Eu4 Byzantium Orthodox Zealots
In Europa Universalis IV (EU4), playing as Byzantium can be a challenging yet rewarding experience. Among the many elements that make the Byzantine campaign intense and immersive, Orthodox Zealots play a significant role sometimes helpful, sometimes dangerously disruptive. Understanding how Orthodox Zealots work in EU4 and how they influence your Byzantium playthrough is critical for anyone aiming to restore the Roman Empire and assert Orthodox dominance across the map. Managing religious unity, rebel factions, and leveraging religious mechanics can all shape your path to glory.
Understanding Religious Rebels in EU4
Types of Religious Rebels
In EU4, religious rebels are factions that arise when provinces of a certain religion are oppressed, unconverted, or governed poorly. These rebels will fight to impose their faith’s dominance within your realm. For Byzantium, Orthodox Zealots are most commonly encountered when attempting religious conversions or when religious unity falls too low.
Orthodox Zealots Defined
Orthodox Zealots are rebels that support the Orthodox faith and will attempt to convert provinces back to Orthodoxy if they control them long enough. If they succeed, they may even enforce demands that change your state religion though as Byzantium, that’s less likely since you typically start as Orthodox. Their presence, however, can still shape your empire’s future significantly.
Byzantium’s Religious Challenges
Initial Religious Landscape
At the 1444 start, Byzantium controls a few provinces, all of which are Orthodox. However, the surrounding territories especially once you expand into Anatolia and the Balkans are a mosaic of Sunni, Catholic, and Orthodox provinces. Managing religious diversity becomes a growing concern as your empire expands.
The Problem of Religious Unity
Religious unity is a percentage value that reflects how much of your territory follows your state religion. As this value drops, stability suffers. Low religious unity increases unrest and the likelihood of rebels appearing, especially Orthodox Zealots if newly conquered Orthodox lands were previously converted to another faith and you reverse it.
When Orthodox Zealots Spawn
Conversion Struggles
If you begin converting provinces to Orthodoxy after capturing them from Muslim or Catholic nations, the affected provinces may generate unrest. If your religious unity is low and your religious tolerance is poor, this unrest can eventually lead to the emergence of Orthodox Zealots. This is particularly common when capturing former Orthodox provinces that were converted by the Ottomans or Balkan nations.
Missionary Activity and Zealot Uprisings
Using missionaries can generate unrest, especially if your missionary strength is weak or the local religious resistance is strong. If you fail to stabilize these provinces quickly, Orthodox Zealots may rise up and try to enforce their demands ironically, aligning with your religious goals, but at the cost of military and economic damage.
How Orthodox Zealots Can Help
Religious Conversion via Zealots
Though they are rebels, Orthodox Zealots can actually assist your religious goals in certain cases. If you conquer a Muslim or Catholic region that is difficult to convert through normal means, allowing Orthodox Zealots to occupy the territory can result in automatic religious conversion. This can be a sneaky way to convert by rebellion.
Strategic Use of Zealots
Some players intentionally lower unrest and boost support for Orthodox Zealots in areas where manual conversion would be slow or expensive. By allowing them to spawn and spread across the map, you can flip enemy provinces back to Orthodoxy indirectly. It’s a risky strategy, but in smaller nations with limited missionary strength, it can be surprisingly effective.
- Allow zealots to occupy enemy provinces post-conquest
- Do not fight them immediately let them convert regions first
- Use this tactic sparingly to avoid uncontrolled rebellion
When Orthodox Zealots Become a Threat
Economic Disruption
Every rebel uprising, no matter how aligned with your goals, damages the economy. Occupied provinces stop generating income and increase devastation. Your trade power is reduced, local manpower suffers, and armies must be diverted from expansion or defense.
Stability Damage and Government Risk
If zealots occupy your capital or other critical regions, they can trigger major changes. Even though they support Orthodoxy, if your government is unstable, you could lose control of your realm. Rebel demands can sometimes reduce legitimacy, force policy changes, or lead to damaging peace terms if not managed properly.
Handling Orthodox Zealots Effectively
Monitoring Religious Unity
Keep religious unity above 90% whenever possible. This reduces unrest, improves stability, and minimizes the chance of any religious rebels, including zealots. Take decisions like Establish Patriarchate Authority and Adopt Religious Ideas to bolster your conversion power and unity.
Using Edicts and Advisors
Activate religious conversion edicts like Enforce Religious Unity in key provinces to speed up conversions. Hire theologian advisors to reduce unrest and boost missionary strength. Combined with a religious-focused idea group, these can nearly eliminate the threat of Orthodox Zealots entirely.
Dealing with Rebel Occupation
If zealots do appear and you don’t want to use them strategically, crush them quickly with your military. Focus on rebel stacks before they can merge or spread. Use harsh treatment to reduce progress when military options are limited. Don’t let rebel factions reach 90% or more without preparing for combat.
Religious Ideas and Patriarch Authority
Religious Idea Group Benefits
Taking the Religious idea group gives you a range of tools to fight religious instability:
- +3% missionary strength
- More missionaries
- Increased tolerance of the true faith
- Ability to declare holy wars
This makes it easier to convert Sunni, Catholic, and Coptic provinces back to Orthodoxy, eliminating the root cause of most Orthodox Zealot uprisings.
Boosting Patriarch Authority
Patriarch Authority is a Byzantium-specific mechanic tied to the Orthodox religion. High authority grants:
- Lower unrest in Orthodox provinces
- Increased manpower recovery
- Improved tax income
Invest in Patriarch Authority by converting provinces, using decisions, and maintaining Orthodox religious unity. This makes your empire more stable and resistant to rebellion of any kind.
Orthodox Zealots
In EU4, Orthodox Zealots are more than just an annoyance for a Byzantium player. They are both a threat and a potential ally in your religious campaign. Learning how to manage religious unity, convert provinces efficiently, and possibly even use rebels to your advantage is a key part of mastering the Byzantine campaign. Whether you see them as obstacles or tools, Orthodox Zealots are an integral part of the rich strategic tapestry that makes Europa Universalis IV such a deeply rewarding experience for empire-builders and strategists alike.