States and territories
- See also: Core
All countries are internally comprised of states and territories.
Any area in which a country holds one or more provinces is classified within that country as a state or a territory.
States represent parts of a country which are more tightly integrated, while territories represent parts of a country which are more autonomous.
States can be more productive than territories, but take up a larger portion of the country's governing capacity, which puts a limit on the number of states it may have. This reflects the historical difficulty of fully integrating every part of a large country. The player must decide which areas to turn into states, and which areas to leave as territories.
Differences between states and territories[edit | edit source]
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Please help with verifying or updating this section. It was last verified for version 1.33. |
The table below shows key differences between States, Territories, and Trade Companies:
| States | Territories | Trade Companies | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Autonomy for Provinces | 0% for Full Core 50% for Territorial Core |
90% | 90%. Half penalty for Production Efficiency. No penalty for Trade Power and Naval Force Limit |
| Type of Core Created | Full Core | Territorial Core | Territorial Core |
| ADM Cost for Creating Core | 50% if a Territorial Core is present, 100% otherwise |
50% | 50% |
| Governing Capacity Discount | -50% if only a Territorial Core is present, 0% otherwise |
-75% | -50% |
 Allows Centers of Trade to be upgraded |
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| Allows Provinces to be Given to trade company | |
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n/a |
 Allows State Edicts |
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| May contain Capital | |
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| State Maintenance Costs | |
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| Missionary Strength Penalty | 0% | −2.0% | −200% |
Summary[edit | edit source]
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Please help with verifying or updating this section. It was last verified for version 1.30. |
The following points provide a detailed summary of the system:
- A newly conquered province is considered as part of a territory (unless it already belongs to one of the nation's existing states).
- Provinces without a core (except colonies) cause
overextension regardless of whether they are in a territory or a state. - Coring provinces in a territory have reduced coring costs due to the Is territory modifier which applies
−50% Core-creation cost (coring duration is not affected). The newly cored provinces gain territorial cores and remove the overextension penalty caused by the province. - Provinces in territories, whether trade companies or not, have
90% minimum local autonomy. - Provinces in states with full cores have 0% minimum local autonomy. This makes it advantageous to turn territories into states, provided you have enough governing capacity.
- There are a number of other differences between states and territories, as detailed in the graph below.
- Once all the owned provinces in an area have territorial cores, it is possible to turn the territory into a state (from the province interface, above the buildings section).
- Provinces in states but with only territorial cores:
- Have 50% minimum local autonomy.
- Lose their territorial cores if they are conquered and have to be re-cored if the provinces are re-conquered.
- Have
- To fully core state provinces requires paying the remaining 50% coring costs. This second coring phase is instantaneous. Local autonomy is reduced instantaneously to the underlying 'true' autonomy (if it's lower than the previous minimum), which may be 0%.
- Revoking the status of a state (back to a territory) converts all of the country's full cores in the area into territorial cores. The administrative points used to create the full core are not refunded.
- Fully cored state provinces contribute fully to the nation and retain their cores even if conquered.
- Provinces of diplomatically annexed vassals, integrated personal union partners, and newly created colonial nations get full cores if the annexed nation had a full core there. The provinces will still need to be made into states if they aren't already, but there is no
admin power cost for doing so. - Assigning states in colonial regions will not prevent colonial nations from forming in those provinces. Doing so is usually a waste of administrative power for a country whose capital is not also in a colonial region, since the colonies' territorial cores are converted to full cores for the new colonial nation.
Governing capacity[edit | edit source]
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Please help with verifying or updating this section. It was last verified for version 1.33. |
Governing capacity represents a country's ability to effectively manage its owned provinces. Each province has a 
province governing cost, based on 
development, modified by other factors, such as buildings and government type. In particular, provinces in territories have a reduced governing cost. (Province governing cost should not be confused with state maintenance.)
Governing capacity is based on 
administrative technology, as well as government reforms, ideas, and other factors. It therefore constitutes a soft limit on how many provinces, especially state provinces, the country can own. A country receives scaling penalties if it controls provinces with a total governing cost greater than its governing capacity.
The penalty when total governing cost is twice governing capacity (i.e. 100% penalty):
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Please help with verifying or updating this table. It was last verified for version 1.33. |
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+100% | Stability cost modifier |
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+100% | Advisor cost |
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−50% | Improve relations |
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-50% | Administrative Efficiency |
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+50% | Aggressive expansion impact |
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−1 | Militarization of state |
Changing province governing cost[edit | edit source]
Every province will contribute towards the governing capacity limit. The base province governing cost for each province is its total development. The governing cost from percentage modifiers cannot be lower than 1% of development, but flat modifiers from state houses can reduce the cost to 0.
Modifiers affecting province governing cost:
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Local modifiers (provinces or statewide) |
|---|---|
| +25% |
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| +10% |
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| −15% |
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| −20% |
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| −25% |
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| −50% | |
| −75% |
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| −100% |
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Notes:
- trade company provinces are also territories, so in practice they have a −50% modifier
- all
State house modifiers are cumulative, so for example a state house in a paper province has governing cost
governing cost|
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Local flat modifiers |
|---|---|
| +15 |
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| −10 |
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These modifiers are applied at the end and are not affected by percentage modifiers
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Country modifiers | Applies to |
|---|---|---|
| +75% |
|
states |
| +25% |
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states |
| −5% | states | |
| −15% | states | |
| −25% | states | |
|
trade companies |
state governing cost as well as one of up to −20% 
trade company governing cost.Changing governing capacity[edit | edit source]
Governing capacity represents the ability of a nation to rule its lands efficiently. Each nation has a base value of 200 governing capacity. Additional modifiers are then applied as follows:
Modifiers affecting governing capacity limit:
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Flat Modifiers |
|---|---|
| +500 |
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| +400 |  Empire rank
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| +250 | |
| +200 |  Kingdom rank
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| +150 |
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| +100 |
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| +50 |
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| +20 | Expand administration (repeatable)[Note 1] |
| 0 |  Duchy rank
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| −25 | Increase Integration Crown Colony relationship (for overlord, per Crown Colony) |
| −50 |
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Percentage modifiers |
|---|---|
| +33% |
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| +20% |
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| +15% | |
| +10% |
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| +5% | |
| −50% |
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| −99% |
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- ↑ Langfang idea 7: Expansion of the State reduces this cost by -30%
Ideas that modify governing capacity:
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Traditions | Ideas | Bonuses | Policies |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| +20% | — | — |
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— |
| +15% |
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|
— |
| +10% |
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A custom nation can have a national idea of up to +40% governing capacity.
State maintenance[edit | edit source]
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Please help with verifying or updating this section. It was last verified for version 1.33. |
A state requires monthly monetary upkeep in the form of 
state maintenance. Territories have no upkeep.
Each province's contribution to state maintenance has a base of 
+0.007 per development level and is modified by the following:
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Province and state modifiers |
|---|---|
| +0.001% | Per unit distance from the  capital
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| +10% | Metropolitan assigned to state |
| +200% | Active state edict |
| −15% | Summer Court province modifier in Anjou (only for  England or  Great Britain)
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| −20% | Centralize state action (repeatable) |
| −25% |  Courthouse building
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| −50% |
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| −80% | Champaner province modifier in Rewakantha (only for  Gujarat)
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Country modifiers |
|---|---|
| −5% | Liberal Constitution country modifier (only for  Russia)
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| −10% |
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| −20% |
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| −25% |
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Ideas that modify state maintenance:
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Traditions | Ideas | Bonuses | Policies |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| −50% | — | — | — |
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| −33% | — |
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— | — |
| −25% |
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— |
| −15% |
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— |
| −10% | — |
|
— | — |
A custom nation can have a national idea of up to -40% state maintenance.
Centralize State[edit | edit source]
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Available only with the Leviathan DLC enabled. |
If all provinces in a state are owned and the combined base governing cost of all provinces in the state is at least 10, it can be centralized.
Centralisation costs 50 administrative power and 
50 government reform progress and takes 5 years.
After this time has passed, the following state-wide modifiers will come into effect:
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−20% | Statewide governing cost |
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+0.25 | Local prosperity growth |
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−20% | Local state maintenance |
It is possible to centralize a state multiple times and there is no limit on how often a state can be centralized.
State edicts[edit | edit source]
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Available only with the Mandate of Heaven DLC enabled. |
In each state, a state edict can optionally be enacted. This applies a bonus to all owned and cored provinces in the state, including any territorial cores. All edicts cost +200% state maintenance.
Once enacted, an edict cannot be adjusted for one year. After this time has passed, it becomes possible to remove or replace the edict.
The 'States & Territories' page on the ledger shows the current edict for each state, if any, and the State Edicts map mode colours states according to the currently active edict. These can be useful for keeping track of edicts in a large country with many states.
The first three ages each have a special edict associated with them. These edicts can be unlocked by spending Splendor on the relevant age ability, but such edicts will only be usable until the end of that age.
List of available edicts[edit | edit source]
| Edict | Effect |
|---|---|
| Advancement Effort |  +33% Institution spread
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| Centralization Effort | −0.03 Monthly autonomy change
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| Defensive Edict |  +33% Local defensiveness
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| Encourage Development |  −10% Local development cost
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| Feudal De Jure Law |  −5 Local unrest
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| Religion Enforced |  +90% Resistance to reformation
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| Edict of Absolutism |  −0.25 Monthly devastation
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| Increased Enlistment |  +25% Local manpower modifier
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| French Infrastructure Network |  +20% Local friendly movement speed
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| Protect Trade |  +50% Local trade power
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| Promote Trade | +75% Local trade power
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| Enforce Religious Unity |  +1% Local missionary strength
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| Rapid Industrialization | −10% Local development cost
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| Feudal Taxes Edict |  +50% Local tax modifier
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| Religious Tolerances Edict |  -50% Local religious unity contribution
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| State Integration Edict |  -10 Years of Separatism
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| Urbanization Edict |  +33% Local goods produced modifier
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Local Organisation[edit | edit source]
- Main article: Local organisation
Local Organisations, also known as Holy Orders can be established, in fully owned states by some nations, mainly Iberians. These increase the development of all provinces in the state, as well as giving some local modifiers.
Prosperity[edit | edit source]
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Please help with verifying or updating this section. It was last verified for version 1.30. |
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Available only with the Mandate of Heaven DLC enabled. |
States in which every province has 0% devastation may become prosperous when the 
stability of owner country is positive. Prosperity gives the following benefits:
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−10% | Local development cost |
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+25% | Local goods produced modifier |
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−0.05 | Monthly autonomy change |
Each such state has a chance of increasing its progress towards being prosperous by +1% each month, until progress reaches 100%. The chance is 5% for each ruler skill point; for example, a ruler with 3 / 
3 / 
3 gives provinces a 45% chance of progressing. If any province in a state has devastation or the stability is negative, it instead decays by −2% per month.
Strategy[edit | edit source]
The below is one of many player suggested strategies for States and territories. Bear in mind, due to the dynamic nature of the game, it may unfold differently for other players.Government reform progress[edit | edit source]
Government reform progress generation is affected by the average autonomy across the entire nation. Thus, if maximum reform progress generation is desired, the entire nation must be part of states (and fully cored).
Choosing territories to promote to states[edit | edit source]
Due to limited governing capacity, each country can usually have only a limited number of states. It can be helpful to carefully choose which territories will be promoted to states, rather than promoting indiscriminately.
The following types of territory may be good candidates for promotion:
- Territories with high total development. The 'States & Territories' page in the ledger may be helpful for identifying such territories. Among other information, this page lists each territory and its total development, and the list may be sorted by total development.
- Territories with high total development and require religious conversion: provinces in territories and with an unaccepted population culture have a missionary strength modifier of −4%. In contrast, provinces in states can promote cultures to become acceptable and can enact "Enforce Religious Unity" for a modifier of +1%, a net difference of +5%. Also, provinces with high total development are already more difficult to convert to begin with.
- Territories with valuable trade goods (especially gold). States allow the full production potential of such provinces to be tapped. That said, it's worth remembering that autonomy only has half impact on production income.
- Territories with high tax provinces may be particularly good candidates in the early game, when tax may account for a larger proportion of a country's income.
- Territories with a center of trade which cannot be added to a trade company, as centers of trade cannot be upgraded beyond level 1 when they are located in territories unless assigned to a trade company.
The following types of territories are bad candidates for promotion:
- Remote territories if the difference between their income and maintenance cost is higher than what they yield as territories. (But they may still be worthwhile as states if what's needed is manpower or sailors.)
- Territories where you want to have trade companies, because state provinces can't be assigned to a trade company (though other provinces nearby can be in states).
Temporary states[edit | edit source]
Even if you don't plan on turning a territory into a permanent state (e.g. because the territory has low total development), it can be useful to turn such territories into 'temporary states'. This is achieved by promoting to state as normal, but leaving all provinces as territorial cores rather than fully coring then.
Such 'temporary' states will not be as productive as fully-cored states, but they will still receive useful benefits, such as a free reduction to minimum autonomy and the ability to apply state edicts.
Temporary states can be demoted back to territories at any time, to allow more valuable areas to become states. It is worth noting the following downsides of demoting a state to a territory:
- All full cores in the temporary state will revert to territorial cores. This is generally not a problem if you refrain from full-coring the provinces in the temporary states. However, it can result in the unexpected loss of full cores from integrated subjects.
- If autonomy was manually increased after forming the temporary state, the unrest reduction due to this autonomy increase will be lost.
Reducing devastation in states[edit | edit source]
The benefits from a state becoming prosperous can be quite valuable. Since states may only become prosperous if their provinces contain no devastation, it can be worthwhile to check on the devastation level of recently conquered states.
Devastation ticks down naturally in unoccupied provinces. However, if devastation is particularly high in a province, it may take years or even decades for the devastation to tick down to zero. In such cases, it may be useful to manually reduce the devastation in that province, e.g. by developing that province.
Culture switching[edit | edit source]
Only provinces in states are counted when determining the majority culture. In order to switch primary cultures, you can convert states of your old culture to territories, and convert territories having the culture you want to adopt to states. By switching cultures, you can form any nation as long as you hold the required provinces as cores and the nation you start as isn't an end game tag. This can be advantageous, especially in forming a nation to move your capital into Europe to create trade companies in Africa and Asia. A notable example is if you start as the Mamluks, conquer some lands with Turkish culture, convert your states with Egyptian and Syrian culture to territories, and convert the newly conquered Turkish land into states, you can switch your primary culture to Turkish, allowing you to form 
Rûm for their powerful ideas and Ottoman Government form (after you eliminate the Ottomans).
Forming Trade Companies[edit | edit source]
Expanding towards trade company regions is a good way to (eventually) reduce territories which contribute to corruption due to religious unity, as the nation forms trade companies.
| Concepts | Corruption • Governing capacity • Overextension • Power projection • Rebellion • Regions • Stability • States and territories |
| Court | Advisors • Consort • Monarch power • National focus • Ruler • Ruler personalities |
| Estates and Factions | Base estates • Cossacks estates • Dharma estates • Estates • Factions |
| Events and Missions | Decisions • Disasters • Events • List of decisions • Missions |
| Goverment | Absolutism • Culture • Government • Government rank • Modifiers • Policies |
| Province mechanics | Autonomy • Buildings • Canal • Capital • Core • Province |
| Religions | Christian denominations • Eastern denominations • Muslim denominations • Other denominations • Pagan denominations • Religion |
| Specific governments | Native council • Parliament • Steppe hordes |
| Colonisation | Exploration • Colonisation • Colonial nation • Tariffs • Trade company |
| Economy | Debase currency • Development • Economy • Privateering • Production • Raid coasts • Tax |
| Trade | Trade • Trade company • Trade goods • Trade nodes |
| Diplomacy | Diplomacy • Diplomatic feedback • Envoy • Espionage |
| Other | Defender of the Faith • Great power • Hegemon • Prestige • Regions |
| Political structures | Emperor of China • Holy Roman Empire • Papacy |
| Relations | Personal union • Relations • Subject nation |
| Ideas and Policies | Idea groups • National ideas • Policies |
| Ages and Institutions | Ages • Institutions |
| Innovativeness and Technology | Innovativeness • Technology |
| Declaring war | Alliance • Casus belli • Claim • Peace • War exhaustion • Warfare |
| Defense | Fort • Zone of control |
| Land warfare | Army • Condottieri • Discipline • Drilling • Land units • Land warfare • Manpower • Militarisation • Mercenaries • Professionalism |
| Naval warfare | Flagship • Naval blockade • Naval doctrine • Naval units • Naval warfare • Navy • Sailors |
| Other | Force limit • Military leader • Military tradition |
