Managing estates in Europa Universalis IV is a crucial aspect of running a stable and powerful nation. Among these estates, the Burghers play a significant role due to their economic influence and control over trade and production. However, letting the Burghers accumulate too much influence can be dangerous. When their influence surpasses 80%, there’s a high risk of estate disasters, like the Burghers Seize Power event. Knowing how to lower Burgher influence in EU4 can help you avoid internal instability while keeping their loyalty and bonuses in check. This guide covers practical and strategic steps to reduce Burgher influence effectively.
Understanding Burgher Influence in EU4
Before taking action, it’s important to understand how influence works. Influence is a measure of how powerful an estate is in your realm. Each estate in EU4 Burghers, Clergy, Nobility, and others has two primary stats: loyalty and influence. Influence determines the power an estate holds, while loyalty affects how willing they are to support you.
What Affects Burgher Influence?
Burgher influence is primarily affected by:
- Granted privileges or estate modifiers
- Control of high-value provinces
- Events or decisions
- Monarch power and estate loyalty thresholds
If you’ve granted them too many privileges or given them control over trade-rich land, their influence will increase accordingly. Once it goes beyond 80%, you’re in danger of triggering estate-related disasters, making it essential to monitor and control this value.
How to Lower Burgher Influence in EU4
1. Revoke Estate Privileges
One of the most direct ways to reduce Burgher influence is to revoke privileges (also called estate privileges or privileges granted via estate interactions). Every privilege comes with specific effects, including loyalty and influence modifiers. Check each active privilege the Burghers have and look for ones that add +10 or more influence.
Steps to revoke privileges:
- Open the Estates tab in your government menu.
- Select the Burgher estate.
- Review the privileges list and hover over them to see their influence effects.
- Revoke one or more privileges that increase influence.
Keep in mind that revoking privileges will reduce loyalty and may trigger temporary discontent or rebellions if done carelessly. If their loyalty is high enough, you can afford a short-term drop to reduce influence safely.
2. Reassign or Revoke Estate Land
Another effective way to reduce Burgher influence is to reduce their land share. Burgher influence increases the more land they control, especially in wealthy provinces or trade centers.
To lower Burgher land share:
- Go to the Estates interface and click the province management icon.
- Sort provinces by Burgher ownership or estate control.
- Manually revoke estate control of provinces, particularly those with high trade or production values.
Revoking land will reduce their influence proportionally, especially if it pushes their land ownership below the 30% mark. Be cautious, as doing this will lower their loyalty. Try to revoke land after boosting their loyalty first with temporary bonuses or privileges you plan to later revoke.
3. Wait Out Temporary Modifiers
Sometimes Burgher influence is boosted by temporary modifiers from events or decisions. If this is the case, check the tooltips for any modifiers with countdown timers. Hover over the influence stat to view a breakdown of what’s affecting it.
If part of their influence comes from a temporary +20% event modifier, it may be better to simply wait it out rather than taking drastic action. Once the modifier expires, their influence will naturally drop.
4. Avoid Granting New Influence-Based Privileges
If your Burgher influence is already close to 80%, avoid giving them new privileges that add additional influence. Many powerful privileges come with an influence cost, even if they also increase loyalty. Be selective about what you offer them, especially during periods of instability.
Common privileges to avoid when influence is high:
- Monopolieson trade goods (adds +10 influence)
- Commercial Advisory Board(adds +15 influence)
- Land of Commerce(adds +10 to +15 influence depending on reforms)
While these bonuses can be tempting, they should only be granted if your estate influence is comfortably below the disaster threshold.
5. Use Government Reforms or Estate Abandonment
Certain government reforms can reduce the overall power of estates. For example, some late-game administrative monarchies allow you to suppress estates entirely, or at least limit their political power.
If you’re playing as a republic or a centralized monarchy, check for reforms like:
- Strengthen Noble Privileges: May shift influence from Burghers to Nobility
- State-Controlled Guilds: Reduces Burgher influence while keeping economic bonuses
- Abolish Estates: Fully removes estate mechanics if chosen
These reforms aren’t always available early, but they offer long-term tools for managing or eliminating estate influence problems.
Strategic Tips for Managing Burgher Influence
Balance Influence and Loyalty
It’s important to strike a balance. You don’t want Burgher influence to exceed 80%, but you also don’t want their loyalty to drop too low. Ideally, aim for influence in the 6075% range, with loyalty above 50% to gain estate bonuses without triggering disasters.
Grant and Revoke Carefully
One strategic approach is to temporarily grant influence-heavy privileges to gain loyalty boosts when needed (such as to avoid a disaster), then revoke them after stabilizing your country. This cycle of granting and removing can help keep influence in check over the long run.
Use Estate Agendas Wisely
Estate agendas, when completed, boost loyalty without raising influence. Taking on Burgher agendas and completing them efficiently is a good way to increase loyalty so you can safely revoke privileges or land without dropping below the loyalty threshold that leads to penalties.
What to Avoid When Lowering Burgher Influence
There are some actions that can backfire when trying to lower Burgher influence:
- Revoking land too aggressively: Can cause rebellions or disloyal estates.
- Removing all privileges at once: May cause major drops in loyalty and country-wide unrest.
- Letting influence remain above 80% too long: Increases the chance of disaster triggers like Burghers Seize Power.
Always plan your moves a few steps ahead and consider the timing such as during peacetime when you’re not already dealing with rebellions or other estate issues.
Lowering Burgher influence in EU4 requires a careful mix of estate privilege management, land distribution, and strategic timing. Revoke or avoid influence-heavy privileges, reduce their land share when needed, and monitor for temporary modifiers that may be inflating their power. At the same time, protect their loyalty to avoid the negative effects of disloyal estates. By keeping Burgher influence under control, you can continue enjoying their powerful bonuses to trade and economy without risking internal collapse. With consistent estate management, you’ll maintain a stable and prosperous realm throughout your EU4 campaign.