This is merely an idea ...

The reason I thought of this was when you capture a region miles from home and the city has high tech or large barracks you can recruit basically everything up to Elite units as your own countrymen. I think this is wrong.

I think it should be a lot harder to recruit troops from a region you have just gained control of.... maybe a unit or two of militia the rest should be mercenaries ( who would be expensive and not completely loyal).

My reasoning is that to truly own a territory you must naturalise it first. If you capture France the people will always be French unless you supplant them with people from your own country. Your ability to naturalise an area will depend on your countries population and the free space to colonise. Therefore it is easier to Naturalise the Americas for example as it isn't overpopulated already.

Still using France as an example it should be almost impossible to naturalise it. Instead it should be a taxable protectorate.. So what's different? Well your ability to mass loads of locally sourced troops should be extremely limited as most of the people won't want to fight in your expansionist wars. Any troops other than mercenaries would have to come from your home nation.

Your ability to maintain control will depend on keeping standing garrisons.

If each region could after being captured be broken up into sub regions then maybe naturalisation of a town and it's surrounding countryside could be possible. Like Calais ( historically it was part of England). You could naturalise it and keep it and recruit from there. it's area would gain your border. This is fantasy obviously as the game is set the way it is and isn't possible. just a nice idea.

The chance of rebellion should be much higher in countries you have invaded though if you treat them right they'll be happy to be under your protection for a few tax dollars.

I know it isn't that much different but I think a small change like this would make a more interesting and strategically challenging game. Religion should play a bigger part . A protestant faction should find it MUCH harder to control a Catholic or Muslim region and vice versa.

This ties in with the argument of when capyuring a Region you can Liberate emergent nations like Ireland , Norway etc. They become your protectorate and it also means the original Faction owner will have to fight THEM to get their territory back. Meanwhile you get their tax/tribute and trade options.

I hope that makes some kind of sense. I get carried away sometimes ( in a strait jacket )