Government & Estates
Understanding stability, parliament, estate management, values, and laws—the pillars of effective governance.
Stability — Your Most Important Resource
Critical: 100 Stability DOUBLES Population Promotion Speed
This compounds over the entire campaign. Rush 100 stability in the opening 1-2 years.
Increases Control in All Provinces
High stability directly increases control percentage, meaning more actual tax/manpower from every province
Reduces Unrest and Rebellion Risk
Low stability = constant rebellions and devastation. High stability = peaceful development
Enables Faster Religious Conversion
Converting conquered provinces to state religion requires high stability for efficiency
Improves Cultural Assimilation Rates
High stability accelerates the process of assimilating foreign cultures to your primary culture
How to Gain Stability
• Maximize Court Support slider (Economy tab F2)
• Assign cabinet members to Stability Investment
• Certain events and decisions provide stability boosts
• High prestige provides bonuses to stability gain
Parliament System
NEVER Change Laws Directly!
Direct law changes cost 72-100 stability. Changing via parliament costs only 50% support points. Always use parliament!
Debates Pass at 50%+ Support
51% and 99% support both pass with identical results. Exact percentage above 50% doesn't matter—it's binary.
First Priority Debate: "Expand Gravel Road Network"
Provides +10 centralization push and reduces road construction costs. This should be your first parliamentary session.
Change Laws via Parliament Sessions
Pass desired debates first, then use remaining support points to change laws at 50% cost instead of 100 stability
Random Events Affect Support
During sessions, events can randomly increase or decrease support. Close votes carry risk.
Critical Laws to Change via Parliament
1. By Blood (instead of By Tradition)
Under Feudal Djury laws. Makes province integration significantly faster—critical for vassal swarm strategy.
2. Burger Control Mining Operation
Increases plutocracy and capital economy values, beneficial for economic development.
3. Local Court (Inquisition Laws)
Increases population conversion speed at the cost of heretics/heathens having reduced opinion. Acceptable trade-off.
Estate Management
The Three Estates (Castile has four)
Nobility
Controls military recruitment, levies, and cavalry. Grants privileges for army bonuses.
Clergy
Manages religion, conversion, and stability. Grants privileges for faith bonuses.
Burgers (Merchants/Townspeople)
Controls trade, economy, and urban development. Grants privileges for economic growth.
Hermandades (Castile Only)
Unique Castilian estate representing municipal militias and police forces.
Grant Privileges for Long-Term Benefits
Urban Development Grants (+0.01 dev/month compounds), Building Cost Reduction (permanent campaign benefit), Commercial Advisory Board (+10% trade capacity)
Revoke Privileges That Push Away from Centralization
Example: Communal Lands provides 0.20 decentralization push. Revoking costs 33 stability but prevents long-term decentralization.
Keep Estate Loyalty Above 50%
Below 50% loyalty triggers estate rebellions. Grant privileges, reduce taxation, or manage crown power balance to maintain loyalty.
Tax Estates for Extra Income
Estate screen → automatic taxation assignment recommended. Higher satisfaction allows aggressive taxation without rebellion.
Bribing vs Crushing Rebellions
Early game: Bribe estates (delays problems). Late game: Crush rebellions when high control allows quick recovery. Bribing makes estates richer.
Values System
Critical Value: Centralization
100 Centralization = +50% Crown Power
Also provides: Proximity cost -10%, improved administrative efficiency
Centralization is pushed by: Revoking decentralization privileges, passing parliament debates (Expand Gravel Road Network +10), cabinet member assignments, specific laws like Naməcala legal code
Centralization vs Decentralization
Centralization: Crown power, administrative efficiency
Decentralization: Estate power, autonomy
Communalism vs Individualism
Communalism: Lowers privilege revocation costs
Individualism: Various bonuses
Plutocracy vs Aristocracy
Plutocracy: Trade, economy bonuses
Aristocracy: Military, levy bonuses
Other Values
Capital Economy, Militarism, Mercantilism, and others affect various aspects of governance
Strategic tip: Temporarily push communalism before revoking multiple privileges (reduces stability cost), then shift back to centralization.
Advanced Government Mechanics
Related Topics
Economy & Trade 101
Learn how stability affects economic growth
Population & Culture
Stability's impact on promotion and conversion