Historical Orientation and Other Information

[m_1512]

Historical Orientation

Note The idea about Holy Roman Empire has always been fascinating to me. I used the time off, the time when I did not have a net connection, to extensively read about it. There is a whole variety of things that can make a fun game experience. But there are also some that can ruin it. For instance, if the concept as it is were to be applied, it would more of a history recreation rather than a game. Therefore, I had taken small liberty to add a back-story to this game, and a few deviations from exact history. Hope you all enjoy it. Thank you. The year is 1370. Six years ago, various laws and resolutions were passed. But rather than bring peace, prosperity and strength, it plunged the empire into a bloody civil war. The then Emperor captured, imprisoned and forced to abdicate. This was followed by the slaughter of the Electors. The other Princes fought each other, for each had their own vested interests. Neighbor turned on neighbor, and succeeded only in destroying each other. Assassinations became the order of the day. The future seemed dark for the empire. At that moment, help arrived from the most unusual sources. A nobleman, commander in the formal imperial army, was crowned by the pope as the new Holy Roman Emperor. He marched, and bested the traitors one by one. Meanwhile, the pope kept the empire safe from outside by keeping its neighbors under restrain. At last, the Emperor triumphed. But the guarantee of the pope is as long as the pope himself. With the coming of a new pope, the neighbors would no doubt attempt to seize themselves glory, and some lands. Therefore, the path lies clear. The Emperor must rebuild the empire, and attempt to restore it to its former glory. An overview of the starting conditions The Reich The current administration is in shambles. The Emperor has now a strong hold on the realm. The constitution and laws had been tweaked to help him restore peace. The realm is now ready for re-organisation. That is to say, there is possibility for either re-structuring or carving out new subject states of the empire. The Reichstag is virtually non-existent, as there are no longer any heads of subject states left, due to war, assassinations and abdications. No doubt, these places have to be filled. The higher offices are now being managed by trustworthy aides of the Emperor and by able people from the Vatican. Diplomacy Diplomacy can be considered as neutral. The current pope has held the neighboring powers at bay, for now. But that guarantee would go with the pope. Military The Imperial army (under the control of Emperor) is neither excellent nor bad. It is to say, just sufficient to defend the realm. The empire has no formal navy. Economy The realm is self-sufficient agriculturally. But trade needs to pick up in order to compete with kingdoms like England and like.

[m_1512]

The Holy Roman Empire was a institution institution divided into various Duchies, Margraviates, Landgraviates, Counties, and in some cases Arch-Duchies and Kingdoms.
Seems complicated, right? Not so much, actually.
For the game purposes, the devs have streamlined the process considerably.

Read on for more information.

A Province

The map is divided into various regions, henceforth called provinces. A province is the most basic division of the land in the game. A province in the game shall correspond to,

• A County (if held by a Royal or Warrior)
• A Bishopric (if held by a Clergy)
• An Imperial City (if held by others)

3 or More Provinces

If you have a minimum of 3 provinces, you can request the Kaiser for creation of,

• A Duchy (if held by a Royal)
• An Archbishopric (if held by a clergy)
• A Margraviate (if held by a Royal or Warrior)
• A Landgraviate (if held by others)

6 or More Provinces

If you have a minimum of 6 provinces, you can request the Kaiser for creation of,

• An Arch-duchy (if held by a Royal or Warrior)
• A Kingdom (if held by a Royal or Warrior)
• A Serene Republic (if held by a Merchant)