Hi all,
how about changing Frances’ leader from Napoleon to Francis I (the king that was caught by Charles V in Pavia)?
I’d already have a good Portrait for him 
Why?
(20 Characters)
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Francis I is a good option, but I would go with Louis XIV (r. 1643-1715). He is basically the ultimate representative of European absolutism during this period and is the monarch who reigned the longest in all of history…
His reign of 72 years and 110 days is the longest of any monarch in history.[1][a] An emblem of the age of absolutism in Europe,[3] Louis XIV’s legacy includes French colonial expansion, the conclusion of the Thirty Years’ War involving the Habsburgs, and a controlling influence on the style of fine arts and architecture in France, including the transformation of the Palace of Versailles into a center of royal power and politics. Louis XIV’s pageantry and opulence helped define the French Baroque style of art and architecture and promoted his image as supreme leader of France in the early modern period.
Louis XIV began his personal rule of France in 1661 after the death of his chief minister Cardinal Mazarin. A believer in the divine right of kings, Louis XIV continued Louis XIII’s work of creating a centralized state governed from a capital. Louis XIV sought to eliminate the remnants of feudalism persisting in parts of France by compelling many members of the nobility to reside at his lavish Palace of Versailles. In doing so, he succeeded in pacifying the aristocracy, many of whom had participated in the Fronde rebellions during his minority. He consolidated a system of absolute monarchy in France that endured until the French Revolution. Louis XIV enforced uniformity of religion under the Catholic Church. His revocation of the Edict of Nantes abolished the rights of the Huguenot Protestant minority and subjected them to a wave of dragonnades, effectively forcing Huguenots to emigrate or convert, virtually destroying the French Protestant community.
During Louis’ long reign, France emerged as the leading European power and regularly made war. A conflict with Spain marked his entire childhood, while during his personal rule, Louis fought three major continental conflicts, each against powerful foreign alliances: the Franco-Dutch War, the Nine Years’ War, and the War of the Spanish Succession. In addition, France contested shorter wars such as the War of Devolution and the War of the Reunions. Warfare defined Louis’s foreign policy, impelled by his personal ambition for glory and power: “a mix of commerce, revenge, and pique”.[4] His wars strained France’s resources to the utmost, while in peacetime he concentrated on preparing for the next war. He taught his diplomats that their job was to create tactical and strategic advantages for the French military.[5] Upon his death in 1715, Louis XIV left his great-grandson and successor, Louis XV, a powerful but war-weary kingdom, in major debt after the War of the Spanish Succession that had raged on since 1701.
Some of his other notable achievements include the construction of the 240 km (150 mi) Canal du Midi in Southern France, the patronage of artists (the playwrights Molière, Racine, the man of letters Boileau, the composer and dancer Lully, the painter Le Brun and the landscape architect Le Nôtre, all contributed to the apogee of French classicism, described during his lifetime as the “Grand Siècle”, or even “the century of Louis XIV”), and the founding of the French Academy of Sciences.
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Dear vanBladdeck,
Thanks for your reply - I always like when people question ideas.
However, the reason is rather simple - I play most of the time with the germans/spanish as some sort of “early renaissance army” - therefore, it would fit rather well.
Also, I saw a picture of him in wikipedia and was immediately reminded of the AoE III-artwork - so, no specific “deep” reason behind, just that I like the art and the period
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At least Cardinal Richelieu had aura and would make a cool AI personality.
But what does Francis I got going for him?
Besides being alive around approximately the times of Ivan the terrible, Queen Isabella, and Queen Elisabeth, quite little to be honest 
He’s not even the most interesting monarch of that timeframe. I’d say Henry IV or Catherine de’ Medici have a lot more going for them.
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Henri IV of Navarre would be great tbh!
I only stumbled across him as a leader bc. of the Wikipedia-portrait that reminded me instantly of the in-game-portraits - so that’s actually all the inspiration I got for him (and, as mentioned, the fact that the imperial-spanish beat his ass in Pavia and incarcerated him afterwards - as a Landsknecht-reenactor, such deeds make a deep impression on oneself XD)
Yes, they should let you choose your preferred AI, just like with the major gods in AoM…
Yes, that’s a point in its favor, but wouldn’t that be too many AIs in the 16th century?.. You have Queen Isabella of Spain, Suleiman for the Ottomans, Akbar for India, and Amina for Hausa… We need more AIs in the 17th and 18th centuries…
Why not just say Henry IV of France and leave it at that…although that’s also valid according to the Edict of Nantes…
Actually great points!
There should definately be a modification that lets you choose which monarch/period you want to play - late 16th, 17th, 18th or 19th century monarchs so every preference would be covered
Who would you pick for a 16th century Lakota leader? Or a 19th century Aztec one?
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Every suggestion lately feels like something people would realize it’s a bad idea if they stopped to think about it for… about 5 minutes.
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Okay, in the case of native civilizations, it would be stricter… 15th and 16th century AIs for Aztecs and Incas, and 18th and 19th century AIs for Hauds (except Hiawatha, although this could be changed to Tecumseh, since he is the Haud leader in American Conquest) and Lakota…
Why though? There aren’t really any countries with more than 2 or 3 notable leaders.
Tecumseh isn’t Haud. Maybe a few Seneca were part of his confederacy but most Hauds have nothing to do with him.
MatM about to discover 90% of games have never taken native american history seriously and just throw whatever there.
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