Why Holland?
10 Unique Country Bonuses
Holland excels with specialized buffs unavailable to other nations
Unique Dutch Military Units
Access to powerful age-specific units that outperform standard infantry
Morician Regular Infantry (Age 4)
Extremely powerful fourth age unit exclusive to Dutch culture - dominates late-game warfare
Lance-Connected Regular Infantry (Age 3)
Via Netherlandish advances - very powerful third age unit that gives mid-game military edge
Starting Situation & Day 1 Moves
Priority #1: Annex Zeeland
Start annexing your subject Zeeland immediately on Day 1. This takes approximately 2 years but provides +30,000 population and completes the South Holland province (you already own 5 of 6 locations).
Fort Management: Delete Drehte Fort
You start over your fort limit (2/2.23 fortifications), causing 34% increased fort maintenance costs. Delete the fort in Drehte immediately.
Fort Strategy:
- Keep forts ONLY in province capitals (Denhaag for South Holland)
- When a capital province gets occupied, all locations within auto-occupy
- This significantly lowers fort maintenance costs
- Maintains defensive coverage while minimizing expenses
Core Economic Systems
Day 1 Economic Setup
Critical settings to establish immediately
Diplomatic Spending: 0%
No need for diplomatic power initially - conserve resources
Stability: Maximum
Push to 100 stability for improved governance and reduced unrest
Court Cost: Maximum
Reach 100 legitimacy for +10% crown power bonus
Minting: Set to -0.00 Inflation
Balance minting to avoid inflation while generating steady 0.39 ducats (essentially free money)
Automate Tax Management
Enable automated tax management for all four main estates. The AI will tax estates until they maintain 50% satisfaction.
Why Maximum Stability & Court Cost?
100 legitimacy gives +10% crown power. 100 stability reduces unrest and improves administrative efficiency. Both are essential for smooth governance and rapid expansion.
Cabinet & Government Setup
Cabinet Member Assignment
Choose carefully - changing cabinet costs 5 stability
High Military Ability
Assign to positions that stabilize the country - crucial for managing unrest during expansion
High Diplomatic Ability
Essential for centralization efforts and managing relations with neighbors
Mission Tree Progression
Follow this mission tree sequence:
- Capable Cabinet - Establish effective governance
- Functioning Government - Improve administrative systems
- Meritocratic Approach - Enhance bureaucratic efficiency
Military Expansion Strategy
The Utrecht War
First major expansion target
Step 1: Fabricate Claim
Use your diplomat to fabricate a claim on Utrecht territory
Step 2: Attack Early
Strike as soon as your claim is ready - Utrecht is vulnerable
Step 3: Siege Capitals Only
Focus sieges on province capitals - auto-occupation will capture the rest of the province
Step 4: Partial Annexation
Take some provinces but not everything - avoids dangerous coalition formation
Gelre Wars & Consolidation
After Utrecht, turn your attention to Gelre and other minor Dutch states. Apply the same strategy:
- Fabricate claims to reduce aggressive expansion
- Siege capitals for efficient conquest
- Partial annexations to manage antagonism
- Consolidate each conquest before expanding further
Forming the Netherlands
Province Requirements
Specific provinces needed to form the Netherlands
You need control of specific Dutch-culture provinces to form the Netherlands. Focus your expansion on:
- South Holland (complete via Zeeland annexation)
- Utrecht (first conquest target)
- Gelre (second conquest target)
- Additional Low Countries provinces as required
Managing Antagonism
Key strategies to keep antagonism under control:
Mid-Game Strategy
Professional Armies Transition
Shift from levies to professional military forces
As you expand, transition to professional armies for better combat performance and lower manpower drain.
Priority Advances
Professional Armies → Handgonners
Unlock superior infantry units for mid-game dominance
Hoofness (Cannons)
Artillery support for siege warfare and combat
Armories
+10 manpower and ability to recruit units faster
Coastal Forts
Increases maritime presence in adjacent sea zones
Buildings to Avoid
Critical: These buildings grant burger power, which is a debuff that weakens your nation. Remove them through parliamentary agendas.
Merchant Guilds
Grants +10% burger power. This debuff weakens central authority and should be removed via parliamentary agendas as soon as possible.
Artisan Guilds
Production +1 benefit is not worth the +10% burger power debuff. Remove immediately through parliamentary action.
Urban Parliament Seats
Increases burger influence significantly, weakening your central government authority. Priority removal target.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Building Burger Power Buildings
Merchant guilds, artisan guilds, and urban parliament seats all grant burger power, which is a DEBUFF. These harm your nation. Remove them through parliamentary agendas as soon as possible.
Ignoring Fort Efficiency
Keeping forts in non-capital provinces wastes money. Only maintain forts in province capitals to leverage auto-occupation mechanics.
Changing Cabinet Frequently
Each cabinet change costs 5 stability. Choose your initial cabinet carefully and stick with them unless absolutely necessary.
Full Annexations Too Early
Antagonism is higher in current patch. Full annexations often trigger coalitions. Use partial annexations and manage aggressive expansion carefully.
Letting Estate Satisfaction Drop
Keep automated tax management at 50% satisfaction threshold. Manually taxing beyond this creates more problems than it solves in most situations.
Campaign Success Indicators
You're on track if you've achieved these milestones
