Savoy

Primary culture

Piedmontese (Latin)

Capital province

Savoie (205)

Government

Feudal Monarchy

State religion

Catholic

Technology group

Western

Savoyard ideas

Traditions:

+25% Improve relations

+1 Diplomatic relation

Repel the French

+20% Fort defense

The Shroud of Turin

+0.5 Yearly prestige

+1 Yearly papal influence

Mercenary Tradition

−15% Mercenary maintenance

Crush the Vaudois

+2% Missionary strength

Savoyard Flexibility

−10% Idea cost

Alpine Tolls

+10% Provincial trade power modifier

Savoyard Legitimacy

+1 Yearly legitimacy

Ambition:

+10% National tax modifier

For the area, see Savoy (area).

Savoy is the largest Italian nation in the HRE and can form three nations: Italy, Sardinia-Piedmont, and the Holy Roman Empire. In 1444, Savoy starts with Montferrat as a vassal.

Decisions[edit]

Savoy, together with Sardinia, can form the Sardinia-Piedmont nation.

Form Sardinia-Piedmont

We now rule both Piedmont and Sardinia, and (Monarch's name) has decided to formally unite the dual kingdoms to one power: the kingdom of Sardinia-Piedmont, the true descendant of the Taurini and the Salassi.


Potential requirements Sardinia-Piedmont does not already exist Country is: Either Sardinia or Savoy A monarchy Not a colonial nation If country used to be a colonial nation, it must be player controlled	Allow Administrative Technology at least 10 Is not a subject nation Is not a nomad nation Is not at war Either Sardinia or Savoy must not exist Owns and has cores on: Nice Piedmont Sassari Savoy Cuneo

Effects Country changes to Sardinia-Piedmont Piedmont becomes the new capital Gain 10 Prestige If is a member of HRE and is not an elector, remove all province from HRE. Become Kingdom rank if nation was Ducal rank.

Inherit Sardinia-Piedmont

We now rule both Piedmont and Sardinia, and (Monarch's name) has decided to formally unite the dual kingdoms to one power: the kingdom of Sardinia-Piedmont, the true descendant of the Taurini and the Salassi.


Potential requirements Sardinia-Piedmont does not already exist Country is a monarchy Country is either Sardinia or Savoy Either Savoy or Sardinia must be AI controlled	Allow Country: Has at least 10 Administrative technology Is not a vassal Is not a nomad nation Is not at war Has 75 prestige Ruler's diplomatic and administrative skill is at least 3 If Sardinia: Owns and has a core on Sassari Senior union partner over Savoy Savoy owns & has a core on Piedmont Savoy owns no more than 11 provinces If Savoy Owns & has a core on Piedmont Senior union partner over Sardinia Sardinia owns & has a core on Sassari Sardinia owns no more than 7 provinces

Effects Inherit either Sardinia or Savoy Country changes to Sardinia-Piedmont Piedmont becomes the new capital Gain25 Prestige If is a member of HRE and is not an elector, remove all province from HRE. Become Kingdom rank if nation was Ducal rank.

Savoy can form Italy.

Form Italian Nation

As the heart of the Renaissance, our nation is blossoming culturally. We have just entered the beginning of what looks like a prolonged artistic rebellion, especially in the field of architecture and literature. The cultural evolution is not aiding our country in maintaining peace within our borders however. Our country is continuously stricken by foreign states seeking power and territorial gain.


Potential requirements Italy does not exist. The country: is not the Holy Roman Empire or the Papal State has a primary culture in the Latin culture group. is not a colonial nation. has not yet enacted this decision. If the country is AI-controlled then it: can not be a former colonial nation. must own at least 15 cities. can not be a custom nation.	Allow The country: has an administrative technology of at least level 10. is not a subject nation other than a tributary state. is not at war. owns its core provinces: Genoa (101), Milan (104), Modena (106), Verona (108), Mantua (109), Firenze (116), Siena (117), Roma (118), Ancona (119).

Effects The country: becomes Italy. moves its capital to Roma (118). gets a permanent claim on every province of Italy (region) that it does not own. gains 25 prestige. If the country: is a member of the Holy Roman Empire but not the emperor or an elector then all its provinces are removed from the HRE. the emperor gets the event ‘Italy breaks out of the Empire’. the emperor gets the opinion modifier “Left the Holy Roman Empire” towards Italy, worth −150 with a yearly decay of 1. is a duchy then Italy becomes a kingdom. does not have custom ideas then Italy gets the event ‘New Traditions & Ambitions’.

Strategy[edit]

Starting position[edit]

Savoy starts as a nation in north-western Italy, a member of the Holy Roman Empire, and its traditions are geared towards good early game diplomacy. To its east it has a Vassal, Montferrat, and Milan, which is another northern Italian power of about the same level of Savoy. To the south there is the merchant republic of Genoa who may seem small but usually gets powerful allies such as Austria and therefore might prove to be more of a difficult target than expected. To the west it finds the nations of France and Provence and to the north it borders Switzerland.

War with France[edit]

The first thing a Savoy player should do is fill out its army to the force limit and try to ally Austria and Castile and if possible even Burgundy to get some help against France. A royal marriage with Burgundy is also advisable, because as a bordering country Savoy would get a decent chance to score the Burgundian inheritance. Fabricating a claim on a French province should be one of the priorities, as a player is going to want to declare war on France as soon as the surrender of Maine happens and France finds itself at war with England. If the player manages to get at least two of the three nations in the war against France the war shouldn't be hard to win, but it can also be done with only the help of one ally (preferably Castille or Burgundy) and a few mercenaries and loans. At war won, the player should prioritize taking bordering provinces (the center of trade in Lyonnaise can be particularly useful as it is part of Savoy's home trade node, Genoa), keeping its allies happy and weakening France, in that order. Also keep in mind that if England wins its own war against France they might take a couple provinces for themselves. Don't be fooled, though, as even after losing a few provinces France is still a force to be reckoned with: strike in moments of weakness, with help from your allies and as soon as possible.

Italian expansion[edit]

Savoy is one of the strongest nations in the Italian peninsula, and with a possibility for great alliances it can definitely project its power over its neighbors. Milan is the natural rival of Savoy, as it is about the same size and it blocks one of the two main paths of expansion into the Italian peninsula. Milan doesn't usually get very good alliances, and can be beaten in a fair one on one fight although help from an ally can certainly prove helpful. Be careful though, as the lands of the Milanese are very rich and can cause a coalition very easily, if a player is not cautious. A different path of expansion into Lombardy could be the one where you claim the Milanese throne. The nation starts with an old, heirless leader and there is a chance that they have not rivaled the player at the start of the game. If the Milanese duke dies without an heir, there is a slim chance that it will not try to get the ambrosian republic but instead get a new duke, which could become a member of the player's dynasty allowing them to claim the throne of the rich country for themselves. There is also a chance on the Milan kings death to for Milan to enter into a Personal Union as a junior partner. Do not rely on this though, as the AI will usually choose to become the ambrosian republic, which can still be advantageous as this gives all of Milan's neighbors (including the player) a "restore the monarchy" casus belli. To the south lies The republic of Genoa, a tempting target with its rich coastal provinces and its coastal center of trade. Genoa tends to ally Austria and other powerful states such as Venice, so expansion into them can prove to be rather difficult. If Milan and/or Genoa have been conquered, the road to expansion into the rest of the Italian peninsula lies open to you as a very powerful nation in the area. A player may attempt to expand into the Venice trade node and south towards the centers of trade in Florence and Naples.

An alternative approach is available if one is willing to reset for an ideal start. Due to Milan starting with an old ruler and no heir, it is possible for Savoy to get a Personal Union over them by Royal Marriage; provided Milan's starting ruler dies without first producing an heir [Which would trigger the Ambrosian Republic event instead]. Milan very rarely gets an Royal Marriage with any power who could supplant you as the claimant; often leaving Savoy as Defender against an Italian minor such as Montferratt. An early PU with Milan propels Savoy to effectively 180 development; counting Monferratt, a level which surpasses even Austria and is only rivaled by Venice in the Italian region.

Mediterranean ambition[edit]

After having beaten France, the player can set its sights on the lands belonging to Aragon, as a large part of the Genoa trade node is located there. this may require breaking the alliance with castille, but at this point the player should have a large power base in northern Italy and southern France. It is also worth noting that at the start of the game Aragon owns Sardinia, which is necessary to own if the player wishes to form Sardinia-Piedmont. Having subdued the Iberians, the player can start expanding into North Africa and even into the Ottomans for the trade coming from the Ragusa, Tunis, Costantinople and Alexandria trade nodes.

Later game[edit]

If a player managed to expand enough into France, Italy and Iberia and is able to win against the Ottoman Empire, nothing can stop them. They can try to conquer the Mediterranean basin and form the Roman Empire, dominate the peninsula and form Italy, go Protestant and dismantle the Holy Roman Empire or stay catholic and try to reform it into a unitary state. With a powerbase as rich as Italy there is nothing stopping what a player may try to do in game, and a player can decide to use it however they want.