Charlemagne – Guide and Strategy

Intro

Charlemagne (or Charles the Great) is a powerful and versatile leader in Civilization VII. He began his reign as King of the Franks in 768 CE, forging an empire that reached across large swathes of Europe and giving rise to the Carolingian Renaissance. Known for balancing both might and intellect, Charlemagne appeals to players who appreciate a strong military core paired with steady scientific growth. If you enjoy commanding cavalry units and leveraging intellectual prowess in equal measure, you’ll feel right at home leading Charlemagne’s empire.

Strategy

As Charlemagne, you’ll be mixing a militaristic approach with a scientific edge. This leader’s key advantages revolve around Cavalry units and building synergy in your empire. Here are a few tips to keep in mind:

• Maximize Celebrations: Entering a Celebration gives you free Cavalry units once you’ve unlocked them and boosts their combat effectiveness, so do everything you can to keep your population happy and your empire celebrating!
• Exploit the Happiness Adjacency: Military and Science Buildings both receive a Happiness adjacency bonus for Quarters. By carefully planning your city layouts, you’ll ensure these bonuses stack for considerable advantages.
• Flex Your Military Muscle: Cavalry units benefit from extra combat strength during a Celebration. This bonus can quickly snowball if you time your wars (or critical defenses) to match your Celebration phases.
• Invest in Scientific Infrastructure: Don’t just rely on brute force. Your adjacency bonus also helps you stay on the cutting edge of technology, allowing you to reach key unit upgrades first.

While Charlemagne can excel in military victories, his robust science potential also opens the door to science-driven paths. If you keep your empire celebrating frequently, you’ll see a fast-paced playstyle that rewards both expansion and innovation.

Lines

Charlemagne’s voice lines reflect his blend of fervor, faith, and confident command. He is voiced by Christian Manuel Oliveira, speaking a reconstructed form of Frankish. Here are a few highlights (English paraphrases included):

• Greeting: “I am Charles, known as Charlemagne. May our swords strike true and our spirits endure!”
• Declares War: “Your defiance shall be met with the fury of a righteous empire!”
• Accepts Player’s Deal: “Your wisdom pleases me. Let us flourish together.”
• Rejects Player’s Deal: “I must decline. My halls echo with other plans.”
• Defeated: “My crown falls to the wayside, carried away by the tides of history…”

Civilopedia Entry

Often credited with shaping the course of the Middle Ages, Charlemagne unified much of Western and Central Europe. Born into a relatively stable Frankish kingdom, he expanded his realm through skillful diplomacy, bold military campaigns, and strategic alliances with the papacy. In 800 CE, Pope Leo III crowned him Emperor of the Romans, cementing his claim as a unifier of Christian Europe.

Under his rule, what we call the Carolingian Renaissance blossomed. Charlemagne gathered scholars and diplomats, weaving together the diverse Gallo-Roman legacy with the Frankish tradition. This cultural revival propelled advancements in art, learning, and administration, influencing governance systems for centuries to come.

In-game, Charlemagne’s leadership style mirrors his historical combination of pragmatism and ambition. He seamlessly merges the fervor of conquest with the deliberate care of a scholar, making him both dangerous on the battlefield and adept at pushing scientific frontiers.

Unique Ability: Father of Europe

• Happiness Adjacency Bonus: All Military and Science Buildings get a Happiness adjacency from Quarters.
• Free Cavalry Units: Upon unlocking Cavalry, each Celebration spawns a set of free Cavalry units.
• Enhanced Combat Strength: Cavalry units gain additional combat power during a Celebration.

Agendas

The Golden Shepherd: Charlemagne admires those who trigger frequent Celebrations and dislikes leaders who neglect their people’s happiness.

• Increases relationship by a medium amount with the player who triggers the most Celebrations (or a small amount to any tieholders).
• Decreases relationship by a medium amount with the player who triggers the fewest Celebrations (or a small amount to tieholders).

Essentially, if you excel at keeping your cities content, Charlemagne may become a valuable ally. But if your people are often disgruntled, expect tensions to rise quickly.

Trivia

• Recurring Legend: Charlemagne has previously appeared in the Civilization series, often emphasizing the Holy Roman Empire or Frankish heritage in scenarios.
• Starting Bias: He favors settling near rivers, reflecting the Franks’ historical preference for fertile river valleys that supported both agriculture and trade.
• Geographic Civ Choices: Charlemagne can align with various civs like the Greek, Roman, Norman, Spanish, French Imperial, or Prussian to reflect different stages of European development.

TL;DR

Charlemagne blends military might with scientific advancement and thrives on Celebrations to bolster Cavalry forces. Keep your people happy to maximize his “Father of Europe” benefits, and remember that his agenda, “The Golden Shepherd,” rewards leaders who do the same. With the right balance of expansion and research, Charlemagne can lead your empire to a dynamic and triumphant path through the ages.