Hello r/eu4 Enthusiasts!

Welcome to yet another Europa Expanded Dev Diary. Today we are talking about Burgundy/Lotharingia (for real this time), presented to you by LordVarangian.

Burgundy

Hello everyone, and long time no see!

I am LordVarangian once again, and last time I presented the Papal Mission tree. Now that Stiopa is done with his share of content for the time being, it is time I present a long awaited nation. One that has been both overlooked by us for quite a while and by Paradox since the Emperor DLC. That nation being none other than Burgundy.

Before we start with the mission tree, Burgundy has received a few setup changes. First of all, they get access to a new mechanic unique to them, the Order of the Golden Fleece, a council of knights which will allow you to make more planned wars throughout Europe, considering that you’ll be in conflict with both the French and the Holy Roman Empire, and maybe even a few Muslim empires... ;)

This mechanic is inspired by the historical Order of the Golden Fleece, which was founded by Philip the Good and served as a council of war for him. It also helped to strengthen the Burgundian court, as it was considered the model court of all of Europe.

With it, you’ll be able to hold tournaments, plan wars, and assign new Toison D’ors, a new advisor that Burgundy has access to.

There are other setup changes as well. As you know, we want to maintain the tradition of giving nations privileges on gamestart to be more representative when it comes to differences between every nation. In Burgundy’s case, they start with Nobility in Officer Corps, Strong Duchies, Patronage of the Arts, and a new unique one, the Order of the Golden Fleece, a privilege that encourages cavalry use.

Without further ado though, let us get into the mission tree of both Burgundy and Lotharingia!

The tree is split into different sections, as usual:

• Missions that deal about the Low Countries and those rebellious stadhouders

• A section about France and their false reign

• Several branches that focus on you combatting the Holy Roman Empire and establishing yourself as Lotharingia

• And the rest are Lotharingian flavor focused around becoming the model country of Europe, the true beacon of chivalry.

So let’s start, what about the Dutch? In previous development diaries we’ve talked about the situation in the Low Countries, how there are several stadhouders under the Burgundian yoke. Burgundy will be able to interact with them some more, reining in their rebellious stadhouders and being able to buff them should you wish to keep them as subjects. You will be able to enact a new privilege, the Great Privilege which will allow you to choose how to rule in the Low Countries. In the end of it all, you’ll be able to either take control of the Netherlands directly, or create a unified subject, which you may use for yourself.

Let us explore the Burgundian Ambitions in the west, where you’ll have to combat the French kings. However, your way of doing so will be ever so slightly different, as we want to encourage more vassal play as Burgundy. As such, you’ll be able to create Champagne as a vassal which will gain cores on Ile-de-France, encouraging you to do a reconquest war on the French early on. What’s more, this branch interacts with the Order of the Golden Fleece, as the interests in France are closer to you than German or Dutch. For those interested in forging a powerful, chivalric army specialized around armed knights on horses, choosing to form France will give you extra benefits.

In terms of the remaining conquests, the Holy Roman Empire will be your main rival, as they contest the title which most of you so much desire, and that is the Kingdom of Lotharingia. For that, you will have to negotiate with the Emperor, or humiliate him in battle and claim the lands required for such a nation. You will also be able to expand into both Italy and Germany, as those are required for a proper Frankish nation, but most importantly you will be able to form Francia from within the Holy Roman Empire, giving you a reason to claim the Emperorship for yourself

With the conquest part of the mission tree done, let us look at some other parts of the tree, specifically the flavor side.

Firstly, before you even form Lotharingia and choose to revive the Frankish legacy, there is flavor for Burgundy’s role in its short lifespan, whilst also focusing on their unique mechanic. Before we get into that though,let’s go back and talk about Charles the Bold, the heir of Burgundy.

As he was quite ambitious and rash in history, we’ve decided to give him the trait The Bold which will turn the AI into one of the most bold nations in the game. Quite literally. Expect Burgundy to declare a lot of… “uneven” wars. (It’s fine, Charles can handle all them all)

There will be some interaction with the Burgundian Inheritance and the whole question of the Burgundian realm, where you will be separating your realm from that of France and Germany. You will also be able to go to war with both realms using the Burgundian Wars unique CB, which will make your rulers more likely to become Conquerors should you be successful in these wars.

As the model court of Europe and the beacon of chivalry, you must also act in that manner. The rising power of the Ottomans threatened Christendom and no Catholic was able to organize a proper force to stop them. By completing the Feast of Pheasants mission you will be able to gain a CB to liberate Europe from them and bring them under a new management, a more….. Bourgogne one.

Before moving on to the rest of the Lotharingian flavor, you will be able to rename your nobles to the Paladins, allowing them to live their dreams of being the greatest heroes of Europe, without it actually bearing any significance to your nation.

Now, onto the Lotharingian part of the tree. Considering that once you form Lotharingia you’ve finished your objectives as Burgundy, we’ve decided to give them another goal: the restoration of the Carolingian realm. Being one of the few nations to be able to spawn the Frankish culture, and for now the only nation to change their dynasty to Karling (we are planning to add events to become Karlings as Aachen, don’t worry), you will be encouraged even more to use cavalry, show your domination over the pretenders around you, and create an idealized chivalric society.

Lastly, although Lotharingia can form Francia through claiming the Emperorship, they have a unique way to form them as well, requiring you to be of Frankish culture and having the Karling dynasty on your throne. After which you’ll need to culture convert tons of provinces into Frankish, as well as control specific cities. This is done so Aachen does not lose their position as the main Frankish nation, and for Burgundy to have more work to do before becoming Francia.

That’s all there is for Burgundy. Next week, we’ll be showcasing the nation of … You will see next week!

The End

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