Europa Universalis 4: Burgundian Inheritance Guide (2024)

The Burgundian Inheritance events are how Europa Universalis 4 attempts to incorporate the War of the Burgundian Succession into the game seamlessly and take into account its "alternate history" nature. It is a complex series of events that isn't guaranteed to happen during an EU4 playthrough by any means.

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The thing that makes the Burgundian Inheritance a very notable event is that many of its possible outcomes lead to large swathes of land being granted to different countries. This can drastically alter the course of the game, especially as much of this land is valuable, and the target countries are usually quite powerful to begin with.

How the Burgundian Inheritance occurs will vary massively depending on if you have the Emperor DLC enabled.

Updated May 28, 2022 by Ryan Bamsey: Europe remains one of the most popular regions of the world to play in EU4, and this is likely never going to change. With Burgundy and its related events being so effective at shaking the region up, we've decided to add some more details to this guide - as well as some tips on how to take advantage of the event even if you're not playing as Burgundy.

Trigger Conditions For The Burgundian Inheritance

Charles I de Bourgogne as the ruler of Burgundy in Europa Universalis 4

At the start of the game, Burgundy begins with Charles I de Bourgogne as its heir. If he manages to ascend to the throne, Burgundy will get a hidden modifier that severely (but not entirely) reduces their chances of getting a new heir and even disables the option to introduce a new heir if you have the DLC that enables it.

Once Charles I has ascended the throne and eventually died, the hidden modifier will be removed permanently - but it's very probable that the event "Marie of Burgundy" fires before he dies. This must happen before 1500, or it will never happen. One of the options for dealing with this event is to make Marie of Burgundy the new heir. This is one of the ways that the Burgundian Succession can trigger, starting off the Burgundian Inheritance chain of events.

When Charles I dies, a few things are checked by the game. If all of the following are true, the Burgundian Succession event will happen.

• Burgundy is not the emperor of the Holy Roman Empire.
• Burgundy has a regency council OR has less than 40 Legitimacy OR has Marie of Burgundy as its heir.

When the Burgundian Succession event triggers, a few things happen automatically. Burgundy's subjects will become very loyal, losing a lot of liberty desire, and a country is flagged by the game as Burgundy's strongest ally. This country will be the largest monarchy to have a Royal Marriage with Burgundy without either being a subject nation or the emperor of the Holy Roman Empire.

The Burgundian Succession Outcomes

The Burgundian Succession event in Europa Universalis 4

There are five possible options that Burgundy can take upon getting the Burgundian Succession event, and they all have different requirements.

The outcomes of these choices vary drastically.

As you can see, there are many ways that this event can alter the political makeup of western Europe. Knowing these outcomes beforehand can drastically influence your actions whether you're playing as Burgundy, a nation who could feasibly become their designated strongest ally, or the emperor itself.

When Burgundy is being played by the AI, their choice during the Burgundian Succession depends on their current situation. For example, they will never integrate with the French if they hate the French, and they are programmed to be more likely to choose their strongest ally to form a personal union.

The Burgundian Inheritance Imperial Incident

The Burgundian Inheritance Imperial event in Europa Universalis 4 Emperor

The Burgundian Inheritance Imperial incident is an event that overrides the default outcomes that deal with the Holy Roman Empire. It only triggers if you have the Emperor DLC enabled, and there are three different versions of the incident - A, B, and C.

When this incident triggers, the members of the HRE get to vote on which outcome the emperor responds to the event with. Each incident has three outcomes, and they are identical to the options presented in the table above that the emperor would usually get; the only difference that the DLC makes for this event is giving HRE members a say in the outcome.

The three possible outcomes for the three possible Inheritance Incidents are as follows:

How To Take Advantage Of The Burgundian Inheritance

While it's not guaranteed that the Burgundian Inheritance chain of events will actually come to fruition, it is possible to maximize your chances of being able to take advantage of the event. With the knowledge that Burgundy will most likely choose to become the junior partner of their strongest ally - note that you don't actually have to have an alliance with Burgundy for this to happen, only a Royal Marriage.

Therefore, if you have a monarchy government and you are not a member of the Holy Roman Empire, you have a good shot at being Burgundy's best friend. They will pick the largest country that meets those requirements, so consider targeting other valid nations who have also formed Royal Marriages with Burgundy.

Countries where this strategy is most useful include France, England, Denmark, Castile, and Aragon - they're all in the perfect position to inherit Burgundian lands and defend them from the greedy HRE.

NEXT: Europa Universalis 4: Beginner Tips And Tricks