France Guide

The **Kingdom Of France** is the number 1 great power at the start of the game, not without reason, as it is the strongest country at game start. With 69 brigades (6 meta stacks, 1 mobo stack and a small colonial army in Quebec) and 86 mobilized brigades it is a definitely a force to be reckoned with. A navy counting 73 ships, only 10 of which are transports is also not to be ignored.

## **Overview**

Upon loading the game the player will be presented with the event **"The Sun King**" granting the player supply consumption reduction and prestige among other things (Later in 1714 Louis XIV dies, and the modifier is removed) , as well as a another modifier - **"Clergy and Nobility Domination" preventing France from lowering it's Nobility and Church Influence**, subsequently **preventing a French player from getting important reforms** such as Career Progress Reforms. Not getting those reforms will cause the player to very quickly fall behind other nations in early to mid game. Not every culture in mainland France is accepted by them - **Gascon, Picard and Walloonian** can be gained by getting the "**Rights And Liberty"** Tech **(1730).**

Taking the **Establish Ecole Militare** decision, which at earliest can happen in 1750, is also important, as it bumps up your "Career Progress" reforms by one, removing a major literacy, tax and admin efficiency debuff.

**"Clergy and Nobility Domination"** can be removed at any point during the game by **The French Constitution decision**, provided that France **is a Constitutional Monarchy. Taking this decision however will prevent the French Revolution from happening.**

Kingdom Of France can gain cores on Spanish Netherlands (Aka Belgium).

France's Sphereling - Lorraine - can be annexed in 1715 for 5 infamy, removing all HRE cores from their lands

If Spain Chooses the Bourbon Path, France can Form The Bourbon Empire

## **French Revolution**

The French Revolution can happen only if the player keeps the **"Clergy and Nobility Domination" modifier,** there are 2 ways of triggering it:

* Wait until the year 1789
* Wait until Jacobin Ideology is active **(around 1750)** and take the Summon Estates General decision, making sure to **never take options that favor the Third Estate**. The Revolution should happen within next few months after taking the event chain.

Once you're a Revolutionary Republic, besides the base initial **Reign of Terror debuffs and Revolutionary Mechanics** France gains the ability to get **cores on "Natural Borders Of France" - Belgium and The Rhineland.**

If Ancien Regime is restored to France via CB, **all cores in Europe outside of continental France will be removed and France's liferating will drop to 33.** (This applys to Napoleonic France as well)

## **Napoleon**

Getting Napoleon isn't guaranteed for France. In fact **any** **nation** **with their capital in Europe** can get Napoleon as a general. The only requirement is owning Corsica and reaching 1790.

Once France gets him though and is already a Revolutionary Republic, they can **Declare the French Empire** granting them the ability to core Historical Napoleonic Empire (Benelux, Rhine, North Germany, Catalonia) As well as the ability to create the Rhine Confederation - any german sphereling will be annexed into a unified german puppet state, although Prussia and Austria are blocked from this). Doing this will automaticly dissolve the HRE. The decision prioritizes annexing nations to a player sphereling, allowing them to become the Rhenish Confederacy.

## **War Of The Spanish Succession and The Bourbon Empire**

* **Bourbon Spain**

If Spain Chooses the Bourbon Path, France can get the option to form the Bourbon Empire, if they get the **State Of Nature Tech** **(1715)** either through sphering spain or alternativly by force through a special cb granted through a diffrent decision. Same options are presented for Spain.

If Austria Declares and Wins The Succession War this option is disabled, both peaceful and forceful unification for both countries is impossible.

* **Habsburg Spain**

If Spain Chooses the Habsburg Path, France gets a special cb which upon enforcing will grant France all Spanish Lands in Belgium. It is up to the player whether they use this wargoal or not.

Bourbon Empire formed by France grants them spanish and only **spanish culture as accepted**

## **Haiti**

Hati early game is a major source of France's slaves giving them a powerfull artisan source, hence why it is not advised to abolish slavery as them early game. Republic of Haiti can revolt as a tag if France lets rebels occupy all it's Haitian cores for more then 3 months and jacobin ideology is enabled