Ruqayyah Snyder
As Austria in Europa Universalis IV, players may attempt to prevent the Shadow Kingdom event, which involves keeping Italian states within the Holy Roman Empire. This can be achieved through a combination of war and diplomacy, requiring good relations with Italian princes, alliances, or defeating them in battle. Strategies include targeting Venice first, taking advantage of alliance networks, and utilizing Imperial Liberation CB to release states. Additionally, the province of Abruzzi is crucial to preventing Italian states from leaving. Managing AE (Aggressive Expansion) is important, and players should aim for AE reduction bonuses.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Provinces required to stop the Shadow Kingdom | Abruzzi |
| First move | Build up force limit and fight Venice |
| Other strategies | RM with Denmark or Milan |
| How to prevent | Get the AE reduction bonuses, take out Venice first, then the Pope |
| How to rein in Italian princes | Have high relations with them, be allies with them, or defeat them in a war |
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What You'll Learn
Conquer Venice, but avoid too much AE
To conquer Venice without accruing too much AE, it is important to understand the mechanics of Aggressive Expansion (AE) and how to manage it. Here are some strategies to consider:
Firstly, improving relations with other nations can help mitigate AE. Maintaining positive relations with Italian nations and the Pope is crucial, as it prevents them from joining coalitions against you. Excommunication can be avoided by maintaining good relations with the Pope, and Italian nations are less likely to form coalitions if their opinion of you remains above zero.
Secondly, early alliances with Castile and Poland may not be useful when dealing with Venice and the Papal States due to the distance factor. Instead, consider allying with their rivals, such as Provence, Milan, or Florence, who may be interested in their territories. Strong allies can deter smaller coalitions, and confident players can use these allies to attack and gain truces with smaller coalitions to prevent them from growing.
Thirdly, you can employ a strategy of vassal-feeding, where you transfer conquests to your vassals instead of directly annexing them yourself. This can be done in two ways: by using the "transfer occupation" feature in the Art of War DLC or by granting territories to your subjects using subject interactions in the Cossacks DLC. Alternatively, you can give the lands to your allies and let them take the AE hit, although this may not always be feasible.
When dealing with Venice specifically, there are a few approaches to consider:
- Attack Venice early and take all their Italian provinces except for Venice itself and one mainland province. This can be done in two wars to minimize AE.
- Conquer two provinces of Venice, return one province to Milan (such as Brescia), and release another province (such as Friaul) to be conquered later.
- If you have an early Personal Union with Hungary, you can grant them Istria.
- Partitioning Venice is also an option, where you grant provinces to Milan or Ferrara.
- You can also release Aquileia from Venice and take Verona in the first war, then force Aquileia to become your vassal after the truce expires.
- Another strategy is to attack Salzburg, a convenient target, and force them to take half of your country, specifically provinces that are your cores and of your culture. This will divert the AE onto Salzburg, and you can regain your cores with the aid of other European nations.
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![Shadow Kingdom [CD]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71LZlvuDkyL._AC_UY218_.jpg)
Make war with the Papal State, but avoid taking Rome
When playing as Austria in Europa Universalis IV, you may encounter the Shadow Kingdom event, which represents the historical loss of control of Northern Italy by the Holy Roman Empire (HRE) between 1500 and 1600. To prevent this event and keep Italy within the HRE, you must ensure that all Italian states are under the control of HRE members. This includes the Papal States, which can pose a challenge as occupying Rome, the capital of the Papal States, will result in negative modifiers and influence.
To make war with the Papal State while avoiding the occupation of Rome, you can follow these steps:
- Conquer Venice: Target Venice as your first conquest, being mindful of accumulating excessive aggressive expansion (AE). Take control of Venetian territories, including the province of Brescia, which is typically added to the empire by Milan without issue. However, if Milan annexes additional provinces, they may choose not to include them in the empire, so proceed with caution.
- First War with the Papal State: Engage in a conflict with the Papal State, aiming to seize several provinces but refraining from occupying Rome. This initial war is intended to weaken the Papal State and establish a foothold in the region.
- Prepare for a Second War with Venice: Anticipate the need for a second conflict with Venice or the possibility of vassalizing them. Vassalizing Venice can generate less AE, but be cautious of potential coalition formation against you.
- Second War with the Pope: In this phase, you will confront the Pope directly. Aim to seize all provinces except Rome. Taking control of these territories will grant you leverage and position you for the final stages of your strategy.
- Rein in Italy: Once you have established control over the Papal State's provinces, you can choose to return Rome to the Pope. This decision will keep the Papal State within the HRE and prevent the negative modifiers associated with occupying Rome.
- Fulfill Mission and Release Rome: By following these steps, you can fulfill the mission of preventing the Shadow Kingdom event without suffering the consequences of occupying Rome.
It is important to note that preventing the Shadow Kingdom event requires significant resources and careful diplomatic maneuvering. You may need to form alliances and manage relationships with other powers, such as Hungary, France, or other HRE members. Additionally, be mindful of the high AE associated with wars in Italy, as it can attract the attention of powerful nations like Austria and Hungary.
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Keep a minimum of 25 princes
Maintaining a minimum of 25 princes is crucial for the legitimacy of the Holy Roman Empire (HRE) in Europa Universalis IV. While there may be no immediate penalty for dropping below this threshold, the empire will lose its legitimacy, impacting its Imperial Authority (IA) and potentially weakening its position.
To ensure a steady number of princes, it is advisable to focus on diplomacy and positive relations. Improving relations with Italian and Southern German states can help prevent coalitions and maintain stability within the HRE. Additionally, utilizing the AE reduction bonuses and having competent diplomats can further enhance your relationships with Italian states and southern Germans.
Expanding the empire by adding provinces can be a double-edged sword, as it may lead to frequent wars and leave you vulnerable to powerful neighbours like France, Denmark, Russia, or Otto. Therefore, a careful and strategic approach to expansion is necessary to protect your princes from external threats.
One strategy is to push north along Poland's border first, addressing the southern Italy provinces later. This approach allows you to recapture the southern provinces after the Shadow Kingdom event and add them to your empire. By focusing on the northern border first, you can create a buffer zone to protect your princes and buy yourself time to deal with potential threats from the east and south.
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Get Diplo ideas to reduce AE
AE reduction bonuses are key to preventing the Shadow Kingdom event in EU4. One way to achieve this is by getting Diplo ideas, which will reduce AE further by making it decay faster. Diplo ideas provide an additional two diplomats, allowing you to maintain positive relations with more countries and thus reducing AE. The Improve Relations modifier increases the speed of AE decay, and any negative relations modifier decay, so if you force vassalize/PU someone, they will become loyal faster.
Diplomatic ideas are considered the best diplomatic idea group for long-term wide gameplay due to the additional diplomats and the province war score cost reduction. The extra diplomats help to improve relations with countries that may potentially enter a coalition, and the improved relations boost makes coalition dissolving easier. Diplo ideas also allow for quicker annexation of vassals and the annexation of many vassals at once.
However, it is worth noting that the primary benefit of Diplo ideas is not AE reduction but rather the additional diplomats and improved relations. The -20% province war score cost is also not very useful in the HRE since you cannot take large swaths of land without triggering coalitions, and most nations are small anyway.
An alternative to Diplo ideas is Espionage ideas, which provide a flat AE reduction of -20%. This means that the base AE penalty for taking things is reduced by 20%. Espionage ideas also allow you to reduce the AE impact on several nations with a spy network of up to 30% at 100 spy networks.
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Add Rome to HRE via decision
To add Rome to the HRE via decision in Europa Universalis IV, there are several steps to follow. Firstly, it is important to note that the Holy Roman Empire cannot be formed via decision or conquest; instead, it is formed through the HRE interface for the last decision. This means that the land gained in forming the HRE will depend on which nations supported your decision.
To add Rome specifically, you must first conquer Venice and then go to war with the Papal State, taking some provinces but not Rome itself. You will then need to prepare for a second war with Venice, and it is recommended to vassalize them to generate less AE (Aggressive Expansion). After this, you will need to prepare for a second war with the Pope, taking all provinces and Rome. Once you have fulfilled the mission, you can release Rome and add it to the HRE.
It is worth noting that some players suggest giving Dalmatia to Hungary to gain their support, as they will only help if you promise them land. You can then take Istra, Friuli, and Treviso, being careful not to take too much land at once to avoid a high risk of coalition against you. Additionally, improving relations with all Italians and Southern Germans is crucial, as positive relations will prevent coalitions.
Finally, to add Rome to the HRE, you will need to return Rome to the Pope via an event, as the Pope always chooses Rome as their capital. This event will not occur if all the required territories are held by HRE princes and are part of the HRE, but it can be prevented from firing by using the Shadow Kingdom decision.
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Frequently asked questions
To prevent the Shadow Kingdom event, you need to get the AE reduction bonuses, conquer Venice, and then take out the Pope. You can add Rome to the HRE via decision and then return it to the Pope, which will add them to the HRE. You can also try to get a PU with Hungary and use them to beat up on Venice.
There are three ways to rein in an Italian prince: having high relations with them, being allies with them, or defeating them in a war. You can also use the Imperial Liberation CB to release as many states as you can and abuse alliance networks to fight as many princes as possible. Keep in mind that you want to maintain good relations with the Italian states and southern Germans to prevent a coalition.
With the Mandate of Heaven update, you now need Abruzzi to prevent Italian states from leaving the Holy Roman Empire. You might also need one province from Naples.
