of tolerating them as a large nation is to use the Humanist idea group.
• Note that only provinces with the the state religion and no separatism can be culture converted.
• Several Triggers for Religions give bonuses or penalties. You should keep in mind these Triggers to optimize your religious conversion. See Triggered modifiers.
• In high development provinces building a cathedral will add +3% local missionary strength, helping with the conversion as well as additional tax revenue.
• For Catholic nations intending to convert to Protestant or Reformed, consider driving relations with the Pope down to enact Declare Statute in Restraint of Appeals and then build them back up to Revoke Restraint of Appeals for a +1% missionary strength that remains to the end of the game.

Footnotes

Mechanics

Customization

Nation designer • Random New World

Ages and Institutions

Ages • Institutions

Innovativeness and Technology

Innovativeness • Technology

Defense

Fort • Zone of control