User Guide

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peror will be the ruler of the leading contender
with the highest prestige.
If you seek election, you will need to gain
the support of at least one or two electors by
diplomatic means. In the chapter on Diplo-
macy, we saw a variety of ways to achieve this,
with the most direct method being to simply
shower the nation with gifts of gold. You can
quickly check to find out which countries are
currently electors by consulting the HRE inter-
face. The small shield beside each larger elector
shield shows which member state the elector
would vote for if an election were held today.
If you click on the elector’s shield, the main
map will automatically reposition to place his
capital at the center of the screen, and will open
the diplomacy interface with that country. You
can then decide how best to go about gaining
his favour, with the object being to ensure that
you enjoy a better relationship with that coun-
try than any other member state. It might take
many months and many gifts to accomplish
(and you may face competition from other
member states who also want the position) but
the benefits of being the Emperor may make
the expense worthwhile.
You cannot be elected Emperor if your
country is ruled by a regency council or if you
are the junior member of a personal union.
This won’t prevent you from being able to im-
prove your relationship with the electors, but
they cannot vote for you until your realm is
ruled by a legitimate candidate once more. It
goes without saying that an elector will never
vote for a country that is not already a member
of the HRE, or with whom he is at war.
War With the Empire
The Holy Roman Empire is not an alliance.
Member states are free to go to war with one
another and will not act as an alliance to de-
fend any member from outside attack. The re-
lationship bonuses make it far more likely that
alliances or other diplomatic relationships may
be formed; but there is no additional threat if
you choose to declare war against a member
or even the Emperor himself. The only thing
you should bare in mind if you are contemplat-
ing war is that members -- and particularly the
Emperor -- will be able to field larger armies
than you might otherwise anticipate.
It is also worth pointing out that many of the
advantages of being the Emperor are affected
by the overall number of member states in the
HRE. If you are interested in becoming the
Emperor, you should avoid eliminating too
many states since it will reduce the benefits
you will gain from the position. You may also
want to consider aiding any states that are set
upon by non-members. If your goal is to de-
stroy the Empire, the reverse will be true. The
more members you can destroy, the weaker the
Emperor will be when you challenge him.