(Redirected from Victoria (UK TV series))
Victoria | |
---|---|
Genre | Drama |
Created by | Daisy Goodwin |
Written by | |
Starring |
|
Theme music composer | Martin Phipps |
Composer(s) | Ruth Barrett |
Country of origin | United Kingdom |
Original language(s) | English |
No. of series | 3 |
No. of episodes | 25 (list of episodes) |
Production | |
Executive producer(s) |
|
Producer(s) | |
Production location(s) | United Kingdom |
Running time | 46–89 minutes |
Production company(s) | Mammoth Screen Masterpiece |
Distributor | ITV Studios |
Release | |
Original network | ITV |
Picture format | |
Audio format | Stereo |
Original release | 28 August 2016 – present |
External links | |
Website |
Victoria is a British television drama series created and principally written by Daisy Goodwin, starring Jenna Coleman as Queen Victoria. The series premiered in the United Kingdom on ITV on 28 August 2016 with eight episodes, and in the United States on PBS on 15 January 2017; PBS supported its production as part of the Masterpiece anthology. A second series was broadcast on ITV in the fall of 2017, including a Christmas special that aired that December; PBS broadcast followed starting in January 2018, with the special belatedly airing in March.
In December 2017, Victoria was renewed for an eight-episode third series, which premiered on PBS on 13 January 2019, and on ITV on 24 March 2019.
- 2Cast
- 2.1Main
- 2.2Recurring
- 3Episodes
- 4Production
- 5Release
- 6Reception
Premise[edit]
The first season of the series depicts the first few years of the reign of Queen Victoria (portrayed by Jenna Coleman), from her accession to the throne at the age of eighteen, to her intense friendship and infatuation with Lord Melbourne (Rufus Sewell), to her courtship and early marriage to Prince Albert (Tom Hughes) and finally to the birth of their first child, Victoria. The second season follows Victoria's struggles to balance her role as Queen with her duties to her husband and children, various dramas within the English and German branches of the royal family, international relations with France, and such crises as the Anglo-Afghan War and the 1840s Famine in Ireland. At the beginning of the third season, Victoria and Albert have six children and are approaching their 30s while navigating difficulties in their marriage; as the season progresses, these tensions ebb and flow. Subplots in the third season include Albert's ongoing efforts to find his place, culminating in The Great Exhibition of 1851, and his efforts to mould his eldest son, the future Edward VII, into a king; Victoria's political relationship with the charismatic Lord Palmerston; the sudden arrival of Victoria's estranged sister, Feodora, at the palace; and a forbidden romance between one of the Queen's ladies and a footman.
Cast[edit]
Main[edit]
- Jenna Coleman as Queen Victoria[1]
- Tom Hughes as Prince Albert[2]
- Peter Bowles as the Duke of Wellington (series 1–3)
- Catherine Flemming as the Duchess of Kent[1] (series 1–2)
- Daniela Holtz as Baroness Lehzen[2] (series 1–2)
- Nell Hudson as Nancy Skerrett[3] (series 1–3)
- Ferdinand Kingsley as Mr Francatelli[4] (series 1–3)
- Tommy Knight as Archibald Brodie[5]
- Nigel Lindsay as Sir Robert Peel[2] (series 1–2)
- Eve Myles as Mrs Jenkins[6] (series 1)
- David Oakes as Prince Ernest (series 1–2)
- Paul Rhys as Sir John Conroy[1] (series 1)
- Adrian Schiller as Mr Penge[3]
- Peter Firth as King Ernest Augustus[1] (series 1–2)
- Alex Jennings as King Leopold
- Rufus Sewell as Lord Melbourne[1] (series 1–2)
- Bebe Cave as Wilhelmina Coke (series 2)
- Margaret Clunie as Harriet, Duchess of Sutherland (recurring series 1, main series 2)
- Tilly Steele as Miss Cleary (series 2)
- Leo Suter as Mr Drummond (series 2)
- Jordan Waller as Lord Alfred Paget (recurring series 1, main series 2–present)
- Anna Wilson-Jones as Lady Emma Portman (recurring series 1, main series 2–present)
- Diana Rigg as the Duchess of Buccleuch (series 2)
- Nicholas Audsley as Charles, Duke of Monmouth (series 3)
- Sabrina Bartlett as Abigail Turner (series 3)
- David Burnett as Joseph Weld (series 3)
- Kate Fleetwood as Princess Feodora (series 3)
- Bruno Wolkowitch (featured series 2) and Vincent Regan (main series 3) as King Louis Philippe
- Lily Travers as Sophie, Duchess of Monmouth (series 3)
- John Sessions as Lord John Russell (series 3)
- Laurence Fox as Lord Palmerston (series 3)
Featured[edit]
The below actors are credited in the opening titles of single episodes in which they play a significant role.
- Martin Compston as Dr Traill (series 2)
- Denis Lawson as the Duke of Atholl (series 2)
- Sam Swainsbury as Dr John Snow (series 3)
- Edwin Thomas as Mr Caine (series 3)
Recurring[edit]
- Peter Ivatts as the William Howley, the Archbishop of Canterbury
- Tom Price as the Duke of Sutherland (series 1–2)
- Robin Soans as Sir James Clark (series 1–2)
- Samantha Colley as Eliza Skerrett (series 1–2)
- Andrew Bicknell as the Duke of Coburg (series 1–2)
- Hallie Woodhall (series 2) and Louisa Bay (series 3) as Princess Vicky
- Mac Jackson (series 2) and Laurie Shepherd (series 3) as Prince Bertie
- John Tueart as the Speaker of the House (series 2–3)
Series 1[edit]
| Series 2[edit]
| Series 3[edit]
|
Episodes[edit]
Series overview[edit]
Series | Episodes | Originally aired | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
First aired | Last aired | ||||
1 | 8 | 28 August 2016 | 9 October 2016 | ||
2 | 8 (+1) | 27 August 2017 | 15 October 2017 25 December 2017 (special) | ||
3[a] | 8 | 24 March 2019 | 12 May 2019 |
Series 1 (2016)[edit]
No. overall | No. in series | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | UK viewers (millions) [7] | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 1 | 'Doll 123' | Tom Vaughan | Daisy Goodwin | 28 August 2016 | 8.00 | |
Eighteen year old Alexandrina Victoria ascends to the throne after the death of her paternal uncle, King William IV. She asserts her independence by standing up to the suffocating influence of her mother and the abusive, domineering Sir John Conroy, who reared her under the strict Kensington System. Victoria, fears that her mother is having an affair with Conroy, creates a scandal involving her mother's lady-in-waiting, Lady Flora Hastings, by spreading the rumour that Lady Flora is pregnant with Sir John's child. Lady Flora is forced to undergo a medical examination, which reveals she is a virgin, but with a growing abdominal tumour that will prove fatal. The public is outraged when they learn of the humiliation that Lady Flora had suffered. Victoria feels her reign is tarnished, but is encouraged by the prime minister, Lord Melbourne, to stand tall and face the public. | |||||||
2 | 2 | 'Ladies in Waiting' | Tom Vaughan | Daisy Goodwin | 29 August 2016 | 7.37 | |
The Whig Prime Minister Lord Melbourne announces he must resign, saying he lacks support in parliament. Victoria asks the Duke of Wellington to form a new government but he declines, saying he is too old. He suggests she instead invite Tory leader Sir Robert Peel, which she does reluctantly. However, Peel agrees only on the condition that she dismiss some of her Ladies of the Bedchamber, as four are married to Whig ministers, and replace them with the wives of Tories, as is customary. The Queen refuses, as she considers them her intimate friends and not political pawns. This leads to the Bedchamber crisis. Melbourne insists he cannot undermine the British constitution by governing at the monarch's whim, but he eventually gives in and stays on as Prime Minister. Sir John, Victoria’s mother, and her paternal uncle the Duke of Cumberland, scheme to instal a regency to limit Victoria's power by making people believe she has inherited the madness of her grandfather, King George III. This plan backfires; her uncle is forced to abandon his hope to be King by proxy and Victoria's resentment of Conroy deepens. | |||||||
3 | 3 | 'Brocket Hall' | Tom Vaughan | Daisy Goodwin | 4 September 2016 | 7.75 | |
Sir John and Victoria's mother want her to marry, believing she is too independent and needs a man to control her. Victoria's maternal uncle, King Leopold of Belgium, arrives to pressure her to marry his nephew and her cousin Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. Although she finds him handsome, Victoria has no interest in the serious and reserved Albert. Leopold tries to get Lord Melbourne to support the scheme; Melbourne believes there is no hurry to push her into a marriage with the wrong person. Victoria, believing she is in love with Melbourne, pursues him, but he gently rebuffs her. Disgusted with the scheming of Sir John, Victoria offers him a baronetcy and pension to leave court, devastating her mother, who is so dependent on him that she has long overlooked his embezzlement. Following the Newport Rising, Victoria takes pity on the leaders and commutes their death sentences to exile in Australia. | |||||||
4 | 4 | 'The Clockwork Prince' | Sandra Goldbacher | Daisy Goodwin | 11 September 2016 | 7.62 | |
Albert visits Victoria. They are mutually aloof and resentful for being pushed upon each other. Some at court feel Albert, as a younger son and prince of a minor duchy, is inferior to her. As they spend time together, an attraction slowly grows. Albert, however, challenges Victoria abOut Lord Melbourne's influence over her and his sheltering her from reality. Following an argument, Albert prepares to leave, believing he has lost her favour. Victoria has come to terms with her love for Albert, but hesitates to propose to him, as she is unsure of his response. After confiding her worries to Leopold and being given encouragement, Victoria proposes and Albert eagerly accepts. | |||||||
5 | 5 | 'An Ordinary Woman' | Sandra Goldbacher | Daisy Goodwin | 18 September 2016 | 7.65 | |
When Victoria announces her engagement, the Tory parliament reacts with hostility to the idea of a German consort, especially one who would be given a British title and large annual allowance. Additionally, the Duke of Wellington calls attention to the certainty that Albert is not a Catholic, which would preclude Victoria from marrying him without abdicating her crown. Though unable to give him a royal title such as Duke or King, Victoria makes Albert a Knight of the Garter and gives him a small allowance. Albert is offended, feeling he will be without position or independence, while Victoria worries that the allowance would enable him to keep a mistress, as did her Uncle Leopold. They reassure each other and, on 10 February 1840, they are married. | |||||||
6 | 6 | 'The Queen's Husband' | Olly Blackburn | Daisy Goodwin | 25 September 2016 | 7.65 | |
Victoria and Albert are happily married. However, Victoria fears she will die in childbirth like her cousin and aunt Princess Charlotte, whose death led to Victoria inheriting the crown. Her lady's maid gives her useless advice to avoid pregnancy. Victoria curries favour with her paternal uncle, the Duke of Sussex, who is unable to present his wife at court because their morganatic marriage is in violation of the Royal Marriages Act 1772. Although his wife is the daughter of an earl, she is not of royal birth. Victoria uses her discretion to make her the Duchess of Inverness and welcomes her to court. An abolitionist group asks Victoria to open its London meeting, held in June 1840. She says she will publicly support the cause, but is unable to open it because of her position. Albert instead volunteers to give an address against slavery, a subject he feels strongly about. His speech is considered a great success. | |||||||
7 | 7 | 'The Engine of Change' | Olly Blackburn | Guy Andrews | 2 October 2016 | 7.31 | |
Victoria, pregnant with her first child, is desperately afraid of dying in childbirth. Her mother insists she refrain from affairs of state and rest full-time. The ministers ask Victoria to choose a regent in the case she dies but her baby survives. She insists on Albert as regent, which enrages the Tories. However, Sir Robert Peel believes Albert could be manipulated, and supports him as regent. Albert takes an interest in railway building, but Victoria discourages. Sir Robert takes Albert to ride on his locomotive, which infuriates her. Albert, however, insists that he have some influence in his new country, while she worries that this could undermine her authority as queen. Nevertheless Victoria takes a ride on a locomotive herself, which she finds exhilarating. | |||||||
8 | 8 | 'Young England' | Olly Blackburn | Daisy Goodwin | 9 October 2016 | 7.74 | |
The pregnant Victoria insists on her daily carriage rides to greet her subjects. The Duke of Cumberland, now the King of Hanover, insists that the British people would not accept Albert as regent should Victoria die. Cumberland hints of assassination threats. On 10 June 1840, Edward Oxford attempts to shoot Victoria during a carriage ride. Cumberland, who is first in line to the throne, is blamed but denies any involvement. Oxford's guns were unloaded at the time. He is declared not guilty by reason of insanity and sent to a lunatic asylum. On 21 November 1840, Victoria gives birth without complications to a healthy baby girl, also named Victoria. |
Series 2 (2017)[edit]
No. overall | No. in series | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | UK viewers (millions) [7] | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
9 | 1 | 'A Soldier's Daughter' | Lisa James Larsson | Daisy Goodwin | 27 August 2017 | 6.17 | ||||||
A month after giving birth to her daughter, Victoria finds that the government has not been confiding in her, and becomes irritated with Albert for helping them. After being confined to her rooms to recover from childbirth, Victoria learns that British troops were slain in the Anglo-Afghan War, and she refuses Leopold's attempt to arrange a political marriage for the princess. With the public angry about the military defeats, Victoria makes her first post-childbirth public appearance at the launch of HMS Trafalgar, while Albert seek advice from his brother Ernest on how to repair his relationship with Victoria. Miss Skerrett is promoted following the departure of Mrs Jenkins, while Mr Francatelli, the Queen's previous chef, is persuaded to return. The Duchess of Buccleuch is appointed as the Queen's new Mistress of the Robes following the Duchess of Sutherland's resignation. | ||||||||||||
10 | 2 | 'The Green-Eyed Monster' | Lisa James Larsson | Daisy Goodwin | 3 September 2017 | 6.62 | ||||||
Albert resists his profligate father's demands and, as a result, he visits the Royal Society to meet the pioneers of the computing industry, Charles Babbage and Ada Lovelace. He invites them to a palace function. Victoria becomes jealous of Albert's admiration of Lovelace, the daughter of Lord Byron, a man known for his many affairs. Victoria wonders if Albert intends to make her his mistress. She seeks assurance from Lord Melbourne that the relationship is not romantic; he reassures her. Victoria becomes pregnant again, causing initial distress following so soon after the first birth, but it eventually gives Albert and her a reason to reconcile. In the kitchens, a young thief makes his way through the castle, convincing Miss Cleary, the Queen's assistant dresser, that it is haunted and a ghost roams the halls. | ||||||||||||
11 | 3 | 'Warp and Weft' | Geoffrey Sax | Daisy Goodwin | 10 September 2017 | 6.56 | ||||||
After the presence of the thief becomes known, Albert becomes apprehensive about the presence of the boy and inefficiency of the household staff. The wages of the staff are increased as an incentive to make them more attentive. Victoria meets a silk weaver from Spitalfields, who explains how local weavers have been hurt by imported foreign silk. To support them, Victoria decides to hold a ball with all the costumes made from Spitalfields material. Sir Robert Peel advises against it, and on the night of the ball, villagers gather outside the palace to protest at the extravagance while people are starving. An ailing Lord Melbourne also attends and attempts to hide his condition from Victoria. After Melbourne reveals his condition to Albert, Victoria visits Melbourne for an emotional goodbye. She returns to the palace and discovers her beloved dog, Dash, has died; she buries him in the Palace grounds. | ||||||||||||
12 | 4 | 'The Sins of the Father' | Geoffrey Sax | Ottilie Wilford | 17 September 2017 | 6.77 | ||||||
Victoria gives birth to a son and suffers postnatal depression. When Albert travels to Germany to attend his father's funeral, he learns that Leopold believes that he might be Albert's biological father. Albert's mother had found comfort with Leopold while her husband pursued other women. Albert, questioning his beliefs and his sense of identity, drinks excessively, then leaves for England the next day without a farewell. Victoria, encouraged by the Duchess of Buccleuch, continues making public appearances, although her depression makes it exhausting. Miss Skerrett reveals to the Queen that it was her cousin, Eliza, who sold the story about the palace thief to the newspapers. Victoria prepares to remove Skerrett from the palace, but Albert persuades her to allow her to remain. | ||||||||||||
13 | 5 | 'Entente Cordiale' | Jim Loach | Daisy Goodwin | 24 September 2017 | 6.13 | ||||||
Robert Peel expresses his concerns to Victoria that the King of France, Louis Philippe I is planning to marry his son, Duke of Montpensier, to the Queen Isabel II of Spain. Peel fears that an alliance between France and Spain could be contrary to Britain’s interest, and so Victoria travels to France to persuade Louis Philippe to consider an alternative. Victoria is annoyed at the King's constant refusal to discuss the topic and at Albert’s distant behaviour. Albert reveals his fear that he may be illegitimate, but Victoria reassures him that it doesn’t matter. They talk to Louis Philippe about the marriage and are convinced that he is against it. On returning to England, Victoria learns that Louis went ahead with the marriage. They discover that Victoria is pregnant again. | ||||||||||||
14 | 6 | 'Faith, Hope & Charity' | Jim Loach | Daisy Goodwin | 1 October 2017 | 6.05 | ||||||
Victoria gives birth to a daughter, Alice, and Ernest returns to England for the christening. A severe famine in Ireland is caused by a potato blight. The vicar, Robert Traill, receives an apathetic response from the Protestant clergy, writes to Victoria seeking help, and she organises a meeting with him. Peel refuses to help, claiming that showing any form of favouritism, especially to the Irish, would cause unrest and resentment at home. Albert works on improving the palace and of the City of London’s sanitation with the Royal Society. Ernest secretly sees a doctor for his syphilis. After meeting Victoria, Traill falls sick with typhus, and dies. Francatelli gives Cleary his gold watch to pawn for her family; Cleary is later distressed when she discovers that her relatives have emigrated to the United States. | ||||||||||||
15 | 7 | 'The King Over the Water' | Daniel O'Hara | Ottilie Wilford | 8 October 2017 | 6.47 | ||||||
After another attempt is made to assassinate Victoria, she and Albert decide to travel to the Scottish Highlands, staying with the Duke of Atholl at Blair Castle in Perthshire. While out on a ride, they tire of the entertainment and escape to the countryside to spend time alone. They become lost and seek refuge with an elderly couple in their small home. Victoria and Albert find themselves at peace during this brief freedom, but are found the following morning. Edward Drummond, personal secretary to the Prime Minister, who is scheduled to marry for political purposes, enjoys his time with Lord Alfred Paget, and they passionately kiss. Ernest, who previously received news from Albert that the Duchess of Sutherland's husband has died, successfully flirts with her. | ||||||||||||
16 | 8 | 'The Luxury of Conscience' | Daniel O'Hara | Daisy Goodwin | 15 October 2017 | 6.40 | ||||||
Peel puts to parliament the ideas of repealing the Corn Laws and making international trade tariff-free, but faces opposition. However, his cause is supported by Albert who attends a session of parliament; his presence and Peel are mocked by both Tories and Whigs. A romance develops between Francatelli and Skerrett. When Leopold arrives unexpectedly, Albert is unsettled. Victoria later quarrels with Albert when he expresses his fears that Baroness Lehzen is improperly caring for their children. When their eldest daughter falls ill and is diagnosed with a very serious fever, Victoria relents and dismisses Lehzen. Peel's bill is passed. Drummond is shot dead shielding Peel from an assassin outside the Palace of Westminster. Peel resigns as Prime Minister. Ernest's syphilis presents indications so he breaks off with the Duchess. Leopold tries to improve his relationship with Victoria and Albert. | ||||||||||||
Special | ||||||||||||
17 | – | 'Comfort and Joy' | Jim Loach | Daisy Goodwin | 25 December 2017 | 5.44 | ||||||
During the Christmas of 1846, Albert introduces the court to Christmas trees, and begins decorating the halls. He invites Victoria's mother to Christmas, without seeking Victoria's approval. An African princess, Sarah, is given to Victoria as a gift by the King of Dahomey. Victoria tries her best to make Sarah feel welcome within the palace, despite Albert's advice. King Leopold continues his attempts to marry Ernest to a wealthy princess from Germany. Ernest continues to admire Duchess Harriet, while keeping secret his illness from the Duchess. Paget, still mourning Drummond's death, eventually proposes and becomes engaged to Wilhelmina, the great-niece of the Duchess of Buccleuch. Penge's financial hope from a railway scheme connecting Leeds to Thirsk comes to nothing. Nancy receives an inheritance from her uncle, which she declines on discovering that it is valued in slaves. She is engaged to Francatelli. The royal couple argue over their expectations for the family Christmas, as well as Sarah's unhappiness, based on their painful childhoods. But after Albert almost drowns while skating, Victoria and Albert realise they must put their pasts aside in order to give their children a memorable Christmas. |
Series 3 (2019)[edit]
No. overall | No. in series | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original US air date | Original UK air date | UK viewers (millions) [8] | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
18 | 1 | 'Uneasy Lies the Head that Wears the Crown' | Geoffrey Sax | Daisy Goodwin | 13 January 2019 | 24 March 2019 | 6.75 | |
Victoria has had two more children: Prince Alfred and Princess Helena, and is heavily pregnant with her sixth child. As the revolutions of 1848 spread across the Continent, revolutionary ideas grow amongst Britain’s working class. King Louis Philippe, now deposed by the French people in favour of a republic, requests asylum in Britain. Despite warnings from the Prime Minister Lord John Russell and the Foreign Secretary Lord Palmerston that hosting foreigners might turn public opinion against her, Victoria gives the former king permission to travel to London. Victoria's maternal half-sister, Princess Feodora of Leiningen, arrives unexpectedly at Buckingham Palace, seeking safety from revolutionaries in Germany. Inspired by the revolutions, the Chartists protest against the monarchy, and Albert insists the family retreat to Osborne House on the Isle of Wight. When Victoria and Albert agree to leave the next day, a Chartist protest outside the Palace culminates with a brick being thrown through the window where Victoria was standing, and the shock causes her waters to break. | ||||||||
19 | 2 | 'London Bridge is Falling Down' | Geoffrey Sax | Daisy Goodwin | 20 January 2019 | 31 March 2019 | 5.87 | |
Victoria goes into labour as the Chartists continue their protests at the palace gates, although they soon pull back. Victoria gives birth to her fourth daughter, Princess Louise, named after Albert's mother. The Prime Minister, along with Lord Palmerston and the Duke of Wellington, ask Victoria to sign the order to deploy troops to block the Chartists. Victoria insists that the Chartists be allowed to deliver their charter to Westminster as they are a peaceful movement, and she refuses to sign. When she learns that a police search conducted at the Chartists' headquarters had found numerous rifles, Victoria believes they were meant to kill her and signs the order. Albert confronts Louis Philippe after he frightens both Vicky and Bertie into believing Victoria will executed by guillotine, and decides their family must depart for Osborne House. Lord Palmerston rescues the Duchess of Monmouth after her carriage is attacked. After passing soldiers guarding the bridge to Westminster, Victoria changes her mind and decides to let the Chartists through. After arriving at Osborne, Victoria receives a report from the Duke that the Chartists had safely delivered the charter, and is frustrated that she was not there. | ||||||||
20 | 3 | 'Et in Arcadia' | Geoffrey Sax | Guy Andrews | 27 January 2019 | 7 April 2019 | N/A (<5.60)[b] | |
While the Royal Family stays at Osborne House, Victoria gets word that Palmerston is hosting Lajos Kossuth, the Hungarian democrat and leader of its constitutionalists, who is supported by many in Parliament. Victoria sees it as an act of insubordination; she and Albert argue about returning to London. Instead, Victoria invites Lord Palmerston and Lord Russell to stay at Osborne to discuss the issue. Victoria and Albert clash over how to raise Bertie. Victoria and Palmerston come to a mutual understanding and she allows him to dine with Kossuth. Francatelli resigns and encourages a reluctant Nancy to do the same so they can start a new life together. Nancy informs Victoria of her resignation and marriage. The Royal Family returns to London at Victoria's insistence. Victoria attempts to visit Albert in his office, but he locks himself in, ignoring her pleas. | ||||||||
21 | 4 | 'Foreign Bodies' | Chloë Thomas | Ottilie Wilford | 3 February 2019 | 14 April 2019 | N/A (<5.91)[b] | |
Victoria and Albert exchange letters arguing whether Albert should leave for Cambridge University after being offered the position of Chancellor, and about Bertie's education. Victoria wants him by her side for a reception for foreign ambassadors after Louise's christening. She learns of a choleraoutbreak that has hit London. Physician John Snow suspects that contaminated water is the cause, and Victoria insists on hearing his theory. At Cambridge, the Earl of Powis competes with Albert to become Chancellor. Although Albert wins the election, he attempts to decline the post, believing students won't support him. Albert accepts after encouragement from Lord Palmerston, who reveals that he had voted for Albert. Nancy reveals to Francatelli that she is pregnant, but later contracts cholera after drinking a tonic to cure morning sickness, unaware it was made with contaminated water. Snow locates the source of the disease, a pump in Soho, and has it shut down. After visiting Nancy before she dies, Victoria reads the letter from Nancy that she previously ignored and seeks comfort from Albert, who has returned home, and they reconcile. Francatelli names the hotel 'Nancy's', after his late wife. | ||||||||
22 | 5 | 'A Show of Unity' | Chloë Thomas | Guy Andrews | 10 February 2019 | 21 April 2019 | N/A (<5.62)[b] | |
Victoria suffers another assassination attempt during a carriage ride with her two eldest children and Sophie, the Duchess of Monmouth. She learns from Abigail that although the Great Famine in Ireland is drawing to a close, there is a strong movement for Irish independence. Victoria decides to visit after she realises that no monarch of the United Kingdom has visited Ireland since the Middle Ages. Bertie stays in London with his new tutor, Mr Caine, while Feodora is supposed to watch the other children. At Palmerston's estate near Sligo, Victoria learns of the open marriage between Lord and Lady Palmerston. Albert asks Lord Palmerston where his tenants have gone and Palmerston explains that he helped them emigrate to New York. Sophie grows closer to Joseph, the footman. Returning home, Victoria discovers Caine abusing Bertie while teaching him. Horrified, Albert worries that he will damage his children and is grateful they will not have any more, until Victoria tells him she is again pregnant. | ||||||||
23 | 6 | 'A Coburg Quartet' | Chloë Thomas | Daisy Goodwin | 17 February 2019 | 28 April 2019 | N/A (<6.18)[b] | |
Victoria's maternal uncle, King Leopold of Belgium, arrives for the christening of her seventh child, Prince Arthur. Victoria discovers that some private drawings by herself and Albert have been copied and printed by the press, which she sees as an affront to her dignity. Abigail and Lord Palmerston tell her she is actually becoming more popular. Albert has a phrenologist study Bertie's head and becomes worried that both Victoria and Bertie have inherited George III's temperament. Feodora organises a Georgian era-themed christening ball, but Victoria is unhappy that Feodora has sold tickets to unsuitable guests. During the ball, Feodora reveals to Victoria that their mother and Leopold sent her away after Victoria's paternal uncle, King George IV, tormented his brothers by entertaining the possibility of marrying Feodora and producing an heir. Sophie, the Duchess of Monmouth, begins an affair with Joseph, the footman. Victoria comes to believe that Feodora hates her and to fear that Albert no longer loves her. | ||||||||
24 | 7 | 'A Public Inconvenience' | Delyth Thomas | Ottilie Wilford | 24 February 2019 | 5 May 2019 | N/A (<6.09)[b] | |
Lord Palmerston and Albert struggle against public opinion - Lord Palmerston for his gunboat diplomacy response to the mistreatment of Don Pacifico in Greece, and Albert for his ambitious project for a great exhibition to celebrate industrial technology. Victoria reduces Feodora's influence by inviting Feodora's daughter, Adelheid, to England as a friendly overture. Sophie, the Duchess of Monmouth, considers running away with Joseph, but her husband arranges for two doctors to imprison her for insanity. Concerned Albert will be humiliated if the exhibition fails, Victoria tries to distract him by offering the post of Commander-in-Chief, but Albert declines. While Lord Palmerston regains public approval, Albert is discouraged by setbacks to his project and decides to become Commander-in-Chief. Victoria decides to support his dream regardless of the outcome, and Albert finds an architect who can create a design that helps the Great Exhibition to succeed. Albert explains to Victoria that after ten years of marriage their love has changed but still exists. | ||||||||
25 | 8 | 'The White Elephant' | Delyth Thomas | Daisy Goodwin | 3 March 2019 | 12 May 2019 | 5.33 | |
The Great Exhibition is a great success, to the royal family's relief, and Albert is cheered by the crowd. Victoria forces the Duke of Monmouth to allow his imprisoned wife to attend, where Joseph arranges for her to flee with him the next day, planning to emigrate to the United States. However, Victoria confronts Sophie, chiding for considering the notion of abandoning her son, and offers to get her a house separate from the Duke. Lord Palmerston's public declaration of support for Napoleon III creates adverse reaction in Parliament that forces him to resign as foreign secretary. Victoria and Albert's relationship with Feodora comes to a head when she admits to contemplating Lord Palmerston's suggestion of a marriage between her daughter and Napoleon III, and not to the prince of Germany as Albert wished. Feodora storms out of Victoria's room vowing to leave for good, but Victoria makes one last attempt at reconciliation. The episode ends in uncertainty as Albert, while talking to Victoria, collapses onto the palace floor, Joseph waits for Sophie at Euston Station, and Lord Palmerston and his wife decide to stay in London as Palmerston seeks to become Prime Minister. |
Production[edit]
Development[edit]
The series was announced in September 2015, following Coleman's decision to leave Doctor Who to join the cast as Queen Victoria.[9][10] Daisy Goodwin said in October 2016 that a Christmas special episode for the 2016 series had been proposed and was rejected by ITV; one was subsequently commissioned for 2017 after the rising ratings popularity for Victoria.[11]
In September 2016, ITV renewed Victoria for a second series, followed by a Christmas special.[12][13] In December 2017, Victoria was renewed for a third series, with Coleman and Hughes set to return.[14]
Beyond the renewal, ITV administration reportedly expects Victoria to run for a total of six series, although whether Jenna Coleman will remain as the lead actress as the series moves into depicting Victoria's later years is uncertain.[15]
Producers Mammoth Screen picked Screen Yorkshire's Church Fenton Studios which is in Tadcaster North Yorkshire, as the central base for the recreation of Buckingham Palace. Church Fenton Studios recently launched, so Victoria subsequently became the first production to film there. It is the first time Yorkshire has needed a large scale studio space to host a major drama. Mammoth Screen spent seven months filming the first series in Yorkshire.[16]
Filming[edit]
Much of Victoria is filmed in Yorkshire. The interiors of Castle Howard double as Kensington Palace, Harewood House stands in for Buckingham Palace, with Bramham Park and Wentworth Woodhouse also being in use for both royal residences. Carlton Towers is in use as Windsor Castle, while Beverley Minster replaces Westminster Abbey. Other locations include Raby Castle, Allerton Castle, Newby Hall and Whitbypier. Church Fenton Studios, a converted aircraft hangar at Leeds East Airport near Selby, was in use to recreate some interiors of Buckingham Palace.[17][18] Parts of Liverpool's Georgian quarter were used for exterior locations for the filming of the third series.[19]
Filming for the third series began in May 2018, after filming for The Cry, another series that Coleman starred in, commenced in Australia in February 2018,[20][21] and concluded in May 2018, so that production on the third series of Victoria could commence.[22]
Music[edit]
The theme song is by Martin Phipps, sung by the Mediæval Bæbes. Phipps also wrote and conducted incidental music for the early episodes. For later episodes the conducting role was undertaken by Ruth Barrett.[23] An official soundtrack for the first series was released on 12 January 2017.[24][25] On 23 February 2019, Barrett has posted via her instagram, she will be releasing a second official soundtrack to accompany the second and third seasons.[26] The second official soundtrack was released 22 February 2019 via Amazon for the United States and will be released at a later date for the United Kingdom.[27]
Track listing | |||
---|---|---|---|
No. | Title | Performers | Length |
1. | 'Victoria – The Suite' | Benji Merrison, Mediæval Bæbes | 3:27 |
2. | 'The King is Dead' | 2:49 | |
3. | 'Coronation' | Mediæval Babes | 3:15 |
4. | 'Lord M' | 2:44 | |
5. | 'Locomotives' | 1:52 | |
6. | 'Mirrors' | 1:32 | |
7. | 'The Wedding' | Mediæval Babes | 3:43 |
8. | 'The Royal Birth' | 2:14 | |
9. | 'Privy Council' | 2:50 | |
10. | 'A Royal Affair' | 2:05 | |
11. | 'Victoria Titles' | Mediæval Babes | 1:35 |
Total length: | 28:03 |
Track listing | |||
---|---|---|---|
No. | Title | Performers | Length |
1. | 'Allelujah (Arrangement of Theme by Martin Phipps)' | Gillie Mackenzie | 2:38 |
2. | 'Adoration' | 2:13 | |
3. | 'Osborne House' | 1:45 | |
4. | 'Little Flame' | 2:57 | |
5. | 'Reflection' | 2:45 | |
6. | 'The Crown' | 3:56 | |
7. | 'Cholera' | 1:45 | |
8. | 'Skinny Dipping' | 2:06 | |
9. | 'Fever Rising' | 3:30 | |
10. | 'French Court' | 3:25 | |
11. | 'Going to Ireland' | 2:09 | |
12. | 'Albert Wears the Crown' | 4:32 | |
13. | 'Inspecting the Regiment' | 1:33 | |
14. | 'Babies' | 2:13 | |
15. | 'Albert’s Plan' | 1:31 | |
16. | 'Broken Marriage' | 2:47 | |
17. | 'Time of Enchantment' | 2:49 | |
18. | 'Matchmaking' | 2:33 | |
19. | 'Rain' | 2:05 | |
20. | 'The Duchess' | 1:49 | |
21. | 'The Great Exhibition' | 1:48 | |
Total length: | 52:49 |
Release[edit]
Broadcast[edit]
The eight-episode first series premiered on ITV on 28 August 2016 in the UK, and on PBS on 15 January 2017 in the United States as part of Masterpiece.[28] The series premiered on 4 April 2017 in Canada on Vision TV,[29] and January 2019 on ViuTV6 in Hong Kong.
The eight-episode second series premiered on ITV on 27 August 2017, and on PBS on 14 January 2018.[30][31] The second series premiered in Canada on 26 September 2018 on Vision TV.[32]
The eight-episode third series was broadcast on PBS from 13 January to 3 March 2019,[33] before the series was broadcast in the UK,[34] where it aired on ITV from 24 March to 12 May 2019.[35][36] Topcon tools 7.5 full.
Home media[edit]
In Region 2, the first series of Victoria was released on DVD and Blu-ray on 10 October 2016.[37] The second series was released on DVD and Blu-ray on 13 November 2017.[38] The 2017 feature-length Christmas Special was released on DVD 26 December 2017.[39]
In Region 1, the first series of Victoria was released on DVD and Blu-ray on 31 January 2017.[40] The second series of Victoria was released on DVD and Blu-ray on 30 January 2018.[41]
Reception[edit]
Critical reception[edit]
The critics' reviews of the first series have been positive. On Rotten Tomatoes, the first series holds a rating of 80%, based on 40 reviews, with an average rating of 6.77/10. The site's consensus reads, 'Strong performances by Jenna Coleman and Rufus Sewell hint at Downton-esque potential for Victoria, but the narrative falls just shy of that soapy mark'.[42] The second series holds a rating of 87%, based on 15 reviews, with an average rating of 6.17/10. The site's consensus reads, 'Victoria's sophomore season finds this striking period drama returning with a second batch of episodes that are just as absorbing as its first.'[42] On Metacritic, the first series has a score of 67 out of 100, based on 22 critics, indicating 'generally favourable reviews'.[43]
Historical accuracy[edit]
Victoria's writer Daisy Goodwin said that the drama was inspired by real events, 'whether they are assassination attempts, the repeal of the Corn Laws, or the terrible potato famine. All the big building blocks of the series are true.'[44]
The story lines are a blending of history, historical inaccuracies, and characters invented for dramatic purposes. In some cases, the historical figures are indistinguishable from invented characters in all but name, with the traits, actions, and experiences having little to do with the real lives of those supposedly portrayed. For example, Dame Diana Rigg was cast to play an elderly and curmudgeonly Duchess of Buccleuch even though the real woman was in her 30s when at court, and older sister Feodora is made into a spiteful schemer living for an extended period of some years with Victoria and Albert, though letters reveal the sisters seemingly had an affectionate bond that made them faithful correspondents across years and distance, with visits relatively rare.
The Duchess of Sutherland is inaccurately depicted as carrying on an improbable romance with prince (later duke) Ernest of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, who is also inaccurately depicted as being unmarried at the time. Margaret Clunie told RadioTimes.com: 'Harriet Sutherland had a famously happy marriage with the Duke of Sutherland and they had these 11 children and lived happily ever after. So we have slightly deviated away from the truth.'[45]
Robert Peel’s Private Secretary Edward Drummond is shown as having a relationship with Lord Alfred Paget, but there’s no evidence that either of the men were gay or had any same-sex relationships. Drummond was fatally shot in 1843. Alfred Paget became the Queen's Chief Equerry in 1846.[46]
Frances Mulraney wrote on IrishCentral that 'Faith, Hope & Charity' episode 'overplays the extent to which Queen Victoria sought to aid the famine Irish in the 1840s, exaggerating her interest in Ireland.'[47] English-born historian Christine Kinealy, founding director of Ireland's Great Hunger Institute at Quinnipiac University, who has studied Queen Victoria’s diaries and the writings of Prime Ministers Peel and Russell, said that 'There is no evidence that she had any real compassion for the Irish people in any way.'[47] Irish clergyman Robert Traill, who wrote a letter that makes it to the newspapers, had never met Victoria.[48] The creator of the show, Daisy Goodwin, said: 'I thought [Robert Traill's] story would be a good way to illustrate the terrible way in which the Irish were treated by the British government.'[49]
Accolades[edit]
Year | Award | Category | Nominee(s) | Result | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2017 | British Academy Television Craft Awards | Best Make Up and Hair Design | Nic Collins | Nominated | [50] |
Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards | Outstanding Music Composition for a Series (Original Dramatic Score) | Martin Phipps, Ruth Barrett, Natalie Holt for 'Doll 123' | Nominated | [51] | |
Outstanding Main Title Theme Music | Martin Phipps | Nominated | [51] |
Notes[edit]
- ^The third series was broadcast on PBS in the United States ahead of its original release on ITV in the United Kingdom. See the episode table and broadcast section for the dates.
- ^ abcdeNot reported in the weekly top 15 programmes for four-screen viewer ratings.
References[edit]
- ^ abcde'Rufus Sewell to join Jenna Coleman in major new ITV drama Victoria'. ITV Press Centre. ITV. 21 October 2015.
- ^ abcd'Tom Hughes to star as Prince Albert in major new ITV drama Victoria'. ITV Press Centre. ITV. 14 December 2015.
- ^ abTartaglione, Nancy (21 October 2015). 'Rufus Sewell Joins ITV's 'Victoria' As Period Drama Adds More Cast'. Deadline Hollywood. Penske Business Media, LLC. Retrieved 29 August 2016.
- ^'It was impossible to turn down Victoria, says Jenna Coleman'. The Indian Express. PTI. 14 August 2016. Retrieved 29 August 2016.
- ^'Tommy Knight'. www.facebook.com. Retrieved 10 January 2019.
- ^Leane, Rob (22 October 2015). 'Victoria: first pic of Jenna Coleman, Eve Myles joins cast'. Den of Geek. Dennis Publishing Limited.
- ^ ab'Weekly Viewing Summary (see relevant week)'. BARB.
The viewer figures take into account total live viewing in SD and HD, and +1 figures, and are viewed under ITV Total (Incl. +1).
- ^'Four-screen dashboard'. Broadcasters' Audience Research Board. Retrieved 28 May 2019.
- ^'Jenna Coleman is Leaving Doctor Who'. BBC. 18 September 2015. Retrieved 18 September 2015.
- ^Barraclough, Leo (18 September 2015). 'Jenna Coleman Leaving 'Doctor Who' to Play Queen Victoria'. Variety. Retrieved 18 June 2016.
- ^Frost, Caroline (14 October 2016). ''Victoria' Drama Christmas Offer Turned Down By ITV, Reveals Creator Daisy Godwin'. The Huffington Post.
- ^Dowell, Ben (23 September 2016). 'Hallelujah! Victoria to return for a second series'. RadioTimes. Retrieved 23 September 2016.
- ^Lazarus, Susanna (6 October 2016). 'ITV's Victoria gets a 2017 Christmas special, reveals screenwriter Daisy Goodwin'. RadioTimes. Retrieved 9 October 2016.
- ^Clarke, Stewart (12 December 2017). 'Jenna Coleman Returning for Season Three of 'Victoria''. Variety. Retrieved 12 December 2017.
- ^Frost, Caroline (11 October 2016). ''Victoria': ITV Bosses 'Considering Six Series in Total, But Swapping Jenna Coleman Halfway Through'. The Huffington Post. Archived from the original on 29 December 2016.
- ^''VICTORIA' - Screen Yorkshire'. Screen Yorkshire. Retrieved 26 April 2018.
- ^'Where was Victoria filmed?'. Radio Times. 25 September 2016.
- ^Penfold, Phil (27 August 2016). 'Filmed in Yorkshire, could Victoria fill the gap left by Downton?'. The Yorkshire Post.
- ^Kirkham, Jenny (12 June 2018). 'This is what they were filming in Liverpool's Georgian Quarter today'. liverpoolecho. Retrieved 12 June 2018.
- ^'First look at Jenna Coleman in BBC One's The Cry and further casting'. BBC. 20 February 2018. Retrieved 25 September 2018.
- ^Kentera, Yasmin (26 February 2018). 'Australia's finest join the cast of new drama The Cry'. ABC. Retrieved 25 September 2018.
- ^Bley Griffiths, Eleanor (25 September 2018). 'When is Jenna Coleman's child abduction thriller The Cry coming to TV?'. Radio Times. Retrieved 25 September 2018.
- ^Dowell, Ben (25 September 2016). 'What is the Victoria title music? Who wrote the theme? Who sings it? Was it played at her wedding to Albert?'. Radio Times. Retrieved 25 September 2016.
- ^'Well we have rather excellent news.. It's here.. Head over to Spotify ? ? #Victoria #Soundtrack'. Facebook. 13 January 2017. Retrieved 18 January 2017.
- ^'Victoria (Original Soundtrack)'. Spotify. Retrieved 18 January 2017.
- ^'Music from series 2&3 ready for anyone who fancies more Victoria tunes'. Instagram. Retrieved 25 February 2019.
- ^''Victoria' Season 2 & 3 Soundtrack Released'. Film Music Reporter. Retrieved 13 March 2019.
- ^Martin, William (12 August 2016). 'US start date confirmed for Jenna Coleman's 'Victoria' series'. CultBox. Retrieved 7 September 2016.
- ^'Episodes - Vision TV Channel Canada'. Vision TV Canada. Retrieved 13 May 2017.
- ^Doran, Sarah (17 August 2017). 'JK Rowling and Jenna Coleman set for Bank Holiday Sunday clash'. Radio Times. Retrieved 18 August 2017.
- ^Petski, Denise (16 August 2017). ''Victoria' Gets Season 2 Premiere Date On PBS'. Deadline. Retrieved 17 August 2017.
- ^'Episodes - Vision TV Channel Canada'. Vision TV Canada.
- ^'Victoria - MASTERPIECE on PBS'. PBS. Retrieved 14 December 2018.
- ^Harp, Justin. 'Victoria season 3 will air in the US before ITV – and fans aren't happy'. DigitalSpy. Retrieved 9 January 2019.
- ^'Official Victoria via Instragram: 'Destiny means that #Victoria will return to UK screens this month on @ITV!''. Instagram. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
- ^'Official Victoria via Twitter: 'Royal announcement! #Victoria will be returning to @ITV on 24th March at 9pm. ?''. Twitter. Retrieved 13 March 2019.
- ^'Victoria [DVD] [2016]'. Amazon. 10 October 2016. Retrieved 2 November 2017.
- ^'Victoria Series 2 [DVD] [2017]'. Amazon. Retrieved 2 November 2017.
- ^'Victoria - The Christmas Special: Comfort and Joy [DVD] [2017]'. Amazon. 26 December 2017. Retrieved 22 March 2018.
- ^Lambert, David (17 November 2016). 'Victoria - PBS Press Release for DVDs, Blu-rays of the Upcoming 'Masterpiece' Show'. TVShowsOnDVD. Archived from the original on 7 November 2017. Retrieved 2 November 2017.
- ^Lambert, David (1 November 2017). 'Victoria - Release Date, Box Art for 'The Complete 2nd Season' on DVD, Blu-ray'. TVShowsOnDVD. Archived from the original on 5 November 2017. Retrieved 2 November 2017.
- ^ ab'Victoria: Season 2 (2016)'. www.rottentomatoes.com. Retrieved 23 November 2018.
- ^'Victoria'. Metacritic.
- ^'How accurate is ITV's Victoria season three?'. The Week. 25 March 2019.
- ^'Victoria: Who was the real Harriet Duchess of Sutherland – and did she fall in love with Prince Ernst?'. RadioTimes. 15 April 2019.
- ^Bley Griffiths, Eleanor (20 October 2017). 'What really happened to Edward Drummond? The tragic case of Robert Peel's Private Secretary'. Radio Times.
- ^ abMulraney, Frances (11 February 2018). 'The real story of Queen Victoria and the Irish Famine on the anniversary of her Irish visit'. IrishCentral.
- ^'Fact or Fiction: Inside Episode 4'. PBS.
- ^'Victoria: what is the truth about the Irish Famine, and who was Robert Traill?'. The Daily Telegraph. 2 October 2017.
- ^'Television Craft Awards Winners 2017'. British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA). 26 March 2017. Retrieved 19 June 2017.
- ^ ab'69th Emmy® Awards Nominations'(PDF). Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. 13 July 2017. Retrieved 13 July 2017.
External links[edit]
- Victoria on IMDb
- Victoria at TV.com
- Victoria at epguides.com
Retrieved from 'https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Victoria_(British_TV_series)&oldid=904099448'
Primary cultureEnglish (British)
Capital provinceGovernmentEnglish Monarchy
State religionTechnology groupWestern
Traditions:- −1 National unrest
- +10% Infantry combat ability
A Royal Navy
- +10% Heavy ship combat ability
- +0.25 Yearly navy tradition
The Eltham Ordinance
- +10% Production efficiency
Secretaries of State
- +1 Diplomatic relation
The Navigation Acts
- +10% Trade efficiency
Redcoats
- +10% Land fire damage
The Sick and Hurt Board
- +10% Sailor recovery speed
- −10% Sailor maintenance
English Bill of Rights
- −5 Years of separatism
Ambition:
- +1 Leader without upkeep
Victoria 2 Beginner Guide
Ever since 1337 the conflict over who is the rightful King of has been ravaging both France and England for over a hundred years. The English retain control over and Guyenne while Charles VII in Paris has the support of most of the regional nobles of France.With the treaty of Tours in May, the English Lancasters and French Valois families have seemingly traded territory for peace. Among its stipulation are the handover of the county of Maine, a point that was never cleared with the English Parliament, and which is likely to anger noble and commoner alike on the far side of the channel. The fear of public backlash has so far lead to this handover being stalled for months, with the word of the English negotiators increasingly being questioned in the French court.
England is itself in a precarious situation. A king since he was nine months old, Henry VI has now grown up to assume the crown and actual rule of the kingdom. Even as an adult however Henry seems unwilling to rule, some would say he is even worryingly detached from reality. Intriguing nobles of the realm have instead come to dominate Henry's regime, assuming power and positioning themselves for a future succession. Such feuds might well cripple the internal stability of the Kingdom, especially if hostilities in France commence again.
With the English busy with continental and internal affairs the dominion over Ireland has shrunken to a thin strip along the sea known as 'The Pale', with Gaelic lords as well as Hiberno-Normans acting entirely independent of the English Crown. There are few if any English troops on the island anymore much to the enjoyment of the Irish. Should matters in London and Paris finally settle however, the Irish lords are likely to be made a much higher priority.- 3Decisions
- 3.3Other decisions
- 4Formation
- 5Strategy
- 5.1British Isles into British Napoleon Start
- 5.2Colonial Britain
Missions[edit]
- Main article: English missions
After the England 1.25 patch, the new mission chains for are primarily focused around unifying the British Isles, conquering French lands and India, colonising the Americas and Australia, alongside dominating overseas trade.
Events[edit]
- Main article: English events
has one of the richest and best known histories of all nations, making it a treasure trove for Dynamic Historical Events.
Decisions[edit]
If reaches administrative level 10 and owns Aberdeen and Lothian provinces in , can form militarily. Doing so grants permanent claims on all of the British Isles (including Orkney).
Alternatively, if has as a vassal or junior union partner, they can form diplomatically, which is how it happened historically in reverse (Scotland gained a Personal Union on England, though with England as the dominant partner).
----By uniting our political development domestically and extending our influence beyond our borders we will be able to reinforce our position in world affairs and transform into one of the foremost European powers, the British Empire.
Potential requirements The country:
If the country is AI-controlled then it:
| Allow The country:
|
Effects The country:
If the country:
|
By uniting our political development domestically and extending our influence beyond our borders we will be able to reinforce our position in world affairs and transform into one of the foremost European powers, the British Empire.
Potential requirements does not exist. The country:
If the country is AI-controlled then it:
| Allow The country:
If the country is then :
If the country is then :
|
Effects If the country is then
If the country is then
The country:
If the country:
|
Other decisions[edit]
In addition, also has a unique decision:
In order to effectively tax things we need to regulate them. If we were to designate Calais as the sole point of import for the wool staple we would improve our tax revenues dramatically.Potential requirements The country:
| Allow :
|
Effects :
Calais (87) gets the modifier “The Staple Port”:
The owner of Antwerpen (1744):
|
Formation[edit]
can be formed by any country pertaining to English culture and is located in the southeastern part of the British Isles, if or have ceased to exist.
----Trade has long been a foundation of English national policy. By extending our influence across borders and controlling its political development domestically, we have managed to become one of the foremost European powers. Our colonial expansion is becoming a major factor in promoting our nation's economic growth, reinforcing our position in world affairs.
Potential requirements The country:
If the country is AI-controlled then it:
does not exist. | Allow The country:
does not exist |
Effects The country:
If the country:
|
Strategy[edit]
England is a large country in a relatively unique position geographically, mechanically and economically as sea tiles separate the British Isles from continental Europe and it controls a significant portion of the English Channel end trade node.
Defensively, the sea tiles separating the British Isles require an invader to utilize transports and associated escorts to launch any successful invasion. Few nations early in the game are able to support the combined army and naval costs required to successfully invade the British Isles and defend from opportunistic continental neighbors. Offensively, the sea tiles reduce the aggressive expansion experienced by continental Europe during the consolidation of the British Isles under English rule. Economically, the end trade node of the English Channel provides significant income as the game progresses enabling a strong income to support peaceful colonial or military expansion.
England has a unique government named the English Monarchy and suffers the historical political crisis of War of the Roses fomenting during an interlude of the long-lasting Hundred Years War against . The English Monarchy has access to Parliament which can vote on issues that provide special bonuses to the kingdom. However, Parliament requires seated provinces to be bribed one way or another to pass issues, which can be a severe hindrance to the monarch. The War of the Roses may determine whether or not England is able to resolve the Hundred Years War over traditionally English territory in the continental Normandy, Gascony and Vasconia areas (bordering ).
Startup: England starts the 1444 bookmark possessing 39 provinces, 333 total development, and is considered a great power. The King of England is Henry VI of House Lancaster whose skills are 0 Adm/0 Dip/0 Mil. England begins the game allied to . Besides its primary culture, England also accepts Gascon and Norman cultures. The English Parliament is composed of 5 seats represented by London, Cambridge, Kent, Lancashire and Oxford provinces.
England starts in a very defensible position. Because of the sea separating the island from mainland Europe, the general inability of the AI to handle navies and England's high base development, they are in a favorable and well-defended starting position. After the War of the Roses and the Lollard Heresy events end, England is in a good spot to expand into the British islands, mainland Europe, or the many colonial areas. Additionally, the early-game 'Surrender of Maine' event will almost certainly allow it to declare a Restoration of Union war on France. While this event may be used to get an early personal union over France without relying on the mission to do so, the war will be very difficult. England will be able to call in very few allies because of the short available time to build favors, and the War of Roses and Lollard heresy events will add additional challenge to defeating France.
British Isles into British Napoleon Start[edit]
Bringing France to Heel[edit]
The 'Surrender of Maine' event, which will almost certainly occur within the first few years of the game, will force you to choose between handing over the province of Maine or declaring a 'Restoration of Union' war with France. The riskiest, but most rewarding, approach will be to roundly defeat France and bring them in as Junior Partner.
As England is considered the attacker and the player won't have any favors built up, most of its allies will be unhelpful - and France is likely to have a handful of decent allies on its side. The best case scenario is that France fails to find strong allies other than Provence, while the player is able to ally with an expansionist Aragon or friendlier-than-average Burgundy. Since one can't control the AI's rivalries and ambitions, a degree of luck is needed for this to work; you may wish to restart until a favorable setup. If you get one, then bring in several mercenaries - going a few troops over force limit, if necessary - before the war starts; once it does, call Aragon and/or Burgundy in, promising them land to convince them to join.
Try and knock Provence (and any other French allies) out of the war early by sieging down their provinces and harassing any small armies in the area; at the same time, be careful not to over-extend, as the English beachheads in the north and southwest are very vulnerable, and one loss can quickly turn into a completely wiped-out army. If all goes well, you'll be able to whittle the French alliance down until you have them significantly outnumbered; at that point, it's just a matter of conquering your way to Paris before cleaning up the remaining territories to force a surrender.
Forcing of union in a peace deal will provide a lot of aggressive expansion. Either way (with some luck) is to wait until Burgundy declares war on France/Provence and takes some land from France in peace deal what causes a reduction in France's size. Usually it is enough when Burgundy takes just 1 province to reduce the aggressive expansion under a coalition threat (if France still has only the initial game's number of provinces). Other way is to complete the War of the Roses mission which provides nice -10% aggressive expansion bonus.
If this bid fails, or the player prefers to play it a bit safer, then focus should be shifted to a longer game of building alliances and favors. The Portuguese alliance is not very valuable, and should be broken in favor of a stronger nation. By allying a combination of , , , and there should be more than enough land power to counter the immense power of and their allies. To avoid losing Maine (but avoid war with France, as well), you can release and grant it ownership of Maine. You could use for this purpose as well, but that means you cannot release Gascony without getting the event that ends the 100 year war. If England releases as a vassal, they have cores on a large part of the French development; combined with Alençon, you'll have a strong buffer against France for when you do decide to push.
Occupying Paris (or successfully subjugating France as a whole) will grant England permanent claims on Brittany and the Ile-de-France area; conquering Brittany, in turn, will grant claims on most if not all other French territory. Follow the mission tree along those lines and you should be able to chip away at France until it's annexed or irrelevant.
At this moment, England should have secured a major foothold on continental Europe and can now look to expand south into the Iberian Peninsula or east into and the . Special interest should be given to the lands inside the English Channel trade node, as this will provide England with a large boost to trade income.
Recommended idea groups are Influence and Offensive as these will enable less expensive integration of vassals and help counter the strength of any opposing armies.
Uniting the isles[edit]
The rest of the British Isles is composed of and several small Irish nations. Conquering the rest of the British Isles approximately doubles development of England and thus is a common game opener. At the start of the game, none of the nations can challenge England's army or navy and the Irish are generally busy conquering their rivaling minors. By building up a decent active military and manpower reserve (which is almost guaranteed to happen in normal play, regardless), England can complete the 'Levy the Troops' mission to get permanent claims on Ireland and the majority of Scotland. It will also get a time-sensitive Subjugation CB on Scotland; using this to vassalize the Scots will require a bit more forethought than slowly chipping away at the north (as it will generate a good deal of Aggressive Expansion, as well as resulting in a very angry vassal), but will save on time and admin power in the long term by enabling the Form Great Britain Diplomatically decision. Since this CB is time-sensitive, it's recommended not to complete the mission immediately but wait until you're ready to use the CB.
Ireland is usually a trivial affair once you have the necessary claims, as the local minors fight among themselves and struggle to find powerful allies or guarantors. Because of their distance from mainland Europe, conquering these counts will rarely cause too much AE to build up, so the only real limiting factors are administrative power and your other priorities. If one or two of the minors start consolidating power, however, you may find it worthwhile to start expanding earlier than planned so that they don't get the chance to become a nuisance. You can save on administrative power and use diplomatic power instead by vassalizing one of the Irish minors and feeding them Irish land, then diplo-annexing them.
What remains is to take care of , which will usually be allied with or guaranteed by (unless France has already been eliminated). Triggering a war with Scotland generally has severe consequences on continental Europe and England has to be careful of losing its foothold in the French region. However, these relationships can be looked at with trepidation or with opportunity. One example of utilizing the special relationship between France and Scotland is to start wars with Scotland as an excuse to take territory and power projection from France. This method means slow going as the provinces can be twice as expensive and the strategy requires strong allies on the continent, as well as giving a larger amount of aggressive expansion. Another way of dealing with Scotland is by declaring war on an Irish minor allied to Scotland and then making them a co-belligerent. This will allow the player to take the entirety of Scotland in a single war.
Colonial Britain[edit]
Colonial England generally is a more defensive choice as it doesn't require direct conflict with continental Europe until later into the game. In this variation securing a strong economic base is vital to rapid colonization. One method is to conquer Scotland using the previously mentioned strategy of declaring war on one of the Irish minors allied with Scotland and including Scotland into the war as a co-belligerent. This will prevent a struggle with France.
Increasing early colonial range[edit]
The challenge with an England centered colonization campaign is that they struggle to reach colonial regions until later technologies. A helpful way to increase England's colonial range is to look toward neighboring and its Icelandic provinces and hiring a colonial advisor. Norway has a few neighboring provinces to the British isles. England can get involved in a war with their suzerain, , by supporting the independence of . An advantage to pursuing colonization through a northern strategy is that it confines England to the Northern portion of the Americas, away from the likely Iberian colonies in South America.
A second way to increase colonial range is through conquest of parts of the Iberian Peninsula. Stalker soc complete mod. Early fabrication of claims and rivaling of Castile can enable the release of potential vassals like (+1 colonist as level 4 national idea) and securing the provinces of Galicia and The Canaries to put England closer to the colonizable regions of Africa and South America. Notably this method puts England in direct conflict for colonies with ally and now rival .
Recommended idea groups for this direction are Exploration and Expansion.
Achievements[edit]
Successfully pass 11 issues in a row in parliament. |
Start as England, own and have a core on Paris (do not form another country unless it's Great Britain). |
As Great Britain, own all of England as core provinces and have at least 25 development in each province there. |
Complete all English and British missions. |
Western technology group |
Eastern technology group |
Anatolian technology group |
Muslim technology group |
Nomadic technology group |
Central African technology group |
East African technology group |
Muslim technology group |
West African technology group |
Eastern technology group |
Muslim technology group |
Indian technology group |
Chinese technology group |
Nomadic technology group |
Western technology group |
Mesoamerican technology group |
North American technology group |
Andean technology group |
South American technology group |
Retrieved from 'https://eu4.paradoxwikis.com/index.php?title=England&oldid=111284'
France | |
---|---|
Government type | HM's Government |
Ruling party | Orléaniste (liberal) |
Capital | Paris (ID 425) |
Population | 8.78 million |
Primary culture | French |
Literacy | 58.3% |
National value | Equality |
Tech school | Avantgarde Intelligentsia |
Status | Great power |
A view of France and Iberia in 1836
”Vive la France!”
Although Napoleon's empire is gone, the legacy of the French Revolution continues to influence France and the rest of Europe. Having seen the rise of a republic, an empire, and then a restored traditional monarchy, it begins the game in 1836 as a popular constitutional monarchy under the liberal Orléanists. France nonetheless continues to possess a strong army, navy, and economy, despite the decades of upheaval, allowing it to remain among the top three great powers and giving it the potential to rise to the number one ranking. The looming United Kingdom and the emerging German power of Prussia pose a threat to France's ambitions, however, causing it to shift its designs outside the continent and towards the rich lands of Asia and Africa.
The biggest obstacle to its rise is the country's low birth rate, especially compared to the neighboring German states. Due to the threat of Prussia, France must be prepared to fight a war in defense of of Alsace-Lorraine that could either cause or prevent the rise of the German Empire. On its path to regain the powerful position it held under both the Ancien Régime and Napoleon, France will also likely have to deal with revolutionaries, expand its influence by gaining a large overseas colonial empire, and maintain the balance of power in Europe.
- 1Overview
- 1.1Unique decisions and events
- 2Strategy
- 3French Colonial Empire
Overview
French is the main culture of France and French Canadian is an accepted culture. Its main religion is Catholic, which is also the state religion. In 1836 France has 53.36% farmers, 31.86% labourers and 10.27% artisans. France ruling party is the liberal Orléaniste. France has great industrial potential, that big that with industry points it can easily surpass Britain and become #1.
Unique decisions and events
Decisions
Events
France have a lot of unique positive events. There will especially be a lot of events giving prestige without any effort.
Strategy
France is one of the top three great powers at the beginning of the game. It has a strong army, navy and high literacy. France starts with a colony in Guyana, the coast of Algiers and several smaller African colonies. However, many challenges remain. A low birthrate and even more so to the east, Prussia/NGF/Germany will cause the downfall of France if one does not prepare for these challenges. The single most important war over Alsace Lorraine will either result in the German empire forming or will cripple their ambitions.
Due to France's relatively dominant position on continental Europe and a plethora of colonies around the globe, a French player is presented with various different options to pursue. Here are some of your major options.
Research
A workable literacy rate and a rich country means, that France does not have to limit it self when it comes to research.
In general matching Prussiasarmy technology, getting ready for colonization and getting prestige from culture technologies are the most important aspects.
It is worth noting that two French decisions requires a tech, which can be researched right away. La Légion étrangère requires Army Professionalism and The Lambert Charter requires Ideological Thought. Especially La Légion étrangère is worth prioritizing early, as the 0.01prestige pr month and the 1%immigrant attraction runs for the rest of game.
Many other French decisions requires certain tech later in the game, and most are worth actively persuing.
Prussia
Prussia is the dominant state fighting for the control of what will become Germany and is ultimately an enemy to France as they will come for Alsace-Lorraine. A good move in the early game is to attempt to weaken the Prussians through an early war to claim their Western Provinces.
To prepare for the war we will want to build forts along Alsace-Lorraine and shift our armies to the French border with Prussia. Begin to justify a war to 'Acquire State.' Alternatively, a decision to claim 'The Left Bank' can provide an 'Acquire State' CB for a cost of 4 Infamy. Prussia will be very weak without being Germany and these early conquests could go as far as to prevent a major rival in the East. An early alliance with Denmark or Austria will prove beneficial as it will serve to contain the Prussians and prevent any further expansion. The conquest of Prussia should be quite simple and will allow you to pick up 2 States in Prussia's Western holdings along your border. This will cut a massive part of the Prussian industry down and will prevent the forming of the North German Federation, so long as you hold those states.
With your new holdings in Prussia you have now prevented a formidable foe from rising up and will be able to slowly annex minor German states as the game progresses.
Sphering neighboring countries
Prussia and minor German states have superior military skills to France.Sphering neighboring countries such as Belgium, Switzerland, and Spain will help later on whenever you are in trouble, especially Belgium and Switzerland as they will become very loyal to France after sphering them.Sardinia-Piedmont and Two Sicilies can also be sphered but it is usually lost when Italy forms.
Other options
France has many other options to pursue. Examples range from acquiring states from Spain (especially Catalonia is valuable) to establishing a greater presence in the Americas.Other options include Removing the British influence in Belgium, and annexing them or annexing Sardinia from Sardinia-Piedmont and Sicily from Two Sicilies
French Colonial Empire
French Ghana together with Sokoto as well as Dutch, Danish and English Ghana
Historically France played a major role in the European colonization of the world, and it is advisable that the player does so as well. The country has lost some of its holdings during the French Revolution and subsequent conflicts, but regaining a large empire is far from impossible. The colonies will serve the purpose of boosting one's economy and providing more manpower to deal with threats on the continent.
Africa
France has minor holdings in Africa, and one can pursue to participate in the scramble for Africa. In the beginning of the game, one can choose to follow the historical route and attack Tunis and Algeria in North Africa, or one can choose to focus on the more southern parts of Africa like Sokoto or Portugal's holdings.
The decisionsThe Lambert Charter and End the Merina Monarchy can be used to fully annex Madagascar.
Americas
At the beginning of the game, French possessions in the Americas are limited to a couple of islands in the Caribbean, a sole island near Canada, and the territory of Guyana on the South American coast. If the player wishes to follow the historical route, an invasion of Haiti (which gained independence from France during the Revolution) as early as 1836 is a good move to begin restoring the French presence in the region. The United States of America tend to sphere it quickly so attacking Haiti as early as possible is recommended.
Far East
Historically France annexed Dai Nam and other parts of South East Asia. One can pursue that route or try to attack Japan before they westernize. Otherwise The Netherlands are relatively weak and without allies in the beginning of the game, so one can try to take over their holdings in South East Asia especially Java.
Great powers:Austria • France • Ottoman Empire • Prussia • Russian Empire • Spain • United Kingdom • USASecondary powers:Belgium • Brazil • Denmark • Mexico • Netherlands • Portugal • Sardinia-Piedmont • Sweden • Two SiciliesNotable nations:Bavaria • Chinese Empire • Egypt • Greece • Japan • Panjab • Papal States • PersiaFormable nations:Arabia • Byzantium • Germany • Gran Colombia • India • Italy • Romania • Scandinavia • Yugoslavia
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Victoria: An Empire Under the Sun, affectionately known as 'Vicky' among its fans, is a complicated Real-Time Strategy / Turn-Based Strategy4X game created and published in 2003 by Paradox Interactive.
Victoria 2 Hpm France Guide
Chronologically, it follows its sister series Europa Universalis and precedes its other sibling, the Hearts of Iron series. Vicky starts in 1836 and ending in 1920 (or 1936, if you bought the Expansion Pack). The game is noted for being arguably the most complicated of the Paradox Interactive games, dealing not only with war but also with an impressive economic and political system. It is noted as one of the better aversions of the Command & Conquer Economy.
The game was noticeably buggy at release, but some patches, the Expansion Pack (which radically changed the way the economy works) and some great work by modders have made the game far more stable.
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The game covers the Victorian and Edwardian eras, beginning a year before Victoria took the throne and ending shortly before the death of George V. As it displays the entire globe, it also covers such periods as The American Civil War, World War I, Imperial Germany, the Meiji Restoration, and The Roaring '20s. Since an important part of the game is European Imperialism, Darkest Africa comes into play at times.
The game is (in)famous for being almost incomprehensible to newbies, due to the vast array of interlocking factors, especially in politics and economy and how those two affect each other. The effect of these is often to create a rather fascinating effect where as an autocracy you are desperately trying to keep popular support from overwhelming you while a democracy has to take it relatively easy to avoid reactionary or dictatorial insurrections.
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A sequel to the original game, titled Victoria 2, was released on August 13th, 2010, turning this Paradox title into a new series. Two major expansion packs have been released:
- On February 2nd, 2012, an Expansion Pack called A House Divided was released. Ostensibly focused on The American Civil War, it added a 1861 start date and made the Confederacy less doomed. Additionally, many new mechanics were added, such as new ways to influence other nations and generate Casus Belli, a system of political movements and repression, new map modes and interface improvements, and most importantly, this expansion recolored Prussia from a sickly yellow to the proper Prussian blue.
- On April 16th, 2013 a second Expansion Pack was released, titled Heart of Darkness. It overhauled the colonization system, expanded naval combat, balanced the land combat, made twinges to the industry system, and added a more in-depth diplomacy system for Great Powers. Specifically, 'crises' can now develop in high-tension areas (such as Greece demanding land from the Ottoman Empire), prompting all Great Powers to pick a side to support, or stand aside. These situations can escalate until one side backs down, or a Great War is triggered between both sides.
Development on Victoria 2 ceased with patch 3.04 in January 2016 and Paradox has not conclusively stated whether there will be a Victoria III. The majority of dev investment since then has gone to its sister titles Crusader Kings, Europa Universalis, Hearts of Iron (whose fourth installment released in 2017), and Stellaris.
The games provide examples of:
- Adam Smith Hates Your Guts: Well, not really, but he's kind of a tsundere. In wartime prices of weaponry can increase quite spectacularly. Of course, this increase also makes it more profitable to build said weapons factories..
- A.I.-Generated Economy: The purpose of Capitalists, who invest their money into factories and railroads, taking a cut of the profit in return. Under Lassiez-Faire and Interventionism economic policies, this is the only way to have factories built.
- The Alliance: Spheres of influence in Victoria II can become this, to some extent. Especially true for Prussia and any Great Power looking to form Italy.
- Alternate History: The inevitable outcome of every game. It's pretty much alternate history the moment you unpause the game.
- Victoria 2's main menu art is a picture of Confederate soldiers fighting British redcoats. The expansion A House Divided changes this to show American ironclads bombarding London. As of Heart of Darkness it's an Imperial Russian boat in an African jungle.
- The box art shows Otto von Bismarck leading Prussian troops against the Americans.
- Anachronism Stew: Provinces and states are divided according to the post World War 1 map, which doesn't always correlate with actual historical divisions. This is most obvious in the Middle East, which is divided along the lines of the Sykes–Picot Agreement rather than the original Ottoman division.
- The different flags of a country uses imagery from certain movements within those countries, even if said movement wasn't even conceived at the time. For example, the flag of a communist Colombia and fascist Afghanistan use the flags of FARC and the Taliban, respectively, even though neither group would exist until roughly thirty to sixty years after the game's end.
- An Immigrant's Tale: Not the focus of the game, but implied via the international migration mechanics, which motivate emigrants to head for the United States to escape destitution in Europe and Asia. Other democracies in the Americas and Oceania, especially Australia and Canada, can compete for immigrants if they become powerful enough.
- Apathetic Citizens: Averted. It takes quite a bit for citizens to actually take arms against the government, but it's usually about lots of little things (unemployment, political repression, nationalism) rather than one big thing that upsets them.
- A House Divided adds an additional step where POPs will join political movements. If you ignore them or repress them too much, they will take up arms against the government eventually.
- Appeal to Force: In the first game, there is absolutely nothing preventing Prussia from declaring war on any of the German states and unify Germany by force in less than a year. Since they are all allied, Germanic countries will all bravely unite against Prussia. And since Prussia is military power No. 1 fighting against a coalition of city-states and tiny princedoms.. AI will of course never do that, but all player has to do is call conscripts to arm, deploy them in crucial points and declare war.
- Appeal to Tradition: Modus operandi of reactionaries.
- Artificial Brilliance: People automatically try to find the highest quality of political and civil freedoms, even though it's not actually a stat. Playing a particularly liberal power with an oppressive Britain? Expect lots of Indian immigrants.
- Artificial Stupidity: Something of a problem in Victoria II. The capitalist AI loves to build luxury clothes factories in countries where nobody can afford them, while other countries will happily continue to research philosophy while you're slaughtering their armies with machine guns and poison gas. To add to this, the AI frequently marches its soldiers in massive columns through harsh deserts and freezing mountains, leading to some truly horrific attrition levels which can leave armies decimated before they even see battle. Watching armies lose significant numbers of soldiers before even crossing the border is not that uncommon.
- In early versions of the game, Prussia would sometimes demand the wrong provinces from Denmark (necessary to unite Germany). This could sometimes delay unification by a decade, and also lead to Jutland being absorbed into Germany. Paradox eventually stepped in to write specific code just to ensure that Germany would take the correct provinces, and use excess warscore to claim Danish colonies around the world.
- Artistic License – Economics: The capitalist AI in Victoria II at launch only looked at the maximum possible profit for a good when deciding what factories to build - even if nobody in the world could afford it, with the effect that capitalists would sink thousands of dollars into building luxury clothes factories and then immediately go bankrupt. This has been patched, thankfully.
- Even then, there are often problems with economies under the Laissez Faire policy (where the player has almost no influence over their industry) as there is a tendency for AI to sometimes never build advanced factories (Automobiles, Electric Gear, etc) because they are not profitable in the short run.
- A close examination of the economy mechanics reveals that underneath of the fairly normal-looking (if obtuse) hood, many of its workings—especially anywhere it interfaces with politics—are utterly bizarre and seemingly counterintuitive. Case in point: one player figured out that the reason the number of goods on the world market is greater than world production totals is because spheres of influence act as matter replicators.
- Artistic License – History: While this may seem to be the case to the extreme for the Population figures which can all seem far too small, POPs actually only represent Healthy Adult men, a demographic that only makes up 25% of the population or less. However, even with this in mind, populations can still frequently end up being smaller than they should due to the way the game handles population growth.
- Truces being completely inviolable short of an ally calling you to war or being dragged into the conflict via the crisis system however, is most certainly this.
- The Assimilator: Democratic states (especially the United States) and countries in both Americas get a bonus when assimilating immigrant POPs to their primary culture.
- The USA in the first game got a special, country-specific stat. It was not only one of major factors attracting people, but also allowing US to assimilate virtually any kind and amount of immigrants, pronto. It was almost impossible to see non-American POPs in the States. This was modified in the second game, which instead eases assimilation in all American nations and allows other immigration-dependent states to achieve similar assimilation rates to the USA.
- Taken to ridiculous extremes in the first game. Countries with multiethnic populations like Austria and the Ottomans, would, by the turn of the century, usually have completely marginalized all their minority populations and replaced them with their primary culture. This was mostly a result of these countries having few accepted cultures, motivating their minority populations to assimilate ASAP.
- A House Divided modified the system for the second game to keep conversion under control. POPs get an absurdly high penalty to conversion if they are in their core provinces, e.g., the Irish can't be converted into British while in Ireland, but will gladly turn Yankee when emigrating to the USA. Colonial POPs were hit with this modification and a colonial penalty to conversion, meaning Africa is no longer ethnically European by the end game.
- Attack! Attack! Attack!: The primary strategy in the early part of the game. However, mid-game tech developments such as the machine gunstart favouring the defense.
- Autosave: The game autosaves periodically, at intervals that can be set by the player (e.g. every 3 months in game time, 6 months, etc.). The player can also save manually at any point in the game.
- Back from the Dead: The Byzantine Empire can be reformed by Greece if they can be turned into a Great Power and have taken all the provinces in Thrace and the Asia Minor coast. Quite fittingly, this take quite some patience and skill, but can be achieved by a determined enough player.
- Bad Guys Do the Dirty Work: A rather 'gamey' tactic by players who wish to change their government type is to encourage a specific type of rebels and then let them take over your country and enforce their demands - the player takes a prestige hit, but it's not the end of the world. In fact, the game itself uses this technique with Garibaldi and his Redshirt army, whom the game treats as ordinary rebels that, if successful in taking over any other Italian state, unite Italy under Sardinia-Piedmont.
- Balkanise Me: One of several war goals is forcing another country to release states from under their control. Inverted with fragmented countries like Germany and Italy, which have to annex several other countries in order to properly form.
- Unification and Balkanization are typically rare given that the AI never puts drastic effort into its wars. Expect countries to only go to war for one wargoal and quit despite possibly being able to tack on more if they stayed with the war.
- The Heart of Darkness expansion makes this more likely, as any area with sufficiently high nationalism will eventually create a crisis, which will allow a new nation to form without any war.
- Boisterous Weakling:
- China. It (and its substates in the expansion) starts out with an absolutely enormous population and huge armies to draw on. Yet, when actually engaged in battle, folds over like a paper tiger. But in hands of human player China is beyond the scale of game-breaking powerful.
- Downplayed with the Ottoman Empire, which starts out as a Great Power and gradually declines as its highly illiterate and conservative society refuses to modernize with the rest of Europe and eventually becomes a pushover. Averted when the AI decides to research specific techs early on (they are picked at random), or with a skilled enough player who can work with the Ottoman Empire's weaknesses while developing their strengths.
- Brick Joke: In the sequel, there's an event called Comet Sighted. At least with the expansion pack, there are two options, which both increase research points, one called 'Thank God we live in such enlightened times.' A reference to EU3, which has an event with an option added each expansion, which all give you negative stability points, also called Comet Sighted. If you decide to explore the Valley of the Kings, though, there eventually pops up an event which says your people think it is cursed. One of the responses is 'What next, comet sighted?'
- Character Portrait: Generals and admirals have unique portraits.
- Chronic Backstabbing Disorder: Want to take over a country, but don't want the Great Power they are allied and/or in sphere of getting involved? Simple, become friendly with that nation and make them break the sphere or alliance. Then go to war.
- Colour Coded Armies: All civilized nations use basically the same soldier model with a different colored coat. Some countries' models are a bit more unique — for example, South American soldiers wear sashes and Prussians wear pickelhaubes.
- Subverted by the time the 20th Century rolls around, as everyone starts wearing duller browns and greys. However, the design of the various uniforms also become more unique.
- Colour-Coded for Your Convenience: Each country has an associated colour (Britain: red, France: blue, Russia: green, Germany: grey), some of which carry over into other Paradox titles. At the start of the game these color borders are easily distinguishable, but as colonization goes on countries with similar colors can end up bordering each other.
- Command & Conquer Economy: Oh so averted. You don't even technically earn money from producing stuff: Instead your population does, and you can either tax them (which means they can't buy as much stuff..) or raise tariffs (which makes imported goods more expensive). All POPs have their own 'needs' of stuff they want (everything from grain and coal to opium and radios) based on their class and type. If you can't satisfy them they'll move somewhere else or starve. Oh, and did we mention that under two of the games' four economic policies you don't actually build factories yourself? Instead your capitalists do (using their own money, that disappears if you tax them too highly). The problem with capitalists, of course, is that they build factories that are the most profitable to them, not the factories that you would prefer built. (For instance, the ones that produce guns).
- Downplayed under Planned Economy. You're in charge of deciding where to build the factories, and you can put them where they'll benefit the nation the most. One of the perks of being a Dirty Communist. You can't though tell people what to consume, which still adds in some difficulty.
- The Computer Is a Cheating Bastard: Averted. If you play above 'normal' difficulty, then the AI does get some bonuses to production, but otherwise it follows the exact same rules as the player. If the computer appears to be cheating, it is making use of some sort of mechanic that is not readily apparent. (Such as: The second game opens at the beginning of the Texan Revolution; if you play as Texas, you will soon discover that the Mexican army has better morale than you. But not because of this trope, rather because it has an Engineers brigade attached, which gives +10 to morale.)
- Cool Boat: Starting with wooden frigates and ships of the line, and moving on through ironclads until reaching powerful battleships and dreadnoughts.
- Creator Provincialism: Scandinavia can be formed in much the same way as Germany or Italy, by becoming a great power and getting all Scandinavian cores in one's sphere of influence. Paradox Interactive is a Swedish company.
- Darkest Africa: Treated as a malaria-infested uncivilized hellhole populated entirely by subhuman savages that only machine guns can tame - in other words, exactly like the European powers of the time saw it. In second game it's actually impossible to colonize 95% of Africa before your army got machine guns.
- The Heart of Darkness expansion for the second one makes it so that you can colonize it without machine guns, but you still either need an equivalent technology or to be late to the party.
- Deliberate Values Dissonance: The game encourages the players to stomp over peoples' rights, colonize huge patches of land and violently suppress political movements in the name of progress, science, tradition or downright profit. All of these match the actions of the real life nations of the time.
- Department of Redundancy Department: In the second game, states that are not completely controlled by one country have their names show as <owning culture> <state>. This leads to gems like 'British British Columbia', 'Hawaiian Hawaiian Islands', 'New English Northern New England' and 'Luang Prabangni Luang Prabang'.
- Dirty Communists: They show up in 1848 (when Karl Marx published The Communist Manifesto) and remain an important factor for the second half of the game.
- More specifically, Socialists show up around 1848. Communists (basically radicalised and angry Socialists) don't show up until later.
- Divided States of America: Taken Up to Eleven. Although some of them, like California and Texas, were nations in their own right before being absorbed into the USA, there is also a number of ahistorical nations. Among the nations that can be formed from United States Territory are: the California Republic, the Cherokee Nation, Columbia (with parts of Canada), Deseret, the Manhattan Commune, New England, and the Republic of Texas.
- The Pop Demand Mod has a mechanic allowing for every single state to leave the Union if things get bad enough.
- It also adds a reversed American Civil War — if the USA favours slavery enough that the southern states never secedes, the northern states will instead secede as the Free States of America.
- The Pop Demand Mod has a mechanic allowing for every single state to leave the Union if things get bad enough.
- Eagle Land: The United States starts as a Great Power, ranked #7. They are the only Great Power to start as a democracy with extensive political freedoms, and as such get a huge boost to immigration. They also start with slavery still legal, which is important later on.
- Early Installment Weirdness: The first game, while having the same setting and similar design goals, is wildly different than the sequel both in aesthetics and gameplay. Perhaps most notably, pops had to be promoted manually, and military building was much closer to Hearts of Iron than Europa Universalis. There was also a highly abusable mechanic whereby the player could buy and sell provinces.
- Easy Logistics: To some degree. Your units requires a ton of different kinds of resources to produce (basic infantry requires small arms, canned food and manpower) but upkeep 'only' costs you money.
- No longer the case in Victoria II, where upkeep requires small arms, ammunition, explosives, and other military supplies.
- Though they can still get this no matter where they are stationed, and are just peachy as long as you aren't putting them in a high-attrition province.
- No longer the case in Victoria II, where upkeep requires small arms, ammunition, explosives, and other military supplies.
- Easter Egg: In the second game, if you manage to play as Jan Mayen (an island with an extremely low population that is almost always controlled by Sweden) and become a Great Power or Secondary Power, you can take a decision which allows you to be a country of polar bears.
- Elite Mooks: Guards in Victoria II are a form of this — they're much stronger than standard infantry, and have a higher reconnaissance value than cavalry, but are expensive and can only be recruited from your primary and accepted cultures. French AI just loves to build them, never looking on the costs.
- The Empire: Accept no substitutes.
- What every player strives to be.
- Certain countries under certain forms of government are also listed as Empires, be it unified Germany, imperial China, tsarist Russia or Mexico during French intervention.
- Event Flag: Abused in the original, almost as much as in Hearts of Iron. Breaking the first game's reliance on these was one of the major design goals of the sequel.
- Evil Is Easy: Picking highly conservative (or outright reactionary) options, keeping your subjects utterly apathetic and ignorant, trumping cultural and religious minorities, brutally taking control of new colonies and subjugating weaker, less advanced nations in blatant imperialistic expansion are all much easier, more profitable and less complicated paths to economic and political success. Hell, you really need those colonies, if not for raw materials, then at least for the prestige they generate upon establishment to even be able to trade in the first place. And by late game purposefully building your military-industrial complex into absurd size and letting fascist to power are pretty much 'easy mode' when compared with anything else.
- The Federation: Any reasonably liberal Great Power arguably counts. The US, UK, France, Italy, and even Imperial Germany (if formed through a liberal revolution) are all particularly likely candidates.'
- Flaw Exploitation: Once the Obvious Beta was patched, Rebels became laughably easy to pacify when revolting; you only need to pass a Reform with a high amount of support behind it and the Rebel armies will disband within days.
- Fog of War: The standard version: The player can only see what goes on in his or his Allies' territories, and only into foreign provinces bordering his own.
- Game Mod: As per Paradox Interactive tradition, many exist.
- Historical Project Mod and its offshoot Historical Flavor Mod are the most popular mods for the sequel, both of them largely designed to facilitate a more historical game than vanilla, primarily by making far heavier use of scripted events and unique decisions than the base game.
- Global Currency: The Pound Sterling is used for international trade.
- Glorious Mother Russia: Entirely possible. Russia starts as Great Power, but it's technology and political freedoms are lacking, while it's starting tech-group favours culture over such silly things like industry, commerce or military. Under the AI it will either be on the tail of Great Powers or the most powerful Secondary Power and the Red October is inevitable.
- Great Offscreen War: The Napoleonic wars are referenced occasionally in some events as a ground-shattering event that brought forth the ideas of Liberalism to the Ancient Régimes of Europe.
- Hegemonic Empire:
- Great Powers can increase influence by building factories and railways in minor states. Some nations can even be formed through influence mechanics, and cab be quite large if done right.
- The Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth can be reformed this way in particular, if Krakow or Poland in some form have Lithuania, Belarus, Russia and Ukraine in their sphere of influence.
- Germany can be formed this way as well, but either way needs Prussia or Austria to be knocked from the Great Powers list, and neither is particularly easy. Doing it with Austria, though, allows the player to form Greater Germany, which is huge and includes many other nations as part of it.
- High-Class Glass: Various graphics for elite members of society, like army officers and capitalists, feature monocles. A Funny Background Event in the newspapers describes prices for the eyewear reaching a plateau.
- Hopeless War: Texas and Tripoli are set up to be like this; Texas starts off with armies named after the three battles it lost! Both are weak nations facing down secondary powers with far more divisions. However, this can be averted by a skilled player (or rather, a player who knows how to hold out until the US comes in, in the case of Texas, and who can exploit the attrition mechanic, in the case of Tripoli.) The Victoria II wiki has advice on how to survive as both powers.
- Insistent Terminology: In A House Divided, foreign countries refer to The American Civil War as such. The USA calls it 'The War of the Rebellion', and for the CSA, it's 'The War of Northern Aggression'.
- Joke Character: The Heart of Darkness expansion introduces the nation of Jan Mayen, a tiny island in the North Sea, that even today has a total population of about 18 people. That is, until you start gettingPolar BearPOPs..
- Land of One City: Minor countries such as Moldavia or Texas start with only one State, usually made up of several provinces. However, some really small countries like Krakow and many German Minors have only one province within a single state. Also, it is impossible for a country with only one State to become a Great Power, no matter how powerful they actually are.
- Magikarp Power:
- A civilized, industrialized China is truly a thing to be afraid of. Heck, even just civilized China can curb-stomp pretty much everyone, since their absurdly big population of artisans can make up for lacking industry for decades.
- As pointed out below, Any German State, from mighty Prussia to middle-power Bavaria to little Saxe-Coburg-Gotha can form Germany through multiple paths.
- This includes Luxembourg. Besides being a micro-nation, Luxembourg is the only German state that also has French POPs as an acceptable culture. If you manage to form Germany as Luxembourg, you can potentially have a Germany that can take over France with none of the usual rebellions from the population that would usually provoke.
- Chile starts as an underdeveloped backwater wedged between the Andes Mountains and the Pacific. However, they're a democracy and get a huge boost to immigration, meaning they can become a Great Power much easier than Argentina (Presidential Dictatorship) or Brazil (Constitutional Monarchy with slavery). Having a precious metal province also doesn't hurt, since it both provides sizable profit and attracts immigrants.
- Japan starts out as an uncivilized nation just like the rest of East Asia, but gets a huge bonus to its westernization ability. This, along with its relatively large and hugely educated population, means that it can become civilized relatively quickly and immediately become at least a secondary power with an ideal position to dominate China and Southeast Asia.
- Panjab starts out as one of the few, yet largest, Indian minor states not a puppet of Britain, and thus stands the best possible chance of eventually working itself up to GP status and kicking Britain out of India. The AI will never accomplish this, but a skilled player can actually unite India around 1870 and with luck - by 1865. One of the most award-winning After Action Reports for Victoria 2 is from Panjab perspective.
- The United States, by virtue of one very simple advantage. it's a full-on Great Power surrounded by nothing more than colonies and pushovers. Besides the single stumbling block of the Civil War, it stands to just roll over all of the Americas while everyone else is just squabbling with eachother.
- Nice Job Breaking It, Hero!: Suppose you've worked up the diplomatic relations to add China to your sphere of influence. They're an uncivilized country at the start of the game, so having them in your sphere means your population has 100% access to their market of natural resources, as if your country made them (your population is coded to buy domestic goods before importing, having a country in your sphere of influence means that country no longer counts as an importer). However, China has such a large population, that they will outproduce anything your country can make. Even manufactured goods made in your factories can't compete with Chinese artisans who craft them by hand. Your population will therefore spend their income buying resources from China instead of your own market; demand for your nation's domestically produced goods goes way down; the owners aren't making money anymore; they can't pay their workers anymore and unemployment goes way up; unemployed workers make no money to spend, exacerbating all of the other problems; your whole economy collapses. Nice job bankrupting yourself.
- A House Divided had a partial solution: China was divided into several 'substates' (like satellites/dominions, but with somewhat less independence) under Qing China. Conquering a substate still requires going to war with all of China, but sphereing one does not, allowing for roughly-historical zones of influence in China (and making it significantly harder to sphere all of China).
- Nintendo Hard: China deliberately receives many crippling penalties to it (such as having 90% of its population be non-accepted, terribly inadequate military, and constant rebellion events) such that players complained China was unplayable/unfair. Paradox simply responded that China was made to be unplayable on purpose because China really was a political quagmire at the time and also because if they didn't, China would constantly turn into an a-historical superpower.
- Romanian unification is actually one of the most difficult things to achieve in the game, as the player has to play either Wallachia or Moldavia, both of which are puppet states to the enormous Ottoman Empire. It doesn't help that both countries are poor and backwards, with no industrial base, low literacy and research points, and a military that is both low tech and small in numbers. And even if the player manages to unify both Wallachia and Moldavia, escape the Ottomans' hold, and get Romanian cores, they still have to steal other core lands from the Austrian and Russian empires, both of which are vicious wolves compared to the Ottoman Empire's yapping dog.
- Non-Entity General: Even though in-game messages are addressed to the leader of the country (eg 'King' or 'President') you most certainly can continue playing even if your country falls to a revolution.
- No Swastikas: The flag used to represent Fascist Germany displays an iron cross rather than a swastika.
- Notice This: To differentiate them from the hundreds of ordinary events that pop up routinely, truly momentous events (the American Civil War, the discovery of Tutankhamun's tomb, the writing of Heart of Darkness, etc.) have a special, major banner with fancy bordering and your flag flying suggesting the public notices used in the period.
- Not-So-Harmless Villain: Excluding Prussia and Austria, most German countries are rather weak and will usually end up just being annexed by whatever powerful neighbor happens to border them. However, occasionally some lucky German nation will expand enough and can form either the Southern German Federation, or the Northern German federation, both of which are usually ranked as great powers in the game and can (when they're not controlled by them) match Prussia and Austria in status and power.
- Obstructive Bureaucrat: There's an optimum number of civil servants you need to run your country. Any more than that and all they do is draw a paycheck.
- Conversely, if you don't have enough bureaucrats, your civil service will quickly descend into chaos and your country will suffer as a result. Passing social reforms requires a larger bureaucracy to keep the government running properly.
- Obvious Beta: As traditional for earlier Paradox games, both games were extremely buggy on release with subpar AI. One of the most egregious parts was the impossible to pacify political radicals who often stage massive rebellions when it made no sense for them to; AI democracies would often be overrun by Jacobin rebels demanding a democracy, for instance.
- Some developer oversights still persist, particularly involving colonization and empty territory. An uncolonized province in Canada oftentimes leads to the United States colonizing Alberta, and the way that cores on uncolonized territory works means that there will often be uncolonized 'holes' near Liberia and Ethiopia. A broken decision intended to form Yugoslavia from Croatia, Bosnia, and Serbia causes one country to turn into Yugoslavia without annexing any territory.
- Old Save Bonus:
- You can import games from the Europa Universalis series. You can export them to Hearts of Iron 2. Considering Crusader Kings has an export feature to Europa Universalis II, you could in theory pilot the same faction from 1066 (or even 769) all the way through 1964 via the four games, a true feat of Paradox fanboyism.
- At least one person has actually done so, leading to a world that's..quite different from our own by 1836 - for one, the Spanish Reconquista failed, and America was first discovered and colonized by Muslims; taking the place of real-world Mexico is the Islamic Republic of Mazula - and that's one of the smallest changes. Here's◊ the state of the world in 1946 (at the end of an enormous war) as a result of the events of this playthrough.
- Vicky II is similarly the third step in a chain from Crusader Kings II to Europa Universalis IV to Hearts of Iron III or IV (either works).
- Paper Tiger: China before becoming civilized nation.
- Pretext for War: The casus belli system functions like this. A House Divided expands the system so you can manufacture them, your ability to do so depending on how free your press is.
- Public Domain Soundtrack: The entirety of the original game's soundtrack was classical music from the era. Averted in the sequel, which has original music composed by Paradox's in-house composer, Andreas Waldetoft.
- Puppet State: Satellites (civilized) and Dominions (uncivilized), using the same mechanic as in most PI games. As of Heart of Darkness, the AI tends to release these more often and become more efficient rather than remaining monolithic and bureaucratically choked.
- Pun:
- The Dye Works Accident event in the second game, which has two options: 'They shall not have dyed in vain!' and 'We shall all dye sooner or later.'
- There's also the 'Mummy Found!' event (involving egyptology) the response to which is 'Orphans Rejoice!'
- Red Scare: If you turn Communist, expect everyone to hate you. Truth in Television, of course.
- With good reason: as of A House Divided, Communist nations immediately get a permanent 'Spread the Revolution' casus belli on all their neighbours.
- Well, their non-great power neighbors which has at least some communists.
- With good reason: as of A House Divided, Communist nations immediately get a permanent 'Spread the Revolution' casus belli on all their neighbours.
- Refining Resources: Factories (and Artisan POPs in the sequel) turn raw materials into finished products. For example, cotton is spun into fabric, and then combined with dyes to make clothing, which is then bought by citizens or used by the military for uniforms.
- Relationship Values: Two different scales. One, Relations, measures a country's government's of another's, which translates to easier alliance and military access deals. The second, Opinion, is available only for Great Powers, and measures how much influence they have over a smaller nation's government.
- 'Risk'-Style Map: The game has over 2000 provinces, where people live, resource-gathering operations are run, and armies are stationed. These are grouped into states, where national foci are set and factories are located.
- River of Insanity: There are event chains that simulate expeditions up the Nile, Amazon, and so on. More often than not, they disappear without a trace..
- Royal Mess: When playing as a monarchy, in-game text boxes address the player as 'King'. Even if you're playing as a not-Kingdom like Austria or the Duchy of Baden, or if you're the United Kingdom.
- RPG Elements: Military leaders have 'backgrounds' and 'personalities' which have positive or negative effects on the units they lead. A House Divided introduced the idea of leader prestige: the positive effects of leader traits increase with prestige.
- Scare Chord: The sound that accompanies the message that someone has declared war on you.
- Schizo Tech: Depending on your research focus in Victoria II, it's possible to have such combinations as dreadnought battleships powered by water wheels.
- Shout-Out: Tons, mostly in event texts, especially the 'You have lost X amount of X resources' random events. After getting these dire news the 'accept' option is usually a witty remark, for instance, for cotton it is 'Frankly, I don't give a damn!' and for Precious Metals it's 'My precioussss!'
- In Vicky 2, one of the in-game events that happen if New England achieves independence is the foundation of the Miskatonic University.
- Also in the sequel, the existence of the Manhattan Commune as a possible nation is a reference to The Difference Engine.
- One of Victoria 2's election events is on immigration, with one possible choice being 'Immigrants? In 'my' <province>?' Doubly hilarious if it happens to the island of Victoria.
- Getting a surplus of goods also leads to references, such as the event for cotton: 'In Them Old Cotton Fields', with one choice being 'Rock me in my cradle!'
- You might just have a ship sunk by a certain submarine.
- One of the news stories added in Heart of Darkness references the Spanish language short story 'A Letter to God'.
- Another news stories makes reference to Mass Effect 3's ending controversy by using Sherlock Holmes. The article states that new ending for Sherlock Holmes will provide 'additional clarity and closure'.
- This pulls double-duty as a reference to the actual Sherlock Holmes franchise, as Conan Doyle's first attempt to end it ('The Final Problem') was.. not well-received itself.
- The flag for a fascist Siebenbürgen (a releasable minor state that starts out as part of Austria-Hungary) has a vampire bat as the central device. Siebenbürgen is better known in English as Transylvania, home of the fictional Count Dracula.
- Yet another news story references Adam West's Batman with crime-fighting action by a masked vigilante calling himself 'The Catman', repelling sharks as he goes.
- The name of the Manchurian Anarcho-Liberal party is A Very Unlikely Candidate.
- So Last Season: All preceding military developments become pretty much irrelevant with the invention of the machine gun. Then the machine gun itself becomes outdated with introduction of tanks.
- Stupid Evil: Out of the ideologies that seek to impose some form of dictatorship, the Anarcho-Liberals tend to be the least practical, especially if you're playing as a less-industrialized country short on capitalists, since the economic policies will seriously hinder industrialization. If you wish to attract immigrants, their reversal of political reforms, and establishment of a dictatorship, will also hinder immigrant attraction.
- Tank Goodness: These start appearing towards the tail end of the game.
- United Europe: A difficult but achievable goal for advanced players. To at least become the absolute dominant European power is very possible, in particular as someone like Germany.
- Unwanted Assistance: The sequel sees Belgium start the game in the United Kingdom's sphere of influence. This would be a great military advantage if there wasn't a world iron shortage coming on, and the UK didn't have first pick of its sphere-members' iron.
- Of course, if the UK WASN'T helping Belgium, it would be called 'Southern Netherlands.'
- Useless Useful Spell: As in other Paradox games, most naval technology is questionably useful, since ships cannot occupy provinces and Great Britain tends to dominate the sea for the majority of the game. It's worth taking the leftmost two techs in the tree, however; a large navy, even with poor combat stats, is still critical for colonization, and large flagships (especially Battleships and Dreadnoughts) can artificially bolster a nation's military score.
- Vestigial Empire: Supposed to happen to the Ottoman Empire, which is lagging behind in tech, has a huge number of releasable Balkan states, and suffers from having a huge non-accepted population of Arabs and Slavs. The game often averts this, however; sometimes the AI will play the country competently and avert its fall from Great Power status, and most of the time the empire's enemies could seemingly care less about releasing the Balkan states or annexing Middle Eastern territory (except perhaps for Greece's cores.)
- Austria is intended to gradually fall into a similar state. Unless it forms Greater Germany, Austria will usually lose most of its sphere members to the formations of Germany and Italy, prompting the Austro-Hungarian Compromise as a last-ditch attempt to preserve the country's integrity.
- Video Game Caring Potential: It's entirely possible to build a democratic utopia where the rights of workers and minorities are protected. However, it's also much much MUCH easier to be an oppressive bastard, and the game generally rewards you for acting that way. See below.
- For example, enforcing labour regulations such as limited work hours and safety standards make factories more expensive and will hurt your economy.
- Video Game Cruelty Potential: It's entirely possible to end the game with the world under the domination of a fascist dictatorship with institutionalized slavery.
- Plus, it is almost impossible to play a great power without committing atrocities, colonial or otherwise. Drive Native Americans off their lands and set up mining operations? Yup! Forbid Africans from teaching in schools in their native tongue? Sure! Execute minorities for trying to oppose your foreign rule? Why not?
- Do you have lots of weapons factories? Do you have gunpowder, ammunition, small arms, artillery, and the panoply of modern war churning out of your Arsenal of Whatever-ocracy? Is there world peace such that no one wants to spend money on your goods of death? Start a war, preferably between two Great Powers far away from where you are! Watch as your people grow rich and prosperous, and your tax coffers fill, as other states buy your weapons at outrageous prices to slaughter each other!
- Video Game Historical Revisionism: Due to the high level of detail present in the game, there are often mistakes made, sometimes for Acceptable Breaks from Reality reasons, sometimes because they can't be arsed to fix it (somewhere though, a modder will) most divisive tends to be the allocation of minority cultures and POP's.
- War for Fun and Profit: One war cause lets the victor demand concessions from the loser. Plus, countries can actually create a military-industrial complex, which boosts army/navy/industrial research, but hampers both cultural and financial research.
- We ARE Struggling Together: It's fully possible to have rebels rise up when their party is in power (Jacobins when the liberals are in charge, etc.), or when you have a system of government they want already (Jacobins when you have a democracy, Commies when you have a communist dictatorship, etc.). One particularly bad example is when you have a revolution only for the same rebels to rise again. Players agree this trope is likely the best explanation for why this happens.
- We Have Reserves: Played literally with the 'mobilization' option that lets you conscript a large amount of ordinary workers into your army, ostensibly as canon fodder since they aren't nearly as effective as regular soldiers.
- The AI typically like to group soldiers into gigantic armies, which often times causes horrible attrition on long marches through territory that can't support so many soldiers at once. Combat also usually devolves into throwing huge amounts of armies into one battle trying to overwhelm the enemy. In fact, it's the only way uncivs even stand a chance against the Great Powers.
- China in particular suffers this most of the game, as trying to fight the Great Powers results in your armies dying by the thousands just to kill hundreds of their guys.
- Wrong Turn at Albuquerque: The 'botanical expedition to the colonies' events in the sequel have a fairly high chance of resulting in the party either disappearing or turning up again much later and worse for wear, as in real life. However, they don't check to see which province the expedition was sent to first, and generate a random destination. This leads to such situations as a character going to Canada and ending up in Morocco.
- You Require More Vespene Gas: No less than 47 different resources. Basic types like iron, coal, wheat, and wool are all present, as well as more esoteric goods such as tea, opium, tanks, and luxury furniture. Raw materials such as coal or wheat are mined/harvested by worker POPs in provinces, and are either consumed ore refined into other goods. Some advanced goods, like Radios, Aeroplanes, and Tanks require a production chain that is pretty complex. Luckily you can buy all resources from the world market, assuming there is SOMEONE somewhere who is producing the stuff..though price fluctuations can make an import-heavy economy very vulnerable to shortages.
- Different powers have different levels of priority for resources, and some resources repeatedly prove problematic. For starters, liquor is required for a variety of units and you can find yourself in dire shortage of it. Cue the British Empire not being able to build artillery because they can't get any liquor.
- Also an economic powerhouse for any economic policy capable of choosing its factory type rather than leaving it up for the AI to decide since anyone making these low priority but high demand goods will earn absurd amounts of money for them due to their demand.
- Some major mods add even more resources, namely the Modern Era Mod.
Alternative Title(s):Victoria II
Index
Welcome to the Pop Demand Mod WikiEdit
Pop Demand Mod (PDM) is a mod project for Victoria 2, a real-time grand strategy game published by Paradox Interactive and set in the Victorian era. PDM completely reworks the VIC2 economy, and adds hundreds of new events, decisions and game mechanics, all with the goal of making a more historically plausible and fun experience.
To download the latest versions of PDM, please visit the POP Demand Mod forum .
IntroductionEdit
Don't let the name fool you -- while the 'Pop Demand Mod' started out as a discussion of how to improve and balance Victoria II's economy, it grew into a full mod focused on making the economy work smoothly but with comprehensive coverage of other areas. It not only adjusts the economy and migration mechanics but also introduces a host of new decisions, events and mechanics suggested by a wide variety of players in this sub-forum – thus providing the mod's unofficial second name: 'People's Democratic Mod'.
It's become something of an unofficial expansion pack, and one that is continually growing as more and more gets added into it. The goal is not to change vanilla Vicky unnecessarily, but to smooth the rough edges that players experience and create a working world economy and a rich historical context for both historically-minded and sandbox players.
Where to get the modEdit
The POP Demand Mod Forum is the place to download the mod and to discuss it.
FeaturesEdit
- Economy
- Game Mechanics