EU4 Inspired AHC: Make Amsterdam the capital of Germany

Since Dutch is part of the Germanic culture group in EU4, its conceivable to form Germany as the Netherlands. So, inspired by that, your challenge, with a POD after November 11, AD 1444, is to have a plausible (this is the part where EU4 and every other video game falls down a little) scenario in which a united Germany (must include at least... 50% of modern Germany) is governed from Amsterdam.

EDIT: Just for anyone coming in now, the other great cities of the Low Countries like Antwerp or Brussels are absolutely option.

Also, I would like to clarify before anyone comes up with it: Nothing supra-national like the EU.
 
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This seems really hard to get. I can see some sort of Burgundian state, but Amsterdam is really an aberration. If you were going to get on the major Low Countries city, wouldn't you bet on Antwerp or Brussels?
 
Mhh, the Hapsburg lose Vienna to the Turks(possibly recovering it later), move their capital in the Netherlands, handle the situation in Germany better(maybe the reformation as we know it is butterflied away and the Emperor coopts it) and eventually becomes part of the colonial game earlier and with more success(considering their ties to Spain) and ultimately end up centralizing the HRE(nort of the Alps)?

This my idea for a late POD.
 
Well, if the Dutch had decided to use their wealth to get more influence inside the HRE, instead of fighting the Spanish...
 
Well, if the Dutch had decided to use their wealth to get more influence inside the HRE, instead of fighting the Spanish...
LOL, I'm quite sure the Dutch would have loved to do that, if not for the fact they were rebelling against the Spanish Crown and it was not really in their power to stop fighting, if they didn't rebel they really couldn't act to expand their power as if they were independent.
 
An idea...have Juan, Prince of Asturias or Miguel da Paz (with or without his mother, Isabella, Princess of Asturias) succeed to the throne of Castile/Spain rather than Philip, who would remain as Duke of Burgundy, but also Holy Roman Emperor. Granted, it wouldn't be Amsterdam, it would be Antwerp, since Amsterdam didn't come into prominence until after the first quarter of the Dutch Revolt for the most part, but it is the Low Countries, it is still a place of great wealth, and one of the HRE's titles is that of King of Germany, so technically, it still fits the challenge.
 
An idea...have Juan, Prince of Asturias or Miguel da Paz (with or without his mother, Isabella, Princess of Asturias) succeed to the throne of Castile/Spain rather than Philip, who would remain as Duke of Burgundy, but also Holy Roman Emperor. Granted, it wouldn't be Amsterdam, it would be Antwerp, since Amsterdam didn't come into prominence until after the first quarter of the Dutch Revolt for the most part, but it is the Low Countries, it is still a place of great wealth, and one of the HRE's titles is that of King of Germany, so technically, it still fits the challenge.

Maybe down the line you could have Philip's descendants unify Germany, and still keep ruling from their ancestral capital of Antwerp.
 
Might be hard with all of the Germanies, but if you divide away the Southern Catholic and Prussian states as ‘minor German’ countries like our Austria, the maybe a Dutch-Hanoverian hybrid as the largest German state would have Amsterdam be the capital.
 
Charles V has a third heir, who inherits the Burgundian lands. The Netherlands Habsburgs join their subjects in converting to the Reformed Church. They become the natural leaders of the Protestant side in the Wars of Religion in Germany.

Bohemia elects the Protestant Habsburg as its King. With Netherlands aid, Bohemia defeats the Austrian Habsburg counteroffensive.

With the four secular electorates (of seven) held by Protestants, the Protestant Habsburg is elected HRE. This leads to a division of the HRE, with Austria, Bavaria, Wurttemberg (Catholic due to a butterfly), Baden, and Alsace forming a Catholic "Empire". The remainder become
a Protestant "Empire". Both are headed by Habsburgs. Much later, the Protestant Empire consolidates to a nation state.

I'm not sure how to make Amsterdam the capital in place of Antwerp, which was the dominant city, much older and larger than Amsterdam.
 
Honestly, I'd just keep Charles the Bold alive - have him restrain Peter von Hagenbach, or appoint a different governor/generally not antagonise as many people. As such he can keep good relations with the Swiss, and I reckon one of his heirs would recognise the value in reorganising around the wealthy Netherlands - effectively using Dutch wealth to buy Swiss mercenaries.

After that it is a case of exploiting opportunities to dominate coastal trade. Colonisation would be grand, but so would taking out the Hansa, allowing a creep eastwards along the coast.

But yeah, Burgundy could be the best vessel for this, ambitious, and if kept alive, the natural counterweight to the Hapsburgs.
 
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