The western edge of the Mediterranean is the last stand. Only the southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula remains beyond the reach of the Crown of Castile. Centuries of conflict have shrunk the Marinid holdings in Morocco and the Nasrid realm of Granada to a shadow of their former power — but they are not yet fallen.

Europa Universalis V: Across the Pillars puts you in command of this fateful region, where the fate of kingdoms and control of the world’s most vital waterway hang in the balance.

The Stage Is Set — History at a Turning Point

This latest expansion focuses on the lands and waters flanking the Strait of Gibraltar — the narrow, strategic passage connecting the Mediterranean Sea to the Atlantic Ocean. It is here that three great powers converge:

• Castile — pushing southward, uniting Iberia under one banner
• Granada — the last independent Muslim kingdom on the peninsula, clinging to its mountain strongholds and coastal cities
• Marinid Morocco — across the strait, a North African realm whose influence in Europe has waned but whose strength across the water remains

Every province, every alliance, and every naval skirmish shapes who holds the Pillars of Hercules — and who controls trade, travel, and war between two continents.

What You’ll Do

• Decide the fate of Granada — hold out against overwhelming odds, strike deals with greater powers, or forge your own path to renewed glory
• Strengthen or sever links across the strait — sustain Marinid influence in European territories, or cut the connection entirely and turn inward
• Dominate the Gibraltar Strait — station fleets, fortify shores, and tax or block every ship that passes; control here means controlling wealth and movement across half the known world
• Rewrite history — what if the southern kingdoms held their ground? What if Castile fractured before unification? What if the strait became a highway for a single empire?

Key Features

• Deep regional focus — reworked provinces, unique mission trees, and national ideas tailored to Castile, Aragon, Granada, Morocco, and Portugal
• Strait mechanics — new systems governing naval access, blockades, trade diversion, and amphibious assaults across the narrow passage
• Dynamic decline and resurgence — reflect historical shifts or reverse them; turn weakened realms into resurgent powers through diplomacy, war, or trade
• Enhanced flavour — new events, cultural dynamics, and religious tensions that mirror the complex, layered history of the region

Why This Region Matters

The Strait of Gibraltar has always been more than water — it is a gate. Whoever stands at the Pillars of Hercules decides who sails through, who profits, and who falls. In Across the Pillars, that gate is yours to guard, open, or close forever.

Will you finish the Reconquista? Will you defend the last Muslim stronghold on the peninsula? Or will you build something entirely new from the ruins of centuries of war?

Find out more here: Europa Universalis V

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