
Civilization 7 introduces a comprehensive separation of leaders and civilizations, granting players enhanced flexibility in their strategic planning from the outset. Since civilizations evolve as you advance through the various ages while leaders remain constant throughout the game, the selection of a leader holds significant strategic weight, potentially guiding your overall gameplay approach.
Among the prominent leaders is Charlemagne, a figure renowned as Charles the Great, and the leader of the Franks and the Lombards, who eventually became the Emperor of the Carolingian Empire. This article delves deeply into Charlemagne’s unique abilities in Civilization 7 and offers tactical insights on leveraging his strengths.
Overview of Charlemagne as a Leader

Charlemagne embodies a militaristic and scientific leadership style, possessing a unique affinity for cavalry units and the generation of happiness within his civilization. This dual focus facilitates rapid access to numerous policy slots, enabling a diverse set of policies and disciplines to fortify his civilization’s development.
His distinctive ability, “Father of Europe, ” provides happiness bonuses for military and scientific structures when they are adjacent to specific quarters. This bonus not only fosters more frequent celebrations, enhancing overall morale within his settlements but also grants free cavalry units during these celebrations while boosting their combat effectiveness. Properly managing happiness becomes crucial to maximizing the potential of Charlemagne’s cavalry forces.
Charlemagne’s Unique Civilization Unlocks
Name |
Description/Unique Traits |
Age |
---|---|---|
Norman |
“Normanitas.” This ability enhances the movement of land units by +1 when embarked and grants coastal land units a +5 combat strength bonus. Charlemagne has access to “Chevaler, ” a unique cavalry unit that can ignore zones of control and gains +3 combat strength against slower foes. He also has the “Sokeman, ” a unique settler that creates medieval walls in the city center when founding a new town, alongside unique buildings—”Motte”and “Bailey”—forming the “Donjon”quarter. The Motte acts as a fortified district, benefits from happiness when placed on rough terrain, while the Bailey generates culture and also serves as a fortified district. Upon completion, Donjon provides a free Chevalar unit. |
Exploration |
Winning Strategies with Charlemagne
Strategic Approach for Charlemagne

Optimal Victory Path for Charlemagne:
Charlemagne is particularly well-suited for achieving a Military Victory. It is advisable to start with Rome during the Age of Antiquity, transition to Norman in the Age of Exploration, and conclude with the French Empire in the Modern Age.
Strategy for the Age of Antiquity

The Age of Antiquity is an ideal phase for Charlemagne to leverage Rome’s capabilities. The unique commander “Legatus”enables strategic town placements every three experience levels gained, allowing for territorial gains from independent fights alongside unique infantry units, “Legions, ”which increase in strength with Roman governmental traditions. Utilizing Latinitas, a tradition that amplifies capital yields for specialization, becomes a critical early-game focus.
In your initial efforts, prioritize unlocking Legatus through the Civic “Discipline”. Engaging nearby hostile independents with your free Legatus and basic military units will yield valuable experience, allowing your Legatus to reach level 3 swiftly. This advancement lets you create settlements without resource expenditures typically associated with settlers, accelerating your expansion process.
Concurrently, aim to activate the Military Legacy Path “Pax Imperatoria, ”necessitating 12 settlements in your civilization, with captured settlements counting as double. Monitoring your research for pivotal technologies—such as Animal Husbandry, Bronze Working, The Wheel, and Iron Working—is paramount. Prioritizing The Wheel is especially beneficial due to Charlemagne’s ability to generate free Chariots during Celebrations, enhancing military capabilities.
Strategy for the Age of Exploration

The Normans provide a stellar synergy with Charlemagne, optimizing his performance during the Age of Exploration. The Sokeman units guarantee the establishment of fortified towns in unexplored territories, and Charlemagne’s unique cavalry unit excels against less mobile opponents, positioning him for expansive conquests.
Your scientific research should initially focus on Cartography, Astronomy, and Feudalism, delineating the tech necessary for deploying Sokeman units overseas and enhancing fleet efficacy. Additionally, Feudalism expands your settlement cap, making it feasible to establish more towns in distant regions without substantial happiness drawbacks.
Your early Civic focus should include Consuetudines et Justicie and Consuetudines et Justicie II/Mastery to unlock Motte and Bailey buildings and the resulting Donjon quarter. Furthermore, Common Law is crucial for increasing your settlement limits and social policy slots.
As you cement your presence in the overseas territories, secure key locations through naval scouting and task your fleets with identifying settlements ripe for colonization, aiming to conquer those territories aligned with your religion to maximize Legacy Path progress.
Strategy for the Modern Age

The French Empire emerges as the suitable choice for the Modern Age, following automatic unlocking through prior gameplay as the Normans. Early research should aim at the Steam Engine to gain an economic advantage, followed by Military Science for advanced military structures.
This will subsequently lead to unlocking key units through Industrialization and Combustion, enabling you to further advance your military capabilities. Strategic civics to focus on include Modernization, Social Question, Political Theory, and Voie Triomphale.
Political Theory is vital for establishing your Ideology Legacy Path, key for achieving a Military Victory. Choosing the right Ideology—Fascism or Communism—can significantly influence your gameplay, providing economic and military advantages critical for maintaining dominance.
As your civilization evolves, further technical advancements in Flight, Armor, and Mobilization will bolster your military. Additionally, focus on unlocking advantageous civi
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