Many starter players are unaware that you are able to form Lotharingia in EU4, as the nation does not exist in our modern-day. But don’t get confused, Lotharingia as a nation is a force to be reckoned with! Before we dive into this Europa Universalis Guide, let’s discuss the real-life history behind Lotharingia, and how the nation came to be.
Brief History Lesson about Lotharingia
Lotharingia was a country located in North Europe, and was 1 of 3 kingdoms that came about as a result of the division of Charlemagne’s empire. You see, Charlemagne was an emperor, who ruled a large majority of Western Europe. Upon his death, his empire was split among his 3 grandsons. Lotharingia were one of these, and was the nation that was between the other 2 nations. Historically, Lotharingia was largely conquered by the other 2 grandsons.
EU4 Lotharingia Guide
Lotharingia as a nation, is only formable as 2 countries:
- Burgundy
- Lorraine
We highly suggest you start as Burgundy, as it will make the whole process of forming Lotharingia much easier. But with this being said, you are still welcome to form Lotharingia as Lorraine. For the purposes of making the formation of Lotharingia easier, this article will primarily be discussing playing as Burgundy.
Strategy – EU4 Lotharingia
- Once you have begun your game, the first thing you will want to do is to form an alliance with the Emperor of the HRE, which in 1444 (the starting date) is Austria.
- Moreover, you want to ally as many of France‘s rivals or enemies as possible. Some examples I have used are England, Spain and Aragon, but any countries that will join your war against France will work just fine.
- Rival Provence and France (your 3rd rival can be various nations).
- Complete the Leuge of the Public Weal mission by improve relations with at least three of Frances vassal nations, as this will raise their liberty desire. This will provide you with claims on much of mainland France.
- Wait until the time is right, and strike! As a requirement of forming Lotharingia is to conquer the Lorraine Area, we need will have to go to war with France. Call in as many of your allies as possible, if you have secured an alliance with Spain or England, you should be all set!
- Take money, and land from France, as this will significantly weaken their economy and army. Furthermore, doing this will make it easier to declare wars on them in the future. When taking land, you should be able to take Paris, we suggest you do this. You can also take many of France’s western provinces. If the Surrender of Maine event has not triggered up until this point, doing this should also weaken France even further. This is because this will most likely not go to war with England, like they would have otherwise.
- Now with France weakened, declare war on Provence. This war should be pretty easy. Take as much land as you can, but be careful to not raise your Aggressive Expansion too much.
- Wait until the Burgundian Succession Crisis, at which time, you will want to stay independent. You may have to go to war with France, but with them weakened to much, this shouldn’t be a problem.
- Throughout the next couple decades, continue to take provinces that are required to form Lotharingia.
- Core all the provinces you conquer.
- Improve relations with the Emperor of the HRE, if not already.
- Join the Holy Roman Empire
- Form Lotharingia
Tips & Tricks – EU4 Lotharingia
There are various tips and tricks that undoubtedly make your time forming Lotharingia in EU4 much easier. Here are some that we found helpful within our play-through of the game.
Make Sure to Have Strong Allies to Fight Coalitions
The regions you will be expanding into when forming Lotharingia will most likely be apart of the Holy Roman Empire. For those who are unaware, land that is within the Holy Roman Empire has a +50% agressive expansion impact on a nation. This can be deadly if you have ambition to conquer land quickly. Within your game, you will most likely have to fight a Coalition War at least once. For this reason, if you are hoping to expand fast, having strong allies is essential. But luckily for you, Burgundy has access to many different allies. For instance, in 1444, they have the chance to be able to Ally Aragon, Austria, Castile, and more!
Make Sure to Bully France at the Start of the Game
When starting, it is crucial for you to declare war on France, repeatedly. This is because you will ultimately HAVE to expand into their territory, and France becomes REALLY powerful economically, and militarily mid-to-late game. This means you really need to seize the early game, and attack France. The best France, is no France.
How to Deal With The Surrender of Maine Event
When the Surrender of Maine event comes around, we highly suggest you take the opportunity to attack France, as they will not just be fighting you, but also England. This will make it easier to siege, and attack France, as they will also have to focus on England. When the Surrender of Maine does occur, we suggest you first occupy Provences land below your borders (the Lorraine Area), or rush Frances capital, Paris.
Thanks for reading our article on EU4 Lotharingia – Guide, Tips & Tricks!
