The Holy Roman Empire (HRE) holds sway over central Europe and a large portion of Italy when Europa Universalis 5 begins in the year 1337. However, despite its vast reach, the empire is far from a unified nation. It is actually a collection of more than 300 smaller member states. In EU5, the HRE operates as an International Organization, which means it has unique mechanics that all members can access.

Table of Contents

• How to play as Holy Roman Emperor in EU5
• How to become Holy Roman Emperor in EU5
• How to gain Imperial Authority in EU5

The Holy Roman Emperor stands at the center of this complex web of entities. It is the emperor who has the power to start many of the special mechanisms that make the HRE distinct from other nations.

Here is a look at how the HRE works in EU5 and how you can take control as the emperor right from the beginning of the game.

How to play as Holy Roman Emperor in EU5

As noted earlier, the HRE is not a standard country in EU5, but rather an International Organization. To play as the Holy Roman Emperor in 1337, you must select the member state that is currently led by the emperor. You might be surprised to learn that this is not Austria, but Upper Bavaria.

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The Duchy of Upper Bavaria leads the HRE at the start of the game. / Paradox Interactive

The Habsburg family enjoyed nearly continuous success in HRE elections following the end of the Staufer dynasty. However, the time period around the start of EU5 marks a brief break in their dominance. Both the Wittelsbachs and the Luxemburgs challenged the Habsburgs during elections in this era and achieved some victories. This is why Ludwig IV of Bavaria, a Wittelsbach, rules the HRE when the game begins.

Unfortunately, the Bavarian ruler is already quite old when the game starts, so you likely will not enjoy the imperial throne for very long. This leads us to the topic of succession.

How to become Holy Roman Emperor in EU5

If you cannot claim the throne through inheritance or conquer it like a normal country, how do you become the Holy Roman Emperor? As mentioned before, this is an elected position, though it is not decided by a democratic vote.

There are seven states in the HRE that have the power to cast votes in an imperial election to choose the next emperor. These are known as the Prince-Electors and Archbishop-Electors. As their titles suggest, four of them are secular states and three of them are religious states.

Here is the list of electors in 1337:

• Palatinate of the Rhine
• Kingdom of Bohemia
• Brandenburg
• Saxe-Wittenberg
• Trier
• Mainz
• Cologne

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Some HRE members, such as Prince-Electors and Free Cities, have a special status. / Paradox Interactive

As you can imagine, you will need to use every tool available in the political playbook to secure their votes. You can improve their opinion of you, bribe them, threaten them, or even destroy them to make room for a more cooperative elector.

If you do not want to start as the emperor and prefer to try your luck at winning the election instead, the Habsburgs of Austria and the Luxemburgs of Bohemia are in the best positions to make a strong bid.

How to gain Imperial Authority in EU5

Keeping together 26 Free Imperial Cities, 52 Imperial Prelates, 195 Imperial Princes, one Imperial Peasant Republic, and all the rest sounds difficult—and it is. However, the emperor can use their position over time to gain extra Ducats, Prestige, and other benefits, making the throne an attractive seat despite the challenges.

To do anything useful with the HRE, the emperor requires Imperial Authority. Similar to EU4, emperors gain this re

The emperor has a variety of special diplomatic interactions to achieve these goals, such as the ability to enforce peace between member states.

Imperial Authority, in turn, can be used to initiate law changes inside the HRE, starting with the Golden Bull. The Golden Bull is a sort of constitution that member states voted on in 1356 and remained in force until 1806, when the HRE was dissolved. Naturally, there are many events specific to the HRE where the re

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Imperial Authority is the emperor’s most valuable currency. / Paradox Interactive

It is through these laws that the emperor’s position becomes more attractive, since they allow for a concentration of power and privileges on top of the initial benefits. This includes the ability to force members to help you out in wars.

Along with having special interactions in diplomacy and the International Organization screen, the emperor can initiate empire-wide parliament debates by choosing special HRE Parliament Issues in their own country’s parliament.

While only Prince-Electors can vote on the succession, all members of the HRE get votes on issues like law changes.