Civilization I Through IV / Characters

This is a list of the various civilizations and their leaders appearing in Civilization I through IV. Originally the differences between the sides were purely aesthetic, but starting with the third game in the series, the nations began to get unique units or qualities, then V additionally gave each civilization a radically different, game-changing ability to distinguish them from their competition. Therefore these entries that appeared in later games will have more tropes to them.

A note on Leaders: In II, every civilization had a male and female leader at minimum. In cases where a historic ruling lady couldn't be found, either a similarly famous female, mythical figure, or completely made-up character was used. The mythical and completely fabricated characters are denoted with an asterisk. Additionally, leaders and civilizations from Colonization and Revolution are not listed.

No real life examples related to these civilizations, please.

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Added in Civilization

America

America

Leaders: Abraham Lincoln (I-IV, VI), Franklin D. Roosevelt (IV), Eleanor Roosevelt (II), George Washington (IV-V), Theodore Roosevelt (VI)
Unique Units: F-15 (III), Navy SEAL (IV), B-17 (V), Minuteman (V), P-51 Mustang (VI), Rough Rider (VI)
Unique Buildings: Mall (IV), Film Studio (VI)
Ability: Manifest Destiny (V), Founding Fathers (VI)

One of the youngest civilizations, America is a former British colony that achieved independence in the 18th century with the help of figures such as George Washington, commander of the colonial army and first president of the United States. In the century that followed it concentrated on expanding westward while pursuing a foreign policy of isolation, but as the country grew, deepening divisions over the issue of slavery resulted in a civil war in the 1860's, which was resolved under the leadership of Abraham Lincoln. As the country continued to expand and industrialize, leaders such as Theodore Roosevelt began taking a more active role in world affairs, which culminated in America's involvement in two World Wars. Following Franklin D. Roosevelt's administration, which brought America out of the Great Depression to help defeat the Axis Powers, America suddenly found itself one of two superpowers, and spent the latter half of the 20th century waging a global Cold War against the Soviet Union. With the USSR's collapse, the USA was left the world's premier economic and military power.

While Civ III and IV emphasized America's modern military hardware and economic ability, its treatment in V backtracks a bit, and is modeled after America's days of exploration and land-grabbing. Its "Manifest Destiny" ability gives its units extended vision to better spot opportunities or danger, as well as a national discount on purchased land tiles. The Minuteman, while no stronger than a normal Musketman, can move effortlessly through rough terrain, giving America an edge during the midgame, while the B-17 Bomber demolishes cities and shrugs off opposing aircraft during the Atomic Era. In general, America's a late-bloomer Boring, but Practical faction.

In Civilization VI, America has a unique blend of civic, cultural and military bonuses. Its "Founding Fathers" ability lets America convert a diplomatic policy slot into a wildcard policy (allowing for a boost in whatever area they wish for), and gets additional Diplomatic Favor per turn with each wildcard slot. Meanwhile, its Film Studios produce additional tourism pressure during the Modern Era. The "Persona Pack" DLC gives Theodore Roosevelt two different leader bonuses to choose from; "Bull Moose" Teddy gains science and culture from tiles with breathtaking appeal, and grants more appeal to cities next to National Parks. "Rough Rider" Teddy, on the other hand, doubles the envoys that America receives from city-state trade partners, and grants American units a combat bonus on their home continent. In either case, the Rough Rider cavalry and P-51 Mustang fighter planes allow America to vigorously oppose any rivals' attempts to disrupt a Cultural Victory. Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclaimation provides America an incentive to industrialize: Industrial Districts provide loyalty, amenities and free, stronger, maintenance-free melee units for each industrial zone building made. However, this comes at the cost of plantations providing a penalty to loyalty.

America Takes Over the World: Certainly possible in games like Civ IV and V, where America's unique units help out in a late-game Domination Victory, but averted in Civ VI, where "Rough Rider" Teddy's leader bonus and special unit encourage America to stay on its home continent.
Awesome, but Impractical:
- The F-15 in Civ III. In that game, the only way for a country to get a golden age is for its unique unit to win a battle. So if you're America, not only do you have to wait until the Modern era to get a golden age, you have to wait for an opponent to get to the Modern era, then get in a dogfight with you.
- In earlier versions of VI, the Rough Rider was this in spades. It's not a bad unit per se, but it didn't come into the game until Rifling, and no other unit upgraded to it; this meant that you couldn't convert your older (and experienced, and already built) heavy cavalry units into it, but had to build it the hard way. Also, the technology required to build the Rough Rider was very close to the one required to build the Tank, to which the Rough Rider upgrades, meaning that the Rough Rider actually had a very limited window of opportunity to be useful. After a patch, the Rough Rider unlocks at Ballistics (an earlier tech) and can be converted from older units, making them much more invaluable.
Boring, but Practical:
- In V, America's "Manifest Destiny" ability isn't very flashy, but that extra tile of sight range is vital for scouting or ranged units, and similarly the Minuteman's ability to ignore difficult terrain is quite useful.
- In VI, the "Founding Fathers" ability converts America's diplomatic slots into wildcard slots, and gets them a bit more diplomatic favor per turn. While it does provide a minor boost early game, America with the right governments (particularly Digital Democracy in the future era, which will net you 7 of them) and wonders (Potala Palace and Forbidden City) can start to have considerable sway in world affairs. This also lets America be a bit more flexible with its policies, allowing them to invest more into their strengths.
Bully Hunter: In Civ VI, "Rough Rider" Teddy's leader "Big Stick Policy" agenda makes him hate warmongers or leaders who pick on city-states on his home continent. Also, he was a Great White Hunter who said "Bully!" a lot.
The Cameo: John F. Kennedy makes one in the intro to Civ IV: Beyond The Sword, despite not being a playable leader.
Chronic Hero Syndrome: Washington in V absolutely hates warmongers, and will attack you if you conquer too many people even when he's a continent away.
Cool Plane: The P-51 Mustang, B-17 Bomber, and F-15 Jet Fighter!
Decomposite Character: The "Persona Pack" splits Teddy Roosevelt's leader bonuses into two different leaders, "Rough Rider" Teddy, which has his home continent combat bonus and Rough Rider unit, plus being able to get additional envoys with cities states he has a trade route with, and "Bull Moose" Teddy, which has his appeal from national parks, plus the ability to gain extra culture and science from breathtaking tiles.
Egopolis: America's capital is Washington, so if George Washington's the civ's leader...
Glory Seeker: Roosevelt's Rough Riders in VI, which earn Culture upon defeating enemy units in combat on America's home continent, thus encouraging you to get in some fights.
Graceful Loser: Both Washington and Roosevelt are somber but respectful in their voiced defeat messages.
Washington: The day... is yours. I hope you will be merciful in your triumph.
Roosevelt: Congratulations. Instead of the United States of America, your nation will go far.
Historical Badass Upgrade: Eleanor was well-known as the First Lady during FDR's tenure, but never actually held a public office. In II she is the female leader for America before Franklin's inclusion in IV.
Historical Hero Upgrade: While Washington is, arguably, a "hero", in V he says things like "You have mistaken our love of peace for weakness", and "Your wanton aggression leaves us no choice." Even if he's attacking you out of the blue and you've been entirely peaceful up to that point. He's also an expansive leader, which means he might start coveting your lands, proving that nobody's totally free from dickish behavior in Civilization.
Home Field Advantage: "Rough Rider" Teddy's leader bonus in VI gives all American units a minor combat bonus when on their home continent.
Magikarp Power: Kind of a given for a civilization that's just over two hundred years old. America's special units will start to appear around the late-Renaissance/early-Industrial era, and its special abilities tend to let it hit its stride during the late game.
The Mall: America's unique building in Civ IV, which on top of the normal benefits of a Supermarket provides additional gold as well as extra happiness from the special trade goods produced from the Broadway, Hollywood and Rock n' Roll wonders.
Misplaced Accent: For some reason, George Washington in V has a modern Southern accent reminiscent of Bill Clinton rather than anything from the 18th century.
Nature Hero: Teddy has a soft spot for nature, and his national parks provide extra appeal for his cities which in turn provides better neighborhoods, seaside resorts, and ski resorts. "Bull Moose" Teddy goes even further, because the breathtaking tiles he posses provide science if next to a natural wonder or mountain, or culture if next to a woods or wonder allowing America to develop quickly in the early game, and he retains the additional appeal from having national parks.
No Indoor Voice: Averted with Teddy Roosevelt. In contrast to many examples in fiction where he's deafeningly loud, this version has a historically accurate depiction based on existing audio of his speeches. Hearing his high, reedy voice coming out of such a big man can catch a first-time player unaware.
Overshadowed by Awesome: In V, Russia's Krepost gives it the same discount on purchased tiles as what America gets from its special ability, while the Shoshone's ability to gain eight extra tiles around newly-founded cities gives them a similar benefit for free. The only unique advantage America has is that line-of-sight bonus to its land units.
Reluctant Warrior: Teddy's war declaration in VI.
Roosevelt: I wanted to avoid this, you know. But your idea of peace left me no choice.

Aztec

Aztec

Leaders: Montezuma II (I-IV), Nazca* (II), Montezuma I (V-VI)
Unique Units: Jaguar Warrior (III-V), Eagle Warrior (VI)
Unique Buildings: Sacrificial Altar (IV), Floating Gardens (V), Tlatchli (VI)
Ability: Sacrificial Captives (V), Legend of the Five Suns (VI)

The Aztecs migrated into modern Mexico around the 12th century, building their capital of Tenochtitlan on an island in Lake Texcoco. Originally vassals of a larger power, the Aztecs forged a Triple Alliance with the city-states of Texcoco and Tlacopan, overthrew their masters, and under Montezuma I came to dominate central Mexico. Their religion required constant human sacrifice, leading to staged "Flower Wars" that provided captives for this purpose during lapses in real conflict. As can be imagined this did nothing to endear the Aztecs' subjects to their new overlords, and when the Spanish arrived in 1519, the conquistadors found no shortage of allies willing to turn against Montezuma II. A combination of misplaced religious awe, a sizable technology gap, Montezuma II's incompetence, and foreign illnesses spelled the end of the empire. However the Aztecs left a lasting mark on the region that long survived their civilization — their bloody human sacrifices and martial prowess are the stuff of legend, many signs of their ancient architecture still dot the country, and the people of Mexico readily adopt Aztec-inspired art and aesthetics into their own culture.

One of the more infamous factions of Civilization, the Aztecs are exactly as aggressive and bloodthirsty as their history suggests, and few things are more dreaded than finding out you have Montezuma as a neighbor. In Civ V their Jaguar Warrior is an early game danger that excels at jungle warfare, and combined with their "Sacrificial Captives" ability, which grants the Aztecs culture points for slain enemies, you have a civilization that has little reason not to kill you. While their Floating Gardens helps the Aztecs grow huge cities that can be conducive to non-violent victories, for the most part Montezuma can be expected to attack everyone around him.

In Civ VI, Montezuma's leader bonus lets luxury resources provide amenities in extra cities, and more dangerously gives all Aztec units a combat bonus that increases the more luxuries the Aztecs have in their empire, which combined with Montezuma's "Tlatoani" agenda will drive him to aggressively expand until he controls all the luxuries on the map. To help stave off war weariness, the Aztecs can build Tlachtli ball courts in their entertainment districts, which provide additional faith and Great General points in addition to amenities. Their civilization's "Legend of the Five Suns" ability lets Aztec Builder units rapidly speed up district construction, which synergizes nicely with the Eagle Warrior's ability to enslave defeated foes as workers. The net result is an empire that will probably be waging war from the very beginning of the game, and if left unchecked can develop into an unstoppable juggernaut.

Badass Boast: One of Montezuma's war declarations in V is nothing but "Ximicacan, ximicacan, ximicacan!" ("Die, die, die!")
Blood Knight: Their priests gotta make the sun rise, after all. In Civilization V, Montezuma is elated when you declare war and considers it humiliating and disappointing to be signing a peace treaty.
Montezuma: (when attacked) Excellent! Let the blood flow in raging torrents!
Montezuma: (making peace) Curses! I will sacrifice ten thousand citizens to expiate this humiliation!
Blood Sport: The Mesoamerican ball game played in those Tlachtli courts.
Chronic Backstabbing Disorder: Even other aggressive leaders like Shaka Zulu or Genghis Khan generally won't attack you if you're on their good side. Montezuma has no such qualms.
Crutch Character: The Aztecs in V have shades of this. Their special unit and ability are very powerful, but those Jaguar Warriors will be obsolete by the Medieval Age, when other Domination-happy civs like the Mongols, Japanese or Zulu will be hitting their stride.
Cultured Badass: Their ability in V allows them to do this, earning points towards unlocking Policies while waging war.
Dirty Coward: For all his aggressiveness, Montezuma in V has a high chance to become afraid of the player, even if you've never declared war and have only fought barbarians for 200 turns.
Disc-One Nuke: In V, the Jaguar Warrior replaces the standard Warrior, which is the first military unit you can build in the game. It's otherwise the same except that it gains a movement bonus in jungles and forest and is one and a half times stronger when they fight there. If that's not enough, they heal themselves when they kill an enemy unit. This is one of the main reasons why the Aztecs are so deadly in the early game, but they can remain a threat for the entire game since they pass along these upgrades when they are promoted to a higher-tech unit.
Hair-Trigger Temper: Montezuma's agenda in Civ VI is "Tlatoani," where he likes civs that share the same luxuries as him and hates those with luxuries he doesn't have. Given how frequent that latter is, expect to see his disapproval message often.
Montezuma: You have much that I do not! Do you want your people taken as slaves?
Human Sacrifice: Alluded to in their "Sacrificial Captives" ability in Civ V.
Jerkass: Montezuma is generally regarded as one of the hardest leaders to win over, or to work with if you do get him on your side. He has been known to publicly denounce you and declare war while you're his ally. Slightly justified in V where his unique ability is earning culture upon destroying enemy units.
Know When to Fold 'Em: While Montezuma is certainly a very confident person in his warmongering, he's also very likely to be afraid of someone more dominant and powerful than him. If you've somehow managed to make Montezuma afraid of you and admit to you about how woefully outmatched he is compared to your empire, then you're certainly doing a very good job.
Large Ham: Montezuma in V. He even has an offscreen audience to roar its approval of his proclamations.
Life Drain: Jaguars in V regain health whenever they kill an enemy unit.
Made a Slave: The Eagle Warriors in VI can do this to defeated enemies, turning them into Builder units.
Mega City: Floating Gardens double the food output of lakes. Accordingly, it's easy to kickstart growing your cities early on, even before other potential megacity-builders like the Inca or India can catch up.
Not the Intended Use/Emergent Gameplay:
- In Civ IV, Montezuma has the Spiritual trait and starts with Mysticism, which means a religious victory via the Apostolic Palace is just as viable for him as it would be for the usual suspects like Isabella or Justinian. If such a victory involves a Holy War or two, all the better; nobody expects the Aztec Inquisition!
- Despite Montezuma's aggression-focused ability and borderline-psychotic AI, in Civ V the Aztecs are in fact well-suited for pursuing peaceful scientific victories with their Floating Gardens, which synchronize well with the Freedom ideology and the various specialist bonuses it entails. A handful of gigantic, specialist-filled cities surrounded by jungles can pump out science faster than most other civs and easily gain a tech lead over all but the most science-focused civilizations.
- Before Civ V: Brave New World changed Cultural Victories, the fact that killing units generates Culture, which feeds the acquisition of social policies, meant it was theoretically possible for the Aztecs to warmonger their way to a utopian society.
Obviously Evil: In V, Montezuma stands over an altar, face eerily underlit by torches, clutching a sacrificial dagger. More than that, he doesn't even pretend that he's not a bloodthirsty warmonger.
Montezuma: Opening our borders will make it easier for me to drag your people to the sacrificial altars. I'm sure it will benefit you in some way as well.
Proud Warrior Race Guy: Gain culture by winning battles.
So Much for Stealth: If Montezuma is building and expanding his cities towards your own, start getting your army ready, because he will attack you.
Unstable Equilibrium:
- The abilities of V's Jaguar Warriors are some of the few that actually carry over from upgrading the unit on the field, so stockpiling a bunch of Jaguars for upgrading is a necessity if you plan to continue being a warmonger in the late-game. Brave New World made this easier with the "Holy Warriors" Religion bonus that lets you purchase pre-Industrial Era units with Faith.
- In VI, Montezuma's leader bonus giving units a 1-to-1 combat boost based on how many luxuries he controls means that, for example, with just eight luxuries, a basic Aztec Eagle Warrior will fight as well as a Swordsman on the next tech tier. And if that Eagle Warrior gets upgraded into a Swordsman, it'll outfight anything else in its era, allowing the Aztecs to grab more luxuries and and become even harder to stop.
Villainous Breakdown: In V, Montezuma doesn't take it well when he loses:
Montezuma: Monster! Who are you to destroy my greatness?!
- In VI he is so shocked, he asks the gods for forgiveness:
  Montezuma: Huitzilopochtli, forgive our weakness... my weakness. I was not strong enough to serve you.
War for Fun and Profit: Very easy with them in V, while VI gives them more bonuses to take the edge of war weariness.
Worthy Opponent: If you're a warmongering civ and somehow don't get into a fight with the Aztecs right away and instead pick fights with other civs, then they'll usually leave you alone, either waiting patiently until you're ready or being outright afraid of you.

Babylon

Babylon

Leaders: Hammurabi (I-IV, VI), Ishtar* (II), Nebuchadnezzar II (V)
Unique Unit: Bowman (III-V), Sabum Kibittum (VI)
Unique Buildings: Garden (IV), Walls of Babylon (V), Palgum (VI)
Ability: Ingenuity (V), Enuma Anu Enlil (VI)

One of the oldest known civilizations, the city of Babylon had stood in the Fertile Crescent of Mesopotamia (modern Iraq) since the 24th century BC. By 1727 BC the old Sumerian civilization had faded away, but under Hammurabi the city-state of Babylon flourished as a center of trade, science and culture, reunifying the surrounding region. More than that, Hammurabi left behind a legal code with explicit crimes and specific punishments that was used for over a thousand years. Though the Babylonian empire went through a decline, Nebuchadnezzar II led it into a renaissance in 605 BC, expanding into Syria and creating wonders like the famed Hanging Gardens. After his death, Babylon declined once more, falling to Cyrus II of Persia in 539 BC, Alexander the Great in 331 BC, until eventually the city and its achievements were reduced to so much rubble. But Babylon's memory still lives on today, particularly the legend of the grand Hanging Gardens.

Babylon was a pioneer in writing and mathematics, and in Civ V it appropriately gets a powerful early-game bonus to science. Its "Ingenuity" ability gives Babylon a free Great Scientist when it discovers Writing, and produces future Great Scientists more quickly, boosts which allow the civilization to edge out almost every other rival in the science race. Babylon was also lousy at making friends, and built its city walls extra-thick to deter invaders; as such, its unique unit and building are above-average archers and city defenses, useful for preventing early-game rushes. Nebuchadnezzar tends to focus on his defenses and developing his cities as he pursues a Science victory, but while he has no great dislike of warmongers, he also can hold a grudge and is difficult to befriend in general.

In Civ VI, Babylon is still focused on science, but in an unusual way. Its "Enuma Anu Enlil" ability halves its normal scientific output, but lets Babylon earn full progress towards a technology with the associated Eureka. Its unique unit is similarly odd, since the Sabum Kibittum lacks the strength of a basic Warrior, but makes up for it with improved speed, sight range, and combat bonuses against cavalry and anti-cavalry units. As Babylon advances through the tech tree in sudden leaps and bounds, Hammurabi will focus on constructing a well-rounded array of city districts with the help of his "Ninu Ilu Sirum" leader bonus, which gives Babylon a free envoy when it builds a type of district for the first time, on top of a free building upgrade for it.

Anachronism Stew: Civ is famous for this to begin with, but Babylon in VI takes it to ridiculous extremes, making it entirely possible for Babylon to invade an empire still researching Feudalism with an army of Tanks.
Ascended Extra: Babylon missed out the initial release of Civ VI, then in Rise & Fall replaced Seoul as a city-state when Korea returned as a proper civ, before finally becoming playable again in the New Frontier Pass two and a half years after VI's release.
Axe-Crazy: In V, Nebuchadnezzar isn't particularly aggressive, but when he does declare war he'll growl "The demon wants the blood of soldiers!"
A God I Am Not: Nebuchadnezzar's introductory text may remark "Those fools outside say I'm a god, but that seems unlikely."
Boring, but Practical: In VI, the Palgum is a replacement for the Water Mill unlocked slightly earlier that gives somewhat more substantial food bonuses. It's not as flashy as the Walls of Babylon, but it's excellent for growing large cities early on.
Cloudcuckoolander: Nebuchadnezzar can come across as a bit... odd. His spoken introductory greeting is to wonder "Are you real or a phantom?" One of his war declaration texts is even "I am informed that I have declared war on you. I wonder why?" And if you attack him, he'll only grumble "Oh well, I presume you know what you're doing."
Composite Character: A lot of Babylon's city names are borrowed from the Akkadians; Babylon spent a lot of its time as a part of someone else's Mesopotamian empire during its lifespan, but the Akkadian empire has yet to become its own civ in this game.
Death Seeker: He never acts suicidal, but if defeated, Nebuchadnezzar will remark "It is over. Perhaps now I shall have peace, at last."
Do Well, But Not Perfect: Babylon's rapid and schizophrenic tech advancement can backfire rather spectacularly if their military development outstrips both their production infrastructure or their access to strategic resources. Seeing off some Spearmen with Line Infantry might be universally hilarious, but the Line Infantry are six times more expensive than the Spearmen and require strategic resourcs to build and maintain to boot.
"Eureka!" Moment: VI Babylon's modus operandi.
The Eeyore: Even Nebuchadnezzar's trade proposal is a gruff, grumpy, "It seems you do have a reason to be here after all: to trade with me." Perhaps he's been having bad dreams lately...
The Farmer and the Viper: Upon signing a peace treaty, Nebuchadnezzar chides "Foolish, foolish, letting me live."
Genius Ditz: In VI, apparently every Babylonian citizen. They're only half as effective as the average civ's citizen in day-to-day science output, and lag well behind science-focused civs like Korea, only to display sudden flashes of genius that shoot Babylon ahead of its rivals.
God Empress: Ishtar, Babylon's female leader in Civ II.
Insufferable Genius: Hammurabi's agenda-based approval message is to state "To copy Hammurabi is the best course. You do this, which is good." Attacking him, meanwhile, will have him boast "Who are you to oppose Hammurabi? You are dust, mere dirt I shake from my sandals!"
Irony: Gameplay-wise, Babylon has some serious irony in VI, because while it can blow everyone out of the water with Eurekas, its base science generation is in the toilet. All well and good until you hit the final tech era of the game, where Eurekas are now only possible through spying on other people who already got there the hard way. So the science-focused Civ is terrible at completing the actual Science Victory of colonizing other planets (but the edge it's got means it can get any other victory well enough.)
Jack of All Stats: Hammurabi's leader bonus in VI rewards Babylon for building all the different types of districts, and his "Cradle of Civilization" agenda makes him disdain other civs who don't.
Proud Scholar Race:
- One of the only two civs in V that has a science boost as its main ability.
- In VI, its civilization ability allows for Eurekas to provide all of the science need for technologies, though at the cost of decreased science each turn.
Schizo Tech: Muskets and Bombards, even electricity before iron is discovered? Babylon has it. In a fast-paced multiplayer session, lack of upgrade money can result in a hilarious Babylonian army where tanks roll alongside fast-running Sabum Kibittum shock troopers with spears and shields supported by machine guns and catapults (when nitre isn't stockpiled fast enough for bombards)
Stone Wall: Its Unique Building in V is "Walls of Babylon," which the civ a much larger boost to a city's strength and HP than normal walls. When garrisoned with Bowmen, Babylonian cities can be a real pain to conquer, particularly in the early game. However, because the Bowman obsoletes early and doesn't carry its advantages over on upgrade, it doesn't do anything for offense.
Technicolor Fire: For whatever reason the braziers flanking Nebuchadnezzar's throne are emitting eerie green flames.
Unstable Equilibrium: Babylon in VI is the literal incarnation of this trope, sporting the concept even more heavily than Georgia. A well-designed combination of "Eureka" objectives and civic advances can explode tech advances so fast that it is not uncommon for a skilled player-led Babylon to have modern factories and muskets before Iron Age or field Mechanized Infanty and GIANT DEATH ROBOTS around the birth of Christ. Playing Babylon is often described as like racing with a car with no brakes. A broken chain of civic and research inspirations can quickly barrel an unprepared Babylon into utter defeat, however.
Zerg Rush:
- While in other versions of Civ the Babylonian Bowman is primarily a defensive unit, in Civ IV it gets an attack bonus against melee units, which combined with Hammurabi's Aggressive trait means that Babylon is a viable early-game spammer.
- In VI the Sabum Kibittum is the unit with the second lowest Production cost in the game, and can very easily be used this way.

China

China

Leaders: Mao Zedong (I-IV), Wu Zetian (II, V-VI), Taizong (III-IV, Chinese version only), Qin Shi Huang (IV, VI), Kublai Khan (VI), Yongle (VI)
Unique Units: Rider (III), Chu-Ko-Nu (IV-V), Crouching Tiger Cannon (VI)
Unique Buildings: Pavilion (IV), Paper Maker (V)
Unique Improvement: Great Wall (VI)
Ability: Art of War (V), Dynastic Cycles (VI)

People have been living in China for over eighteen millennia, while the history of the civilization stretches back at least six thousand years. Qin Shi Huang first unified China's warring states in the second century BC, establishing the first of several imperial dynasties that would rule China for much of its history — Wu Zetian stands out for being the sole female who managed to take the throne. Chinese inventions include the crossbow, paper, and gunpowder, and at the height of its power the country sent out exploratory "treasure ships" as far as East Africa only to find that the rest of the world had little to offer that China didn't already possess. But eventually China fell prey to foreign domination, the Mongols in the 13th century, and various European powers in the late 19th century. Following World War II, Communist leader Mao Zedong retook control of the country and transformed its economy and society, albeit at a staggering human cost. Today China has become one of the world's major economic powers, maintaining its traditional regional preeminence while also beginning to assert itself globally.

China has been famed for its generals and strategists since ancient times, particularly during the legendary Three Kingdoms period, so its "Art of War" ability in Civ V both churns out Great Generals faster and makes them twice as effective. Their rapid-firing Chu-Ko-Nu will easily outshoot any rivals' Crossbowmen, while instead of Libraries, China can construct Paper Makers that provide research as normal but operate at a profit thanks to market receipts and festivities. Wu Zetian will usually focus on producing science from a small but high-population empire, and while not a warmonger herself, will greet aggression with a hail of bolts and arrows.

Since China was building great empires before most other cultures had gotten the hang of building cities, it's no surprise that in Civ VI it gets powerful boosts to construction, science and civics. China's "Dynastic Cycle" ability improves the effectiveness of Eurekas and Inspirations, while Qin Shi Huang's "The First Emperor" leader bonus lets China build canals in the Ancient Era instead of with Steam Power, and both gives Builders an extra build charge as well as the ability to help rush Ancient and Classical-era Wonders. To defend its borders, China can build Crouching Tiger cannons a full era before anyone else has access to gunpowder siege units, as well as Great Wall tile improvements that provide extra defense, gold, and later culture and tourism. Qin Shi Huang takes full advantage of China's strengths to build as many wonders as possible, and woe to anyone who dares to rival his empire. The "Rulers of China" DLC pack adds two new Chinese rulers and gives Qin Shi Huang a new "Unifier" personality. Yongle has three unique city projects that allow him to turn production into food, faith, or gold. In addition, Yongle's ciites with at least 10 population gain bonus gold, science, and culture for each population. Wu Zetian unlocks spies earlier, her spies operate as if they are one experience level higher, and allows her to gain culture and science from completing offensive espionage operations in foreign cities. Qin Shi Huang the Unifier can sacrifice his melee units to convert barbarians, allowing him to quickly build an army in the early game.

Ain't Too Proud to Beg: Wu Zetian in VI is not above pleading if you defeat her.
Wu Zetian: Please...I'm sure we could work something out. This doesn't have to be the end...does it?
Automatic Crossbows: The Chu-Ko-Nu. In its most recent incarnation, the unit does less damage per shot than an ordinary Crossbowmen but can attack twice per turn, a trait that carries over to any unit it upgrades into.
Boring, but Practical:
- In V, the Paper Maker isn't any more effective at helping research as a normal Library, but the fact that it's able to run at a profit means you'll have some extra gold in your pocket - or be able to support more units in your army.
- In VI, Builders having 4 uses instead of 3 for everyone else means you'll probably need to spend less time or money replacing them, which can go to other uses.
Chronic Backstabbing Disorder: While Wu Zetian can be friendly, she's also very deceptive and disloyal, and quite willing to backstab a "friend" if it suits her purposes.
Disc-One Nuke: The Civ IV "Oracle Slingshot." Start building the Oracle wonder as soon as possible, but hold out on completing it until you research Archery and Metal Casting, then choose Machinery as your free technology. This gives you Chu-Ko-Nu at a time when your neighbors probably aren't done with the Ancient Era techs.
The Great Wall: A recurring Wonder that became a uniquely Chinese improvement in Civ VI.
Graceful Loser: Wu Zetian in V, should you defeat her.
Wu Zetian: You have proven to be a cunning and competent adversary. I congratulate you on your victory.
Green-Eyed Monster: Qin Shi Huang's agenda, "Wall of 10,000 Li," makes him dislike anyone who beats him to completing a wonder or who builds more wonders than he can.
Hair-Trigger Temper: As mentioned above, his agenda will make him angry to civilizations with more wonders than him. Since building wonders is crucial, expect him to get angry at you at some point.
Qin Shi Huang: What need do you have for wonder when you can look upon the works of the Middle Kingdom?
Herd-Hitting Attack: Another nice thing about the Chu-Ko-Nu in IV is that it deals bombardment damage to stacks of enemy units.
Hidden Elf Village: China in V has shades of this, since Wu Zetian's AI makes her slow to declare friendship and prioritize increasing her empire's population rather than expanding its borders.
Wu Zetian: China desires peace and development. You leave us alone, we'll leave you alone.
Proud Industrious Race: China is one of those civs with Industrious trait in III and, under Qin Shi Huang, IV. In VI, they are even more remarkable in this regard, as under Qin Shi Huang (Mandate of Heaven), China has more useful builders and is encouraged to build a lot of Wonders, particularly during Ancient and Classical Eras.
Red China: Mao Zedong was a recurring representative of the whole Chinese civilization but censorship laws when distributing the games over to China led to using more historical leaders in later games as representatives of China, such as Qin Shi Huang and Wu Zetian. Though it averts this for the most part in VI (unless a player chooses to adopt certain ideologies in their government), China under Wu Zetian in VI not only gets a bonus towards offensive espionage missions and intrigue, her civilization's colors are red and gold like the flag of People's Republic of China, giving a not-so-subtle nod to communist China.
The Spymaster: Wu Zetian in VI gets access to Spies even earlier than Catherine de' Medici and can start launching offensive spy missions at other nations as early as the Classical Era. Her Spies also operate as if one level higher than normal and earn China additional Culture and Science depending on the output of the target city the Spy was operating in.
Stone Wall: In Civ VI, China's unique unit and improvement are both geared towards holding its borders while the civilization churns out Wonders.
The Strategist: In Civ V, China's "Art of War" ability makes its Great Generals more effective and appear faster. A few are even named after Three Kingdoms generals like Zhang Fei, Cao Cao, Zhuge Liang, and of course, Sun Tzu.

Egypt

Egypt

Leaders: Ramses II (I-II, IV-VI), Cleopatra VII (II-III, VI), Hatshepsut (IV)
Unique Units: War Chariot (III-V), Maryannu Chariot Archer (VI)
Unique Buildings: Obelisk (IV), Burial Tomb (V)
Unique Improvement: Sphinx (VI)
Ability: Monument Builders (V), Iteru (VI)

This five-thousand-year-old culture astride the Nile river valley in North Africa boasts the only Wonder of the ancient world that survives today, the Great Pyramids. Egypt was first unified around 3000 BC, and thanks to its advanced agriculture, writing and mathematics was able to build magnificent monuments and tombs in the name of its pharaohs. Ramses II the Great, who reigned from 1279-1213 BC, not only established many public works projects, but also negotiated history's first recorded peace treaty with the Hittites. Hatshepsut, who ruled two centuries earlier, distinguished herself by being the first known female pharaoh, while Cleopatra VII famously died trying to ensure Egypt's independence from Rome in 30 BC. Egypt spent most of the common era as part of foreign empires until 1922, and though recent turmoil in the Middle East has rocked the country, Egypt, like its pyramids, endures.

Given its long, long history of making great monuments, it should come as no surprise that Egypt's special ability in Civ V gives it a bonus to building world wonders. The Burial Tomb is a maintenance-free replacement for the Temple, but invaders can raid them for extra cash, making Egypt a tempting target for pillaging neighbors. Fortunately, Egyptian War Chariots don't require horse herds to train, so any Ancient Era invaders have a swarm of early cavalry to contend with. Ramesses II will focus on constructing as many world wonders as possible on the way to a Scientific or Cultural Victory, and won't look kindly upon those who would rival the grandeur of Egypt.

True to history, Egypt in Civ VI excels at creating great monuments along rivers, and its "Iteru" ability lets it build city Districts on flood plains and construct Wonders faster if they're next to a river, while floods do no damage at all to Egyptian lands. Its Sphinx improvements produce culture and faith, as well as additional bonuses if built next to such Wonders. Egypt's Maryannu Chariot Archers can help defend its empire in the early era, while Egyptian Cleopatra's "Queen of the Nile" agenda will drive her to form alliances with powerful neighbors as extra insurance against attack. On the other hand, Egyptian Cleopatra's "Mediterranean's Bride" ability means that other civilizations get additional gold, food, and alliance points from trade routes with Egypt, so her rivals may find it more beneficial to coexist with Egypt than to try to conquer it. Ptolemaic Cleopatra on the other hand focuses on both internal growth and beautiful lands through floodplains with her "Arrival of Hapi" ability, granting resources on floodplains bonus food and culture, and floodplains themselves gain bonus appeal instead of an appeal penalty. Egypt under Ramesses II focuses on building many buildings and wonders as his "Abu Simbel" ability grants the civilization culture equal to fifteen percent of a buildings production cost or thirty percent of a wonder's production cost.

Adaptational Nationality: On top of the Race Lift below. The historical Cleopatra ruled Egypt, but was a Greek both genetically and culturally and considered herself such. Her native language was Koine Greek (in fact it was the official language of her entire dynasty's court, though unlike previous rulers she did at least bother to learn the Egyptian language in between learning Greek, Latin, Hebrew, Parthian, and others), and she dressed and lived as a Hellene. Civilization's Cleopatra dresses in Egyptian garb and speaks the Egyptian language in Civ VI, at least until the DLC introduced Ptolemaic Cleopatra as an alternate persona.
Blue Blood: There is of course no in-game effect, but Egypt's Maryannu Chariot Archers are crewed by noble sons.
Butt-Monkey: Not only does Egypt's unique building encourage foes to attack, but it's one of the few civs in V with achievements earned both for doing something as them (rush a wonder with a Great Engineer) and for doing something to them (capture a city with a Burial Tomb).
Defiant to the End: While most leaders in Civ V are gracious in defeat or saddened, Ramesses II keeps up the smack talk instead.
Ramesses II: Strike me down and my soul will torment yours forever – you have won nothing.
Driven to Suicide: Cleopatra's defeat message.
Cleopatra: Egypt is lost. If I can't embrace my love, I will embrace the asps.
Eating the Eye Candy: Cleopatra's eyes tend to wander...
God-Emperor: Ramesses II, like all Egyptian Pharaohs.
Green-Eyed Monster: Ramesses II in V has the highest base "wonder emphasis" and "wonder competitiveness" ratings in the game, so winning wonder races against him is a good way to make him hostile towards you. Thankfully, this is unlikely to result in an attack since he also has one of the lowest likelihoods to declare war amongst the game's leaders.
Heart Is an Awesome Power:
- The Egyptians' passive ability in V is a +20% construction bonus when building Wonders. It sounds unimpressive since it's just quicker build times and a Tradition policy does something similar, but remember: every World Wonder you build is one that the other players can't get anymore, which to some civs can be a huge pain in the neck if they rely on a specific World Wonder for their strategy (and that aforementioned Tradition policy bonus stacks with Egypt's ability). Egypt is also a prime candidate for a Culture Victory, which a lot of World Wonders heavily contribute to, so stealing the right ones out from under the other players' noses will heavily cripple them while rapidly boosting your own score and resources. The cherry on top is that this bonus also applies to all-important national wonders such as the National College or National Intelligence Agency.
- Those Burial Tombs that make Egypt a popular raiding site give up plenty of goodness for their owner too: they're the only Temple that generates happiness for free as well, and they cost no upkeep. A religious-focused Egypt can be the happiest place on earth.
I Let You Win: Ramesses II insists as such when he signs a peace treaty.
Ramesses II: You know I could have destroyed you, but I am feeling generous today.
Inconsistent Spelling: Civ VI uses the "Ramses" spelling for their version of Egypt's most famous male Pharaoh, when his previous appearances in the series used "Ramesses".
Loophole Abuse: The War Chariot in Civ V doesn't require a supply of horses to build, allowing Egypt to build up a huge army of them and steamroll the early competition.
Magikarp Power: Gathering Storm for VI gives a small but significant update to Egypt's repertoire: immunity to flood damage. Which means it gets all the benefits of a flood (the increasing tile yields, adding food, production and others) without any of the drawbacks of a dam that stops flooding but halves fertilization gains. Over time, any flood-prone river in Egyptian territory will become richer and richer, with no downtime for repairing damaged buildings.
Manipulative Bitch: How Cleopatra plays in Civ VI, charming and manipulating stronger civs to keep Egypt safe.
Master of None: In V, the Egyptians' unique traits are all at cross purposes with each other. The upgraded Chariot Archer suggests that Egypt should try to rush out an early army to knock out a neighbor, the improved Temple suggests that Egypt should build wide and focus on spreading its religion, and its faster wonder construction suggests it should build tall and focus on wonder spamming and cultural growth. Most guides therefore recommend focusing on one or two of Egypt's strengths and ignoring the remainder.
Misplaced Accent: An odd case with the Egyptian units in IV and Ramesses himself in V speaking in Egyptian Arabic, a dialect of Arabic languages rather than an actual Ancient Egpytian dialect.^note Ramesses would have spoken Middle Egyptian, the prestige language of Egypt at the time.^note Cleopatra in VI does speak Middle Egyptian... but in real life she spoke Koine Greek, being a member of the Greek Ptolemaic Dynasty.^note
Piñata Enemy: In V, the Burial Tombs replace standard Temples, and have no maintenance cost. However, anyone who conquers a city with one will get twice as much gold as from a standard city (as well as an achievement).
Proud Industrious Race: Egypt has always had bonuses for production since civs began to really differ from each other in III, where they have the Industrious trait. The same goes for IV but only under Ramesses II. In V, Egypt particularly stands out due to having the "Monument Builders" unique ability and thereby being able to build Wonders at a speed unavailable to anyone else. Their "Iteru" сiv ability in VI also makes them this trope, but obviously only when they have a river to fulfill the condition required.
Proud Merchant Race: Cleopatra's leader bonus in Civ VI makes trade routes more lucrative for both Egypt and its trade partners.
Race Lift: Cleopatra was 100% Greek (inbreeding saw to that), and probably had a skin tone lighter than most Greeks (themselves lighter than Egyptians) and on par with Western Europeans, considering she was royalty and probably rarely went out into the sun (fair skin was considered feminine and beautiful by Hellenic standards). For some reason, the games portray her with quite dark features, like an actual native Egyptian.
Red Eyes, Take Warning: Ramesses II in the SNES port of Civ I.
The Rival: In Civ VI, Cleopatra is Qin Shi Huang's most likely competitor when it comes to wonder races.
Robbing the Dead: Implied when an enemy captures an Egyptian city with Burial Tombs.
She Is the King: Hatshepsut and Cleopatra are both ruling ladies to take the position of Son of Ra.
The Sphinx: Egypt's unique improvement in Civ VI, which astonishingly is the Sphinx's first appearance in a proper Civ game.

England

England

Leaders: Elizabeth I (I-VI), Henry VIII (II), Queen Victoria (IV, VI), Winston Churchill (IV), Eleanor Of Aquitaine (VI)
Unique Units: Man O'War (III), Redcoat (IV, VI), Longbowmen (V), Ship of the Line (V), Sea Dog (VI)
Unique Building: Stock Exchange (IV)
Unique District: Royal Navy Dockyard (VI)
Ability: Sun Never Sets (V), British Museum (VI, pre-Gathering Storm), Workshop of the World (VI, post-Gathering Storm)

Jolly old England. If you went back in time and told a Roman citizen that this rain-soaked and rugged backwater island at the edge of the civilized world would one day be the centre of a global superpower far surpassing even Rome at its greatest extent, they would think you were completely out of your mind. Yet this small nation off the coast of northwest Europe would grow from humble Celtic, Norse, Anglo-Saxon and Norman origins, blending them all into the seat of the largest empire in history. Following the usual medieval wars, plagues and crusades, England rose to prominence in the mid-1500s under the rule of Queen Elizabeth, who ushered in a golden age of arts and literature, defended her country from Spanish conquest, and revitalized England's navy to make it the world's greatest sea power. Over the subsequent centuries England built an empire that stretched from North America to Asia, and by Queen Victoria's reign in the 19th century, British possessions included India, Australia, and a swathe of Africa "from Cape Town to Cairo." This empire gradually eroded due to the stress of maintaining it while fighting two world wars, but modern England is still an economic and naval force to be reckoned with, and today English remains the international language of trade, helped by great literary works from Beowulf to the works of Shakespeare and Tolkien.

In Civ V, England can protect its castles with its famous Longbowmen, but for the most part the civ is a maritime powerhouse. Its Ships of the Line will rule the seas of the Renaissance Era, and England's "Sun Never Sets" ability ensures that all of their naval units are faster than their rivals. That same ability also grants England an extra Spy in the Renaissance Era, allowing for more intrigue or diplomatic options as England locks down control of the seas. Queen Elizabeth usually pursues a Diplomatic Victory, but can be a cantankerous neighbor, and will strive to have the most powerful navy on the planet.

In Civ VI, England has all the tools needed to forge a mighty naval empire. Its Royal Navy Dockyard gives naval units a movement boost and generates additional gold on other continents, while the Sea Dog is an improved Privateer that can terrorize the mid-game sea lanes. Initially its special ability was "British Museum," doubling the number of artifacts and archeologists its Archeological Museums supported, but Gathering Storm recognized England as the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution with the "Workshop of the World" ability, letting England get more from its iron and coal deposits, granting Military Engineers two extra charges, having powered buildings grant additional yields, and allowing Dockyard buildings to store extra resources. Queen Victoria's "Pax Britannica" leader bonus provides a free garrison unit, which can later include the famous Redcoat, in newly-founded or newly-conquered cities on distant shores, and her unique agenda compels her to ensure that the sun never sets on the British Empire.

Ascended Meme: In VI, Elizabeth's leader agenda is titled "trade agreement" and causes her to dislike leaders that don't trade with her, and her leader ability revolves around strengthening her own trade routes, referencing an infamously repetitive voiceline of hers from Civ V.
Boring, but Practical: The Redcoat in Civ IV is unique in that it's the only UU which replaces the Rifleman, which is also conveniently the unit that every single pre-Rennaisance infantry unit upgrades to. With enough gold (and you're England, so gold is your specialty), you can turn your army from a hodgepodge of ancient and medieval units to state-of-the-art almost instantly after you get the Rifling tech, and doing so will give you an edge over everyone else's gunpowder units, to boot.
Brits Love Tea: When Elizabeth sends a delegation to you in VI, she'll also send a demonstration of this newfangled "cuppa" made by boiling dried leaves in water.
The Empire: In Civ VI, Victoria's "Sun Never Sets" agenda is to get cities on every continent, and she dislikes anyone in a land she hasn't expanded into yet.
High-Class Fan: Queen Victoria has one in Civ VI.
Jerkass: Queen Elizabeth in V isn't a warmonger, but has a higher hostility rating to her AI than Genghis Khan, is slow to declare friendship, but quick to denounce. So most of the time you're going to end up on her bad side for absolutely no reason.
Improbably Female Cast: Of all the long-running Civilizations featured in the series, England has most consistently provided female leaders, with Elizabeth I in particular appearing in every game. Notably in VI, they have three (or four, depending on how you count them) potential queens to choose from: Eleanor of Aquataine (shared with France), Elizabeth I, and two versions of Victoria. Justified, as England's real life golden ages have historically occurred under female monarchs.
I Shall Return: In Civ VI, when Victoria is defeated she proclaims England will ascend again.
Last Stand: Upon greeting Winston Churchill in Civ IV, he'll assure you that if you declare war on England, "we will fight you on the beaches, we will fight you in the cities... well, you get the idea."
Lightning Bruiser: In Civ V, Ships of the Line are plenty terrifying without the extra movement point from "Sun Never Sets," but if England builds the Great Lighthouse for another naval speed boost, and then adopts the Exploration policy tree for a third increase, the result is a flotilla of powerful warships that can cross the ocean in a single turn.
Magikarp Power: In most games, England tends to start out fairly weak, only to become one of the best lategame powerhouses for a Domination Victory thanks to its economic or naval bonuses.
Master Archer: English Longbowmen in Civ V have a whopping 3-tile range, something that can't be matched until the Industrial Era introduces Artillery.
Proud Industrious Race: In VI, the benefits provided by the "Workshop of the World" aim to ensure that England lives up to the name of its civ ability. Moreover, the inclination towards production becomes even stronger if the leader of England is Victoria (Age of Steam), as her leader ability gives +10% Production in cities for every Industrial Zone building in them and +2 Production to all Strategic Resources.
Proud Merchant Race: In IV, England's Stock Exchange is a superior replacement for the Bank, while two of England's three leaders have the Financial trait, allowing them to print even more money. Elizabeth in VI continues the trend by getting bonuses to trade routes and liking players who send trade ships her way.
Royal "We": Victoria's response to a declaration of war is, of course, "We are not amused."
The Spymaster: Civ V gives England an extra Spy to steal technology, see what enemies are planning, convert city-states to your cause, exert religious pressure (with a reformation belief in your religion) or just wrest more votes for you in the World Council.
Wooden Ships and Iron Men: One of its specialties.

France

France

Leaders: Napoléon Bonaparte (I, IV-V), Jeanne d'Arc (II-III), Louis XIV (II, IV), Charles de Gaulle (IV), Catherine de Medici (VI), Eleanor of Aquitaine (VI)
Unique Units: Musketeer (III-V), Foreign Legion (V), Garde Impériale (VI)
Unique Building: Salon (IV)
Unique Improvement: Château (V-VI)
Ability: Ancien Régime (V, pre-Brave New World), City of Light (V, post-Brave New World), Grand Tour (VI)

France has been home to Celtic and Germanic tribes since Roman times, but its modern history stretches back to 843 when the Treaty of Verdun established three successor kingdoms to Charlemagne's Holy Roman Empire; today's France grew from the western portion. Over the medieval period, France consolidated under a series of royal dynasties, fighting off foes like the British, Vikings and Germans, as well as unruly nobles at home, until by the 14th century, France was the dominant power of Europe. In 1643, the French monarchy reached its greatest glory under the "Sun King" Louis XIV, but less than a hundred years after his death, the liberal ideals of the French Revolution would turn Europe upside-down. From the ashes of the old order, Napoleon led France's armies to nearly conquer a continent, and even after his defeat France remained a prominent world power. Despite the ravages of two world wars, today France retains its status as a great nation of high culture and social development, and has put aside its rivalry with its old foe Germany to form the core of the European Union.

In Civ V: Brave New World, France is a cultural and military hybrid faction. Its "City of Light" ability doubles the Tourism theming bonuses from Museums and cultural Wonders built in the French capital, while the Chateau improvement, built next to luxury resources, provides defense to garrisoned units like a Fort but also a bit of bonus culture, gold and tourism. But while Napoleon will often go for a Cultural Victory, he is a bold and expansive leader with an eye for exploiting his neighbors' weaknesses, which is where France's famed Musketeers will come into play.

True to real life, France in Civ VI hits its stride in the mid-game, and its "Grand Tour" ability lets it produce Medieval, Renaissance and Industrial-era Wonders faster. The same ability lets all French Wonders produce twice as much Tourism as normal, which combined with the Chateau's ability to pump out even more vulture when built next to those Wonders makes France a natural for a Cultural Victory. This is not to say the French don't know how to fight - the Garde Impériale is an elite gunpowder unit that gains combat bonuses when on France's home continent and produces Great Generals faster, while France's ability to progress through the Civics trees quickly means that it'll be fielding Corps and Armies earlier than its competitors. Catherine de Medici's superior spy network will let her know exactly what her rivals are up to, and when is the best time to project French power. The "Persona Pack" DLC gives Catherine an additional "Magnficance" persona, which gives culture bonuses for improved luxury resources next to Theater Squares and Chateaus and gives France the Court Festival project, which grants culture and tourism based on how many luxury resources France has.

The Chessmaster: Following in on the footsteps of Enrico Dandolo and cementing the reputation of Italian nobles as, well, Machiavellian, Catherine is the second Italian-born leader with a focus on underhanded or indirect tactics.
Catherine de Medici: (agenda-based disapproval) You should start paying attention to what's happening around you. Believe me, there are way too many games being played.
Chronic Backstabbing Disorder: Napoleon in V is infamous for this. He has a very high deceptiveness score and a very low loyalty score, which combined with his boldness means that regardless of how friendly he acts towards you on the diplomacy screen, he will attack you if he thinks he can get away with it.
Conspicuous Consumption: Catherine de Medici's "Magnificence" persona has a leader bonus that converts luxury items into culture, and a "Sumptuous Finery" agenda to accumulate as many as possible. Then she can show them off in a Court Festival project, winning a Cultural Victory by impressing the world with how many expensive trade goods she has.
Crutch Character: Napoleon was this in vanilla Civ V, with "Ancien Régime" essentially being Civ IV's Creative trait, but with a hard-wired expiration date, unlike every other civ's unique ability. Thankfully, Brave New World replaced it with "City of Light," geared towards the new tourism mechanic
Cultured Badass: France usually gets a bonus to both culture and its military.
Decomposite Character: Like Teddy Roosevelt, the "Persona" update introduced a second Catherine de Medici. The "Black Queen" one operates as before, a spymaster, while the "Magnifique" Catherine focuses on getting culture and gold from nearby luxury resources, basically doubling-down on the Chateau bonus.
Didn't See That Coming: Declare war on Catherine de Medici, and she'll insist that not "even Nostradamus could have predicted this!" Her war declaration, on the other hand, chides you not to be surprised - "In truth, you'd be a fool if you didn't know what was going to happen." Given her agenda, which rides on knowing what others are up to, it makes some sense that saving face regarding her Spymaster credentials takes precedence over war banter.
Difficult, but Awesome: The Chateau UI in V has to be placed next to a luxury tile, and its very useful bonuses to defense, gold and culture will make you want to have as many of them as possible. However, since you cannot have two of them next to each other, you will have to carefully think about how to improve each tile in order to maximize your cultural production.
Gentleman and a Scholar: Implied in France's unique building in Civ IV. The Salon produces all the scientific benefits of an Observatory, but also provides its city with a free Artist.
Historical In-Joke: France's original ability in V, "Ancien Régime," gave it additional culture each turn until the invention of Steam Power. One of Napoleon's famous quotes is that a steam-powered ship would never catch on.
Home Field Advantage: The Foreign Legion inverts this, gaining a combat bonus when outside France's borders.
Insufferable Genius: Napoleon in V introduces himself as "the most brilliant military man in world history." Even when you declare war on him, he insists you've merely fallen into his trap.
Misplaced Accent: Napoleon in V speaks modern French, without his Corsican (Italian) accent, which contemporaries often described as so thick that it made him difficult to understand (although this may have been propaganda, as with so much else about him). Nicely averted with Catherine de Medici in VI, who was Florentine (Tuscan) by birth and speaks French with an Italian (Tuscan) accent, as well as sometimes switching to Italian outright.
The Musketeer: A recurring French unique unit, a superior Musketman.
Ooh, Me Accent's Slipping: If sufficiently irritated, Catherine de Medici might switch from French to her native Italian. Remarkably, in her agenda-based disapproval message, she talks to you in a very friendly, if warning, tone.
The Spymaster: Catherine De'Medici in Civ VI. Her "Flying Squadron" leader bonus gives her a bonus to espionage and diplomatic access, while her "Black Queen" agenda drives her to dig up as much information and use as much espionage as possible. Likewise, she appreciates it when you do the same, saying her ladies-in-waiting would love to accompany your spies during the festival.

Germany

Germany

Leaders: Frederick the Great (I, IV), Frederick Barbarossa (II, VI), Maria Theresa (II), Otto von Bismarck (III-V), Ludwig II (VI)
Unique Units: Panzer (III-V), Landsknecht (V), U-Boat (VI)
Unique Buildings: Assembly Plant (IV), Hanse (V)
Unique District: Hansa (VI)
Ability: Furor Teutonicus (V), Free Imperial Cities (VI)

Even before becoming a unified country, Germany sent shockwaves through Europe around 10 BC with the crushing defeat of the Roman legions attempting to conquer the barbarians beyond the Rhine and Danube rivers. Like its neighbor France, modern Germany grew from the Holy Roman Empire, but unlike its brother Germany had more difficulty consolidating. Though a major medieval power, internal struggles between its component fiefdoms, as well as disputes with the Pope, kept it from becoming a strong monarchy, and by 1500 the German people were divided among domains such as Austria and Prussia. But after the Napoleonic Wars and rising nationalist sentiment, Prussia's prime minister Otto von Bismarck led a campaign to subdue Austria, humble France, and unite the Holy Roman Empire's successor states into the German Empire in 1871, suddenly upsetting the continental balance of power with a military-industrial powerhouse. Following the tragedy of World War One and the horrors of World War Two, today's Germany has renounced militaristic expansion in favor of economic production and soft power, and alongside its historical rival France forms the heart of the European Union.

In Civ V, Germany is a military juggernaut with a touch of class. Its barbarian past is recognized by its "Furor Teutonicus" ability, giving Germany a discount on military upkeep and a chance to recruit barbarian units after defeating them, allowing it to quickly build up a military in the early game. In the late game Germany's modern military might is embodied in the Panzer unit, which will outmaneuver and outgun any enemy armor unfortunate enough to stand against it. But the medieval and Renaissance-era Germanic states were capable of trade and diplomacy as well, so instead of a Bank, Germany can build a Hanse that provides additional gold as usual but also extra production for every trade route Germany has with a city-state - useful if you plan on conquering other empires, who you probably won't be trading with. Bismarck will usually try to win through science and diplomacy, but those who destabilize his neighborhood with their warmongering or entangle themselves with his city-state allies may find themselves hit with a sudden blitzkrieg.

Germany in VI is an industrial powerhouse that can gobble up city-states and quickly churn out a huge amount of units to overwhelm its rivals. Its "Free Imperial Cities" ability gives Germany an additional District in its settlements, such as the Hanse, which gives more production than a normal Industrial District as well as more bonuses if placed next to a Commercial Zone. With these production bonuses Germany can quickly field a gigantic army, and should it need to take the fight from land to sea it can rely on its U-Boats, a special naval unit that is both stronger when fighting in the ocean as well as significantly cheaper to produce than the Submarines of other civilizations. As in real life, Frederick Barbarossa will focus on adding city-states to his Holy Roman Empire through force, and his "Holy Roman Emperor" leader bonus gives Germany an additional military policy slot and German units an attack bonus against city-states. If you want to stay on his good side, it's best to keep your distance from his future conquests. In contrast, Ludwig II focuses on building wonders: his wonders give culture bonuses, even before being finished, from each adjacent district. After researching castles, all of culture bonuses from adjacency in Ludwig's Germany also provide tourism.

The Alliance: As of October 2013, Germany in V can build the Hanse, which acts as a bank with a bonus of boosting production for every trade route they have with city-states.
Awesome, but Impractical: Much like Mongolia from Civ V, Barbarossa's attack bonus against city-states is very much a double-edged sword; Capturing a city and then reworking it into a useful part of your empire is a significant commitment of time and resources, everyone gets moderately upset with you for conquering a city-state, city-states give empire-wide bonuses to yields just by existing and even more powerful bonuses if you invest a few envoys and the city-state itself may not be placed optimally.
Cloudcuckoolander: Ludwig II seems to be portrayed as one in VI, obsessing over knightly fairy tales, building fancy wonders and swans (he would offer you some in his delegation screen, but could only give you one because he would forget to tie them well). Coupled with his agenda (refusing to maximize districts and dislikes those who do), there is little wonder he has earned the title "The Mad King"!
Comically Missing the Point: When you send Ludwig II a delegation, he will have them sit through a nine hour recital to entertain them. He notes that by the end they had tears in their eyes and takes that as evidence they were very moved by the music.
Composite Character: Since the actual polity of "Germany" is a fairly modern state, Civ's takes on it have been different amalgamations of its past, from Teutonic barbarians to the Holy Roman Empire to a modern military powerhouse.
Dark and Troubled Past: As mentioned in No Swastikas, German history during the Third Reich is barely touched, but is mentioned in different places throughout the games.
Defeat Means Friendship: "Furor Teutonicus" in V gives a fair chance of earning additional gold and an extra unit when clearing out a barbarian camp. With a little luck, an early-game Germany can have a small army composed entirely of barbarian recruits.
Don't Make Me Destroy You: Barbarossa in VI if you start palling it up with city-states in his sights.
Barbarossa: I destroy my enemies, and, if you help them, you too.
The Empire: In VI, Barbarossa always tries to conquer as many city states as he can to absorb them into his Holy Roman Empire.
Germanic Efficiency/Proud Industrious Race:
- In IV, it's reasonable enough to expect Germany to play in this fashion under either of its two leaders, as Bismarck has the Industrious leader trait, and production will be Frederick's primary focus on the way to victory. Additionally, their Assembly Plant is a replacement for the standard Factory that gives an even bigger boost to production if the city has access to coal.
- The Hanse in V grants bonus production for every city-state trade route.
- In VI, the Hanse replaces the industrial district and grants more production, and Germany's special ability allows all their cities to construct one more district than their population limit would normally allow.
Graceful Loser: Barbarossa's response if the player conquers him in VI is to reluctantly wish you well and offer up his ceremonial scepter.
Barbarossa: I maintained piety and blessedness... But never mind that. You have achieved victory... may your empire be free of hate, and of fighting.
Hair-Trigger Temper: Frederick Barbarossa's agenda in Civ VI is "Iron Crown," which makes him like civilizations who don't deal with city-states and hate those who are suzerain to city-states, or have conquered some. Considering how easy or "natural" it is to gain favor with city-states due to the questing system, it can be very hard to avoid his anger.
Hypocrite: Implicitly. Ludwig II doesn't like it if you build a lot of districts in your cities. His ability relies on building a lot of districts in his cities to add culture to Wonders.
Mega City: In VI, Germany can build an extra district, so you can potentially have a city that expands tremendously compared to others.
No Swastikas: As noted on the main page, Hitler and the Nazis are virtually unseen in the series, though a lot of references to fascism exist if you adopt an Autocracy ideology in V.
Sore Loser: Bismarck's defeat text in V.
Bismarck: Inconceivable! I, Otto von Bismarck - Duke of Lauenburg, Prime Minister of Prussia, and First Chancellor of Germany - I have been defeated by the likes of YOU!
Tank Goodness: While anyone can build tanks, German Panzers are both stronger and faster than anyone else's.
Try to Fit That on a Business Card: Barbarossa in VI likes to spell out his titles to the player, for example when you first meet him or when he sends you a delegation.
Frederick Barbarossa: We have sent a diplomatic envoy to you. Treat them as you would treat me, the Duke of Swabia, King of Burgundy, King of Germany, King of the Romans, King of Italy, and Holy Roman Emperor.
Zerg Rush:
- Before they were moved to a policy tree perk in Civ V: Brave New World, Landsknechts were the German replacement for the Pikeman, with identical stats but only half the price tag, allowing Germany to build or buy a swarm of them to overrun foes with.
- In VI, Germany gets the U-Boat, a replacement for the Submarine that is both stronger when fighting in the ocean was well as significantly cheaper to produce. Coupled with their generally high productive capabilities due to the Hanse district, Germany can very quickly produce a very large army and navy.

Greece

Greece

Leaders: Alexander the Great (I-V), Hippolyta* (II), Pericles (IV, VI), Gorgo (VI)
Unique Units: Hoplite (III, V-VI), Phalanx (IV), Companion Cavalry (V)
Unique Building: Odeon (IV)
Unique District: Acropolis (VI)
Ability: Hellenic League (V), Plato's Republic (VI)

The record of Greek history begins in 778 BC, when the settlements on the Peloponnese came together to hold the first Olympic Games. Ancient Greece existed as a collection of city-states such as Athens, Sparta, Corinth and Thebes that shared a common culture but retained their independent identities. These poleis were forced to band together against the Persians in the 5th century BC, and afterward the major Greek powers of Athens and Sparta set about creating the rival Delian and Peloponnesian leagues with their neighbors, but it wasn't until Alexander of Macedon came to power in 336 BC that Greece was unified under a single leader. Alexander the Great's conquests spread Greek culture as far east as India, but his empire didn't survive his death, and afterward Greece fell back into infighting and became part of foreign empires until 1829. Few other civilizations can match Greece's contributions to art, science, and literature, and thanks to Athens' experiments with something called "democracy," Greece could be considered the grandfather of the modern world.

Greece's "Hellenic League" ability makes it Civ V's master diplomat, able to effortlessly build and maintain alliances with city-states. This allows Greece to generate more culture, faith, food, and free military units than any other nation, giving it a substantial boost throughout the game as well as a good shot at a Diplomatic Victory. One might be tempted to knock Greece out early, but there's a problem with that strategy, namely Alexander the Great. Greece's leader is a born conqueror with access to Hoplite infantry and Companion Cavalry, superior Classical Era units that he's more than willing to use to build an empire.

Greece in Civ VI is a well-balanced civilization whose "Plato's Republic" ability grants it a bonus wildcard social policy slot, though it can also generate a lot of culture thanks to its Acropolis improvement, as well as its leaders' bonuses. Pericles' "Surrounded by Glory" bonus magnifies Greek culture output based on how many city-states it is suzerain of, while Gorgo's "Thermopylae" bonus generates culture from defeated enemy units. Unsurprisingly, the two will have very different play styles, with Pericles focusing on building a new Delian League while Gorgo sends her Hoplites into battle for the glory of Sparta, but however it generates that culture, Greece can use its mastery of civics to pursue whatever victory it feels like.

The Alliance:
- In V, Greece's "Hellenic League" ability makes city-state influence degrade at half the normal rate, letting them get the most out of city-state quests or gold donations.
- In VI, Pericles gains a 5% boost to his culture for every city-state that he is the suzerain of. Naturally, his agenda has him trying to form alliances with as many city-states as possible.
Dark Horse Victory: In V, keeping a close eye on Greece under Alexander's control is good enough advice. Understandably enough, each of your games in Civilization V will have different civilizations as leaders and underdogs. It's common knowledge that due to his AI Traits and civ ability, Alexander will always go for a Diplomatic Victory, and when Greece is the game leader, it will be a clear contender for victory, just like any other civilization in this role. What's really noteworthy is that Greece tends to pose a threat even if they lag behind in score, technology, and other aspects; since votes for the World Leader take place automatically as soon as any civilization enters the Information Era (or as soon as half of all civilizations are in the Atomic Era), usually crucial science is not that important for Greece, as they only need to have enough delegates to achieve their favorite Diplomatic Victory. Although technically every diplomatically oriented civ has a chance to take advantage of this fact, Greece is the one that does so most often, given Alexander's complete obsession with making all city-states his allies and his firm determination for victory. Thus, if you are unwilling or unable (for example, due to significant geographical distance) to purposefully interfere with Greece from the very beginning, they are more likely than anyone else to "thank" you for this with a solid bid for the final gold on their part, which is arguably the main reason behind Greece being widely considered one of the most dangerous civs to have in one's game in V.
Decomposite Character: In VI, Greece can be led by either Gorgo of Sparta or Pericles of Athens, who gain culture through combat and diplomacy, respectively. Meanwhile Alexander was eventually given his own entirely Macedonian civilization to lead.
Friendly Enemy: In V, Alexander the Great hopes that you will be a good friend, a deadly enemy, or maybe both at once! He's programmed to be very expansionist, but he probably won't betray you so long as you don't share a border with him, and gets along with fellow warmongers. Even if you attack him, he keeps up the cheery attitude by responding "Indeed? I too grow tired of peace, let's do this!"
Graceful Loser: Force Alexander to sign a peace treaty in V, and he'll reluctantly but respectfully congratulate you "on your remarkable victory."
Hair-Trigger Temper:
- Pericles' "Delian League" agenda makes him like civilizations who ally with city-states, so long as they aren't competing for the attention of his city-state allies. It can thus be difficult to avoid getting on his bad side when your actions gain city-state favor without you actively courting them.
- Gorgo's "With Your Shield Or On It" agenda means she refuses to make concessions when signing a peace treaty, and thus disdains those who capitulate to opponents or avoid war. If you're even relatively peaceful, she will get angry with you from the start of the game.
Heroic BSoD: Alexander's defeat text in V.
Alexander: I am vanquished? How could this be? I - I am Heir to the Gods!
Historical Beauty Update: Strangely enough inverted in Civ III, where the famously handsome Alexander is portrayed as scrawny and unattractive.
Jerkass: Alexander is loathed by the fandom for his hostile, expansionist ways and his willingness to bribe every city-state under the sun. If you have Alexander on your continent you will wind up having to fight with him at some point. He gets even worse when leading Macedon in VI.
Proud Warrior Race Guy: Gorgo gains culture upon winning any battles, and her "With Your Shield Or On It" agenda makes her never give up items in a peace treaty and respect other leaders who do the same.
Gorgo: You would make a good Spartan... resilient, strong, brave.
The Power of Friendship:
- In V, Greece is the only civilization that can, with the help of Patronage policies, a shared religion, and its civ special trait, form a permanent alliance with city-states. This makes it easy for Greece to build up and maintain a network of allied city-states feeding it faith, culture, happiness, and units right from the Classical Era through to the endgame.
- Continued in VI, where Pericles gets a significant bonus to his culture output for every city state that he is the suzerain of.
Reluctant Warrior: Pericles' war declaration in VI.
Pericles: This is for the greater good. You will understand... in time.
What the Hell Are You?: Alexander's spoken defeat message in V.
Alexander: You have somehow become my undoing! What kind of beast are you?
Zerg Rush: While not as pronounced as the Huns, the Greeks in V have two unique units that are both very strong and come very early. Most civs can't match their Classical Era army until they research Iron Working, and even then they have to hope they have a source of iron for swordsmen.

India

India

Leaders: Mohandas Gandhi (I-VI), Indira Gandhi (II), Asoka (IV), Chandragupta (VI)
Unique Units: War Elephant (III, V), Fast Worker (IV), Varu (VI)
Unique Buildings: Mausoleum (IV), Mughal Fort (V)
Unique Improvement: Stepwell (VI)
Ability: Population Growth (V), Dharma (VI)

India is another one of those ancient, river valley civilizations - its first known cities date back to 2500 BC, while the earliest religious texts of Hinduism are almost as old. By 500 BC India had developed into a number of states, and though Ashoka the Great led the Mauryan Empire to nearly unite the subcontinent (and converted to Buddhism after seeing the resulting body count), his empire didn't last long after his death in the 3rd century BC. India went through a number of dynasties, including its golden age under the Guptas from 320-540 AD, but soon it came into conflict with Muslim invaders from the west, eventually ending in its conquest by the Mughal Dynasty in 1526. Muslim rule was supplanted by English rule in the mid-19th Century, and for a time India was considered the "jewel of the British crown." This changed following World War II, when Mahatma Gandhi led a nonviolent resistance movement that resulted in India's independence. Today the country stands as the world's largest democracy, a rising economic power, and an exporter of both traditional Indian culture and "Bollywood" films alike.

India is the world's second-most populous nation, but is only a third the size of the United States, and its unique ability in V reflects this. "Population Growth" means India gets double unhappiness from its number of cities, but only half as much from population, encouraging it to develop "small but tall." Between that, its powerful but slow War Elephants, and its culture-producing Mughal Forts, India tends to be a defensive civilization that quietly pursues a Cultural Victory. Memes aside, Gandhi has the lowest likelihood to declare war in the game... but he also has the highest likelihood to use nukes in the game, something to keep in mind during lategame conflicts.

In Civ VI, India is a Faith-focused civilization whose "Dharma" ability grants it the follower beliefs of every religion represented in its cities, and a Stepwell improvement that provides food and housing, as well as additional faith when placed next to a holy site. Its two choices of leader have very different ideas of how to use this relgious foundation, however - Gandhi's "Satyagraha" leader bonus grants India a faith boost if it maintains peaceful relations with other civs that have founded religions, and inflicts double the normal war weariness on those at war with him, while his "Peacekeeper" agenda restrains him from taking any action that would brand him a warmonger. Chandragupta, in contrast, has the "Arthashastra" leader bonus that gives Indian military units a boost to strength and speed when he declares a War of Territorial Expansion, and he'll likely use India's faith output, and Varu elephant unique unit, to fuel his conquests.

Ascended Glitch: Gandhi had a tendency in I to unlock nuclear weaponry as soon as he could ^Explanation. This would later be integrated into his character in later games, preparing nukes in the event he's forced into fighting or declares war.
Badass Pacifist: Just because Gandhi can't easily declare war in VI doesn't mean he can't build up a military.
Gandhi: There is no shame in deterrence. Having a weapon is very different from actually using it.
Beware the Nice Ones: Gandhi's AI is usually one of the friendliest in the Civ series, and his agenda in VI prevents him from declaring war if doing so would brand him a warmonger. But in V his "Use of Nukes" trait is hard-coded to 12 out of 10, while in VI he tends to draw the "Nuke Lover" hidden leader agenda, so if you get on his bad side after uranium's been discovered, watch out.
Boring, but Practical: Most civilizations' unique units give their owners a substantial military advantage of some sort, but India's Unique Unit in IV is the Fast Worker - not a worker that works faster, but a worker that gets an extra movement point. That said, that additional point of movement means India's workers can immediately start building improvements on rough terrain (while all other workers have to burn a turn moving onto it), outrun hostile infantry, or just get to new locations faster. The fact that Fast Workers don't become obsolete also means that the unit will always be useful, while other unique units are only usable for a certain time frame.
Composite Character: In V, it's a combination of ancient India (the War Elephants), the Mughal Empire (their Mughal Forts), and modern India (their unique ability that allows them to have highly crowded cities, and their leader, Gandhi).
Conservation of Ninjutsu: Due to its "Population Growth" unique ability in Civ V, India will be much more efficient if it focuses on maintaining a small number of densely populated cities rather than many small ones. This also applies to a lesser extent in IV, where Gandhi's leader bonuses are especially handy for running a specialist economy to produce large numbers of Great People.
Evil Cannot Comprehend Good: In the rare event Gandhi declares war in Civ VI, he insists he still has the moral high ground when he does so.
Gandhi: I can engage in this war without sacrificing morals. Don't ask me how, you wouldn't understand.
Foil: Chandragupta is essentially the antithesis of Gandhi - A warlike leader from India's ancient past as opposed to a pacifist leader from the 20th century.
Graceful Loser: For all his arrogance and aggression, Chandragupta at least takes his defeat well.
Chandragupta: You learned my own lessons far too well. I instructed you in my own demise.
Grandfather Clause: A comparatively modern figure, deep in the Small Reference Pools, was a common choice for leaders in the earlier games, but they were progressively phased out for earlier, more obscure, or more historically-solid leaders. Gandhi, however, has stuck around, largely due to his popularity.
Jerkass:
- Gandhi's simulataneously pacifist and nuke-loving nature in Civ VI will leave him pissed at you for not being peaceful OR (in computer logic terms) for not having nukes... and use them as reason to denounce and declare war on you.
- Chandragupta's "Maurya Empire" agenda makes him like civs that are far away from him, while hating - and trying to conquer - anyone unfortunate enough to share borders with him.
  Chandragupta: There is no distance between our lands. My people are forced to endure the stench of your own.
Lightning Bruiser: Chandragupta's "Arthashastra" leader bonus turns his entire army into these, so for ten turns after declaring a War of Territorial Expansion, his forces enjoy +2 movement points and +5 points of combat strength.
Losing the Team Spirit: Gandhi's "Satyagraha" leader bonus in VI doubles the war weariness suffered by nations at war with him.
Magikarp Power: India's unique ability in V encourages it to play small but tall, meaning that they're vulnerable to being knocked out early on by a rush faction like the Huns. But if India survives to the lategame, it will have have a cluster of high-population, well-defended, and excessively happy cities that its rivals will struggle to take (and, due to Gandhi's AI traits, a nuclear arsenal for deterrence).
Non-Indicative Name: Despite the name of its unique ability in V, India doesn't get any sort of bonus to food production, and grows its population at the same rate as other civs.
Series Mascot: Gandhi, since he has been in every game in the series as the leader of India and also due to the "Nuclear Gandhi" memes.
Status Effects: Varu war elephants reduce adjacent enemy units' combat strength by 5, which was a cumulative debuff until Gathering Storm tweaked it.
Switch to English: Gandhi usually speaks Hindi, but will switch to accented English to emphasize his agenda approval message and response to a declaration of war.
War Elephants: One of India's specialties. In V they're slower but stronger and tougher than standard Chariot Archers, while in VI the Varu elephants are heavy cavalry units that reduce the strength of enemies around them.
You Bastard!: Gandhi's defeat message in V declares that "You have defeated the innocent and the helpless."

Mongolia

Mongolia

Leaders: Genghis Khan (I-VI), Börte (II), Kublai Khan (IV, VI)
Unique Units: Keshik (III-VI), Khan (V)
Unique Building: Ger (IV), Ordu (VI)
Ability: Mongol Terror (V), Örtöö (VI)

The nomadic riders of Mongolia had prompted China to construct the precursor to the Great Wall as early as the 7th century BC, but when a chieftain named Temujin came to power in 1206, the Mongols went from a nuisance to the greatest contiguous empire in history. Taking the title of Genghis Khan, "universal ruler," Temujin reformed the Mongols into a disciplined army, united the tribes, and started conquering. Within a hundred years, Mongol holdings and vassal states spanned from China and Korea in the east to Russia and Persia in the west; Western Europe was only spared invasion due to a succession crisis, and it wasn't until the Mongols fought the Mamluks of Egypt that they found a foe that could beat them in battle. Though the Mongols were unbelievably brutal when expanding, their rule was enlightened in some respects, with a merit-based bureaucracy, a legal code that was tough but fair, and religious freedom. The Mongol Empire eventually dissolved into infighting and various successor Khanates that gradually faded away, but few other peoples can boast of making such an impact on world history.

As you can imagine, Genghis Khan is up there with Montezuma in terms of people you don't want to share a continent with. In Civ V, the "Mongol Terror" ability gives all Mongol units an attack bonus against city-states' units or settlements, as well as a movement boost to Mongol cavalry. Keshiks, the Mongols' horse archers, excel at picking apart foes caught in the open, while the Khan is an improved Great General that can keep up with Mongol riders while healing them. The result is a civilization that can gobble up city-states for an early boost in resources, then launch a medieval blitzkrieg. Still, picking on too many city-states will cause the rest to declare war, so the Mongols require balance and strategy to make the most of their strengths.

In Civ VI, Genghis Khan is even more effective, with a "Mongol Horde" leader bonus that gives his mounted units a combat bonus and a chance to recruit defeated enemy cavalry. The Keshig remains a dangerous medieval horse archer that can also escort non-military units like Great Generals, Siege Towers or Workers to the front line faster, while the Ordu is an improved Stables that gives cavalry units trained in its city a bonus to movement. But the Mongols also get a boost to infrastructure and subtlety with their "Örtöö" ability, which automatically builds a Trading Post in a trade route's destination city, allowing for the quick establishment of a vast trading network, as well as diplomatic visibly in the Mongols' neighbors... and also gives Mongol units double the normal combat bonus such diplomatic visibility provides. These all add up to one basic plan: trade, build up wealth and a network of spies, train a horde of cavalry, and run over the map knocking down cities until your Mongol empire is as large as it was historically.

Awesome, but Impractical: "Mongol Terror" in theory sounds like a great way to grab some early cities and throw a wrench in the plans of diplomatic civs like Greece or Siam. In practice, attacking city-states is one of the worst diplomatic penalties possible, and overzealous warmongering will leave you bereft of any allies for the rest of the game. It does, however, punish players who think they can hide behind their allied city-states as their meat shields.
Badass Boast: The Great Khan's introduction in VI.
Genghis Khan: I am Genghis Khan. Before me lie future Mongolian lands. Behind me is the only cavalry that matters.
Blood Knight: Think Aztecs with Horse Archers.
Born in the Saddle: The Mongols get some hefty bonus to their cavalry units, and in VI, Genghis Khan's "Horse Lord" agenda has him train as many cavalry units as possible, and disliking civs that try to compete with his horde of horsemen.
Genghis Khan: You wouldn't wear a sheep's bladder and call it a helmet. So why claim you have amassed "cavalry?"
Cultured Badass: Before he became a standalone ruler in Civ VI, Kublai Khan's traits in Civ IV were Aggressive and Creative, giving him free promotions for melee and gunpower units and doubled production towards Barracks and Drydocks, but also additional culture per city and doubled production towards Theaters and Colosseums.
Defeat Means Friendship:
- In V, many players find that Genghis Khan follows a signed peace treaty with a genuine Declaration of Friendship, suggesting that he finds those who can best him in battle a Worthy Opponent.
- And in VI, his "Mongol Horde" leader bonus lets him recruit any defeated cavalry units.
Face Death with Dignity: After you take his last city in V, rather than bemoan his loss, Genghis Khan calmly states that he is awaiting his execution.
Four-Star Badass: Khans in Civ V replace the standard Great General, and don't just provide a healing aura on top of the normal combat boost, but are significantly faster, which is especially important for the Mongols given their speciality in mounted combat.
Graceful Loser:
- Genghis Khan's in V admits "I have underestimated you" when being forced to sign a peace treaty. And when defeated, his message text (if not his spoken line) reads "With my destruction, nothing now stands in your way. Remember me as you crush your enemies and conquer the world!"
- In VI, this is a tad more downplayed in his defeated line:
Genghis Khan: You have hobbled the Mongolian clans. My respect for you nearly matches the loathing.
Healing Factor: Khans make adjacent units heal 15 additional HP per turn (or 1 in Vanilla). For reference, units have 100 max HP (or 10), and heal 10 (or 1) per turn outside of friendly territory and 20 (or 2) inside friendly borders, meaning you can easily tank a city-state's bombardments.
Hit-and-Run Tactics: Keshiks, which replace knights, are ranged cavalry units that can move after attacking, which combined with their boosted movement allows them to strike with impunity. This even lets them serve as mobile siege units, darting in and out of a city's defensive range to whittle it down with a Death of a Thousand Cuts.
Horse Archer: One of the deadliest in history, and the deadliest in this game as well. In Civ V, they even gain experience faster, letting them quickly gain promotions to make them even more dangerous.
Proud Merchant Race: Mongolia's ability to instantly build trading posts in VI is a reference to how Genghis Khan reconnected the Silk Road. Despite being a conquerer from a society of nomads, he knew not to mess with the merchants, and this ability lets you have a far-reaching trade network much faster than anyone else. This allows you to chain trade routes to distant locations fast, and the trading posts give you vital diplomatic intelligence.
The Spymaster: Surprisingly, yes. Genghis Khan in VI gets a lot of easy diplomatic visiblity on his rivals, and his units gain a ton of combat strength for doing so. The real-life Khan was known for carefully scoping out his enemies before engaging, so this is even in-character.
Undying Loyalty: Much like Shaka Zulu, if you manage to get on the Great Khan's good side, he will remain a loyal friend for the rest of the game.
You Require More Vespene Gas: Horses are to the Mongols what iron is to the Romans. Better hope you have them in your territory or else those Keshiks and Gers aren't going to do you much good.

Rome

Rome

Leaders: Julius Caesar (I-IV, VI), Livia (II), Augustus Caesar (IV-V), Trajan (VI)
Unique Units: Legion (III, V-VI), Praetorian (IV), Ballista (V)
Unique Building: Forum (IV)
Unique District: Bath (VI)
Ability: Glory of Rome (V), All Roads Lead to Rome (VI)

The empire for the western part of the globe, Rome was founded in the 8th Century BC and would continue to exist in some form for over two thousand years. After becoming a republic, Rome began expanding its rule into the rest of Italy, eventually bringing it into conflict with the rival Mediterranean power of Carthage, which it finally defeated in 146 BC. In the unrest that followed a general named Julius Caesar took power as a dictator, and his successor Octavian formally declared Rome an empire. At the height of its power in 117 AD, Rome controlled North Africa, Western Europe, southern England, the Balkans, Anatolia, and the coasts and river valleys of the Middle East, but the empire eventually stagnated and fractured. The western half finally fell to barbarian invaders in 476 AD, while its eastern portion would continue as the Byzantine Empire. Rome had an incredible impact on western history thanks to its achievements in law, engineering, language, and tactics, so much so that medieval Europe was largely concerned with trying to match its predecessor, much less surpass it. The empire may be long gone, but the Glory of Rome lives on.

Rome has always been an all-around solid faction, balancing aggressive expansion with domestic achievements. In Civ V, the Legion is a tougher variant of the Swordsman unit that can also construct roads and forts, allowing Rome to quickly build an infrastructure to fuel its expansion, and its Ballista provides the firepower to take cities in the Classical era. But Rome isn't just about conquest, and its "Glory of Rome" ability allows its cities to more quickly construct any buildings also present in the national capital; so long as Rome itself stands, the Roman Empire will be the envy of the world.

In Civ VI, Rome can easily build an infrastructure to support a mighty empire. Its "All Roads Lead to Rome" ability provides free roads and trading posts in Roman cities on top of additional trade route income, its "Trajan's Column" leader bonus gives Roman settlements a free building in their city centers, and its Baths provide extra housing and amenities compared to a normal Aqueduct. This lets Rome spend less time connecting its empire and more time expanding its borders, which is where the famous Legions will come into play. Emperor Trajan's "Optimus Princeps" agenda drives him to control as much territory as possible, and while he'll approve of others' attempts to do the same, this doesn't mean his rivals can keep lands he considers properly Roman. Julius Caesar favors a more aggressive strategy, as his Veni Vidi Vici ability gives gold bonuses for destroying Barbarian Camps and conquering cities for the first time, providing Rome with ample funds to spend on both its military and infrastructure. Caesar's troops gain also bonus combat strength and normal experience when fighting barbarians units.

Disc-One Nuke:
- The Praetorian unique unit of IV, which replaces the Swordsman, is a melee unit that has the same Strength value as Maceman - in other words, it's a Classical Era unit that hits as hard as the frontline Medieval melee unit. They can go toe-to-toe with Axemen and win, despite the latter getting a combat bonus against melee units.
- The Legion in VI is a better Swordsman, but until Gathering Storm, they didn't require access to iron. It was thus exceedingly easy to rush them out and begin slaughtering rival empires' Warrior units while they scrambled to find iron deposits.
The Empire:
- Both Julius and Augustus Caesar in IV share the "Imperialistic" leader trait, which provides incentives for both peaceful expansion and conquest. Their secondary traits each also synergize well with an expansionist playstyle.
- Rome's unique ability in V is geared towards imperialism: they build stuff faster in their satellite cities if it's already been built in the capital. They are one of the few civs that can go tall and wide at the same time.
- Trajan's agenda in VI is "Optimus Princeps," ensuring he will not respect nations who do not control large territories.
The Engineer: Their unique unit, the Legion, can both build roads and forts in V and has a build charge in VI.
Jack of All Stats: One consistent theme with Rome has been a balance between a strong military and a well-developed infrastructure, and its bonuses are typically broad enough across the board not to lock it into one particular victory condition.
Jerkass: Augustus isn't a warmonger on the level of Alexander or Shaka, but he's tough to make friends with, quick to denounce, and likely to become hostile towards a perceived rival.
Nothing Personal: Augustus' war declaration in V.
Augustus: My treasury contains little, and my soldiers are getting impatient. (sigh) Therefore, you must die.
Proud Industrious Race: Rome is usually an excellent choice for those who want to mix gains in conquest and expansion with massive infrastructure construction. In IV, both Julius Caesar and Augustus Caesar prefer to base their playstyle on this or that ratio of production and military, and for Augustus, such an approach is especially fitting due to the combination of his leader traits (Industrious/Imperialistic). Remarkably done in V, as Rome's unique ability directly encourages them to expand widely, but only after they have built up the capital to the point where the bonus starts to make a difference. Finally, in VI, it is worth noting Trajan's leader bonus, which allows you to start developing any new city not from scratch.
Stealth Pun: In IV, Julius Caesar's greeting to you when you first meet him is "Welcome to Rome. Care for some salad? I made it myself."
Stone Wall: Legions in VI start with a base strength of 40, but they can also instantly plop down a Roman Fort beneath them to effectively defend at strength 50, on top of any defensive terrain advantages. Considering that other Clasical Era combat units are the strength 35 Swordsman and Horsemen, and it's easy for a few Legions to hold out against overwhelming odds.
The Stoic: Augustus Caesar in V. Everything he says, including a declaration of war or the announcement of his total defeat, comes out bored and monotonous. His body language isn't more vivid either, he rarely looks at you during diplomacy, and only occasionally waves a hand as he speaks.
Worthy Opponent: While most leaders react to declarations of war with anger and defiance, if you declare war on Julius Caesar in VI, he's somewhat impressed with your forethought and that you managed to get the drop on him.
Julius Caesar: Ambitious. You seek to conquer me before I move on you. I approve.
You Require More Vespene Gas: All of Rome's unique units (except in the launch version of Civ VI) depend on iron, so getting one or more sources of it can make or break their earlygame.
Zerg Rush: In Civ VI, it's possible to use the Legion's build charge to chop down a forest for production, in order to rush out another Legion, which can then use its build charge to chop down another forest, to rush out another Legion...

Russia

Russia

Leaders: Josef Stalin (I, IV), Vladimir Lenin (II), Catherine the Great (II-V), Peter the Great (IV, VI)
Unique Unit: Cossack (III-VI)
Unique Buildings: Research Institute (IV), Krepost (V)
Unique District: Lavra (VI)
Ability: Siberian Riches (V), Mother Russia (VI)

Russia has always stood apart from the rest of Europe, due to geography, religion, and history, first when the Kievan Rus aligned with Constantinople rather than Rome, then when eastern invaders placed Russia under the Mongol yoke. The Grand Duchy of Moscow broke free of Mongolian subjugation in the late 1400s and quickly began absorbing other Russian principalities, but while Western Europe was moving into the Renaissance, Russia was consolidating under a particularly brutal incarnation of feudalism. Tsar Peter the Great led a modernizing effort in the late 17th century, and Tsarina Catherine the Great brought some reforms and glamor to the Russian aristocracy in the 18th century, but Russia remained a large but backward nation with deep social divisions due to its history of serfdom. A civil war during the end of World War One allowed Vladimir Lenin's communists to terrorize the rest of the country into submission as they pursued revolutionary reforms, and his successor Josef Stalin refined these practices to make the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics both a modern power and a totalitarian nightmare. For most of the 20th century the USSR waged a global Cold War against the United States of America to see which ideology would prevail, but its economy couldn't maintain the competition, and it turned out that communism couldn't survive without the threat of force upholding it. Since the USSR's dissolution in 1991, Russia faces the challenge of democratizing in a country with such a long history of authoritarianism.

The Russia of Civ V is modeled after its expansion during the late 1700s under Tsarina Catherine. The Krepost, which replaces the Barracks, provides both the usual experience bonus to military units as well as a discount on purchased land tiles, allowing Russia to expand early and quickly. Taking these lands from Russia in the Renaissance Era will prove difficult, as the Cossack, Russia's replacement Cavalry, receives a combat bonus against damaged targets. And you can expect to fight a lot of Cossacks, since Russia's "Siberian Riches" ability not only boosts the production bonus of strategic resources, but doubles the supply of horse, iron and uranium resources. As for Catherine the Great herself, she's a leader who's easy to befriend but incredibly hard to make peace with - and don't let her smile fool you, she's not about to let your friendship get in the way of Russia's national interest.

In Civ VI, Russia can grow to an enormous size without even trying. Its "Mother Russia" ability takes the sting off of tundra tiles by letting them produce faith and production, gives all newly-founded Russian cities extra territory, and renders Russian units and infrastructure immune to Gathering Storm's blizzards while making invaders take extra damage from them. The Lavra district is an improved Holy Site that also generates Great Writers, Artists and Musicians, and when such Great People are expended it adds even more territory to the empire. This lets Russia invest in things other than territorial acquisitions, but if it's still lagging behind her neighbors, Peter the Great's "The Grand Embassy" leader bonus lets Russia gain science and culture from more advanced trade partners. True to life, Peter is a Westernizer favorable towards more advanced nations, and has no tolerance for backwards thinking.

Camera Abuse: Make an insulting offer in Civ IV and Catherine will slap the player's POV.
Chronic Backstabbing Disorder: Catherine, to the extent that in Civ IV she was the only leader who could be bribed to declare war on another civ she was on Friendly terms with, and in V won't hesitate to declare war against someone she'd made a Declaration of Friendship with.
Determinator: The Civ Wiki advises players of V to only attack Catherine if you're sure you'll win, because her AI makes her almost impossible to make peace with in cases other than an overwhelming victory. Otherwise she'll refuse to stop fighting unless you give her all your resources and gold.
Good-Looking Privates: Catherine's depiction in Civ IV is as a young woman in a Russian officer's uniform.
Happiness in Slavery: Catherine's defeat message in V.
Catherine: We have been defeated, so that makes me your prisoner. I suppose there are worse fates.
Historical In-Joke:
- You get an achievement in V for being the first civ to discover Horseback Riding as Catherine the Great. Given a particularly salacious slander about how she died...
- Declaring war on Peter the Great in VI will have him chastise the player from not learning from history, declaring that Russia is impossible to invade, referencing Napoleon and Nazi Germany's respectively disastrous attempts at invading Russia. In Gathering Storm, Russia even gets an additional ability having enemy units take extra damage from blizzards in Russian territory.
Misplaced Accent: The real-life Catherine was raised German, but speaks perfect Russian in Civ V.
Power Up Letdown: "Mother Russia" helps tundra tiles suck less, but there's still little reason to go out of your way to settle on a bunch of permafrost.
Pretty in Mink: Catherine the Great wears a purple cape trimmed with ermine.
Proud Scholar Race: In Civ IV, Russia's Research Institute is an improved Laboratory that grants its city two free Scientists right off the bat. And while in Civ V Russia gets no inherent bonus to science output, a lot of the Order ideology tenets like "Worker's Faculties" (+25% science from Factories) or "Academy of Sciences" (happiness from Observatories, Public Schools and Research Labs) are references to the Soviet Union's remarkably fast modernization following the Russian Revolution, capped by "Spaceflight Pioneers."
Suspiciously Similar Substitute: The "Mother Russia" ability in Civ VI is very similar to the Shoshone's unique ability in V, which gives their city more territory.
The Tease: Catherine in V flirts with the player upon first meeting them, speaks wryly of how they've "behaved badly" and need to be "punished" upon declaring war, and smiles while declaring herself their "prisoner" upon defeat.
Catherine: Greetings, stranger. If you are as intelligent and tactful as you are attractive, I'm sure we'll get along just fine...
Winter Warfare: "Mother Russia" makes Russian units immune to blizzards in Civ VI, while enemies in Russian territory will suffer even more.

Zulu

Zululand

Leaders: Shaka Zulu (I-VI), Shakala* (II)
Unique Unit: Impi (III-VI)
Unique Building: Ikhanda (IV-V)
Unique District: Ikanda (VI)
Ability: Iklwa (V), Isibongo (VI)

The amaZulu are South Africa's largest ethnic group, and rose to prominence in 1787 when a chieftain named Shaka transformed the tribe into a regional power. Shaka's reforms included a more centralized state, new weaponry, a new military organization, and new tactics that allowed the Zulu to carve out an empire in southeast Africa. His successors would fall victim to infighting and alternatively ally with, betray, and battle the Boer Dutch and English settlers encroaching on Africa at the time. Though the Zulu were able to give the British Empire its worst defeat at the hands of an African opponent with the 1879 Battle of Isandlwana, by the end of the Anglo-Zulu War they were defeated, divided, and eventually absorbed as a British colony. However the Zulu's rapid conquests, bold tactics and valiant fight against a supposedly far-technologically superior opponent are still memorable even to this day.

The Zulu can be thought of as Africa's version of the Aztecs, a civilization that is built for war. Their Impi have always been faster than normal Pikemen, but in Civ V they're capable of making a ranged attack with javelins followed by a melee strike in the same turn. The Ikhanda is a Barracks that gives early-game Zulu units access to unique promotions granting bonuses flanking, attacking on open ground, and surviving ranged attacks, and if that wasn't enough their "Iklwa" special ability both halves army maintenance costs and lets Zulu units earn promotions faster. Some of these strengths diminish in the mid-game when gunpowder units are introduced, but the challenge for the Zulu's foes will be surviving that long.

Civilization VI, meanwhile, captures Shaka's tactical innovations with the "Amabutho" leader bonus, which lets the Zulu to form corps and armies one civic earlier than normal, and stronger to boot. The Zulu's "Isibongo" ability automatically upgrades units that conquer cities into corps or armies with the appropriate civic, and lets garrison units increase their city's loyalty. On top of this, the Zulu's Ikanda improvement provides housing and allows corps and armies to be trained immediately, without a Military Academy, while the famed Impi are cheaper to build and maintain than normal Pikemen, and gain experience faster as well. The net result is an army that only grows stronger when it conquers enemies, and doesn't have to spend much time integrating new lands into the empire before moving on to the next war.

Blood Knight: Shaka's exactly as hostile and war-prone as Montezuma, in fact. In V, his war theme "Shaka the Unshakeable" isn't a Dark Reprise, it's a downright cheerful Bragging Theme Tune with lyrics extolling his virtues and why you should be very afraid of him.
Breaking Old Trends: Zululand is one of two civilizations in VI (the other being Vietnam) whose capital does not correctly line up with the leader. During his reign, Shaka's capital was not at Ulundi but rather at Bulawayo.
Confusion Fu: The Impi unique units in V can either attack from melee, range, or both.
Crutch Character/Magikarp Power: The Zulu in V fits into both areas. They have a weak earlygame, very strong midgame (more or less thanks to the Ikanda unique promotions and the Impi), but a very weak lategame. Many players who play the Zulu will use the Medieval Era mid-game spike to start conquering their neighbors, because once the Zulus have access to gunpowder units, they can no longer access the Ikanda's unique promotions. Thus being said, the Zulu can still have a strong lategame Domination presence providing they found a religion quickly and grab the Holy Warriors belief (which allows recruitment of pre-industrial units) and keep the Ikanda unique promotions. In addition, their "Iklwa" unique ability with half the maintenance cost for melee units is still useful late-game, as it allows the Zulus to free up their gold production for something else.
Defiant to the End: Defeat Shaka in VI and he'll respond with an impressive Badass Boast:
Shaka: True, you ended my reign. But I will live on in your nightmares.
Difficult, but Awesome: Befriending Zulu in V. Shaka is considered to be one of the hardest leaders to befriend, with one of the lowest "willingness to declare friendship" ratings. At the same time however, if you do manage to befriend Shaka, he will end up being one of your most loyal allies, even if you are a warmonger.
A Father to His Men: Implied in Shaka's defeat speech in V.
Shaka: My warriors have failed... and so I failed them.
Fusion Dance: Due to how formations work in VI, this is effectively Shaka's new gimmick: merging identical units together to make a stronger one. His leader bonus lets him do so way sooner than his rivals, around the Middle Ages, and the corps or armies Shaka makes are stronger than those made of other civs.
Gender Flip: The Zulu female leader in II, Shakala, is a fictional gender-flipped version of Shaka. This leads to the unusual situation where the gender flip and the original person are present at the same time.
Lightning Bruiser:
- In V, any Impi with all three unique Ikhanda promotions. In addition to attacking twice in one turn, they can have: an additional movement point, increased defense against ranged attacks, and a significant flanking bonus. You do not want to piss off the Zulu.
- And in VI, any corps or army unit made by Shaka will be given +5 Combat Strength, and that's on top of how much stronger those are than singular units. A Zulu army unit will easily annihilate cities and enemy units on a tech parity.
Scary Black Man: Shaka, very much so.
Undying Loyalty: While getting Shaka to befriend you borders on a Luck-Based Mission, he is actually one of the most loyal leaders in V should you pull it off, unlike many other warmonger leaders (Montezuma, Napoleon, etc.) a friendly Shaka is extremely unlikely to backstab you, and will immediately come to your aid if you go to war with another civ.
Unstable Equilibrium: In VI, the Zulu's ability to freely upgrade a conquering unit into a more powerful form, and the ability to bolster the loyalty of freshly-conquered cities, makes them the best "snowballing" civ from the midgame forward.
Zerg Rush:
- The Zulu's ability in Civ V makes it easier for them to sustain a huge army to overwhelm enemies with.
- In VI, the Zulu get access to corps and armies earlier and easier, automatically upgrade units into them if those units conquer cities, and their Impi are quicker and cheaper than the unit they replace.

Added in Civilization II

Carthage

Carthage

Leaders: Dido* (II, V), Hannibal (II-IV)
Unique Units: Numidian Mercenary (III), Numidian Cavalry (IV), African Forest Elephant (V), Quinquereme (V)
Unique Building: Cothon (IV)
Ability: Phoenician Heritage (V)

According to legend, Carthage was founded in the first millennium BC by the princess Dido, who used her cunning to escape her brother's ambitions in Tyre and secure her own domain in modern-day Tunisia. Carthage developed into a powerful trading empire that outlasted its Phoenician forebearers, and by the 3rd Century BC it controlled much of North Africa's coast, southern Spain, Sardinia, Corsica, and parts of Sicily. But this inevitably brought it into conflict with the rising power of Rome, resulting in a series of wars starting in 241 BC. The first was a loss, and while the renowned Carthaginian general Hannibal led his famous pachyderm assault force over the Alps to deal Rome a crushing defeat during the second conflict, Carthage was forced to agree to a harsh peace. The Third Punic War ended in 146 BC after a three-year siege, and the capital of this empire that once rivaled Rome was annihilated.

In Civ V, Carthage is a maritime empire and an early-game military powerhouse. Its "Phoenician Heritage" ability gives every Carthaginian coastal city a free harbor, helping it build trade routes and keep its empire connected without relying solely on roads, but the ability also lets Carthage's armies cross over normally-impassable mountains once a Great General has been created. The Quinquereme allows Carthage to dominate the seas, while the African Forest Elephant will strike fear in the hearts of enemies and produce those Great Generals faster. Dido is a bold leader who tends to play to her empire's strengths and go for a Domination Victory, ensuring that by land or by sea, nowhere is safe from Carthage's might.

Artificial Stupidity: Be very careful giving units long-distance move orders in Civ V once you've earned a Great General, the game loves to have your units end their turns on mountain tiles, which is a good way to take unnecessary damage or even lose units.
Badass Boast: Dido's war declaration.
Dido: Tell me - do you know how my army numbers, my trains of elephant or fleets of ship? (laughs) No? Well, you'll soon find out.
Chronic Backstabbing Disorder: Dido's high deceptiveness rating earns her a reputation for one of the most backstabbing leaders.
Deus ex Machina: Dido insists as such in her defeat message.
Dido: I must have angered the fates, it is the only explanation. No one like you could ever hope to defeat me, unless you were aided by others from above.
Intangible Man: Carthage's ability to pass through mountains is effectively this game's equivalent of wallhack.
Jack of All Stats: In V, Carthage's special units are powerful, and the free Harbor in every city is very useful, but the civ doesn't have the raw bonuses to its military or economy as civs like the Zulu or Morocco, respectively.
Not the Intended Use:
- If you're willing to damage your Workers, it's entirely possible to use "Phoenician Heritage"'s secondary ability to build roads on mountains, giving you a road network that only you can use. This can open up some hilarious opportunities in wartime, by say having some Workers play combat engineer so you can send multiple elephant units tumbling down the mountainside on the enemy's supposedly-secure flank.
- Though geared for a Domination Victory, Carthage can also play the science game very well with the "Messenger of the Gods" pantheon belief. Since this produces bonus science with city connections, and Carthage's coastal cities get city connections instantly, with clever city placement and appropriate measures to combat unhappiness, an expansion-happy Carthage can become a huge scientific competitor on par with Babylon while at the same time landlocking any nearby civs. And should another civ somehow jeopardize that Science Victory? Now Carthage has a large number of cities from which to produce a military, allowing it to bury the violator in elephants and warships.
Proud Merchant Race: In Civ IV, Carthage's leader has the Financial trait, and its Cothon produces an additional trade route compared to the basic Harbor.
Shout-Out: In Civ III, Hannibal's greeting message is to assure you that "Despite propaganda spread by my enemies, I am NOT a cannibal. Come closer."
Status Effects: African Forest Elephants have the Feared Elephant promotion, which gives adjacent enemy units a -10% combat debuff.
Unstable Equilibrium: Carthage's free Harbor in V from the start of the game means two things - its sea trade routes will be much more lucrative than its rivals' until other civs reach the Medieval Era, and so long as Carthage sticks to the coasts, it doesn't need to build roads. This extra income from trade and city connections, and lack of road upkeep fees, means Carthage is going to have a lot more gold to throw around than its rivals for roughly a third of the game, which can translate into purchased tiles to quickly grab resources, purchased buildings or units in cities, and bribes to secure city-states' allegiance. If Carthage can get some early momentum going, it snowballs hard, especially if combined with the science trick listed above.
War Elephants: The African Forest Elephants, of course. They're slower than Horsemen, but more powerful, reduce nearby enemy units' strength, and don't require Horse resources for obvious reasons.
Weak, but Skilled: In IV, the Numidian Cavalry doesn't have the raw strength of the basic Horse Archer, but gets a 50% combat bonus against infantry and starts with the Flanking I promotion.

Celts

Celts

Leaders: Boudicca (II, IV-V), Cunobeline (II), Brennus (III-IV)
Unique Units: Gallic Swordsman (III-IV), Pictish Warrior (V)
Unique Buildings: Dun (IV), Ceilidh Hall (V)
Ability: Druidic Lore (V)

The Celtic tribes migrated into Europe around 1300 BC, spreading from Germany into France, Spain and the British Isles. This would later make them one of Rome's deadliest enemies: the Celtic chieftain Brennus sacked Rome in 390 BC, the Iberian Celts allied with Carthage during the Second Punic War, and in the 1st Century AD the Queen Boudicca led the united tribes of Britain in her campaign of revenge against Roman atrocities. Despite this fierce resistance, the Celts were gradually overcome by Rome's legions and absorbed into its empire, with only Ireland remaining a "purely" Celtic nation - at least until Christianity was introduced. The Celts' legacy includes languages in Great Britain and France, influences on art and music throughout Western Europe, and legends of the mysterious druids.

In Civ V, the Celts capitalize on the introduction of religion in the Gods and Kings expansion. Their "Druidic Lore" ability generates faith from unimproved forests surrounding their cities, allowing the Celts to begin working towards a religion from the very start of the game. The Celtic replacement for the Spearmen, the Pictish Warrior, isn't particularly effective against cavalry, but gets a combat bonus outside friendly territory, can pillage at will, and generates more faith when it kills something. The Ceilidh Hall, which produces happiness in addition to the culture of a regular Opera House, allows the Celts to more easily pursue a Cultural Victory, but with all that faith there's no wrong way to play them. Boudicca will usually focus on spreading her religion and keeping her people happy, but she knows how to fight, is nearly impossible to intimidate, and doesn't forget a grudge.

Action Girl: Boudica in V isn't dressed for a social call, she's wearing a rugged tartan kilt and bracers while practicing with her sword in front of a fort, next to a chariot. Her introductory message warns "Let no-one underestimate me!"
Anachronism Stew: In Civ IV, Boudica is shown standing before medieval castles in her leader portrait, while V puts her on the Scottish highlands instead of the Iceni's homeland of East Anglia.
Composite Character: Boudica was an Iceni queen, her special unit in V is a Pict, and her cities include names from Scotland, Ireland, Wales, and Brittany.
Crutch Character: "Druidic Lore" in V is very useful in the earlygame, and with proper city placement can all but ensure that a Celt player founds a religion and starts spreading it well before their rivals. But once your cities start growing and have religious buildings like Shrines and Temples in them, you'll probably need the hammers from a Lumbermill or clear land for a Farm instead of one or two extra faith from virgin forests.
Decomposite Character: VI sees the Celts split into Gaul (representing the Celts of antiquity) and Scotland (the Celts of the present).
Demoted to Extra: Boudica is only a Great General in VI.
Graceful Loser: Boudica's response to a peace treaty in V is a grudging "Well played, fellow warrior." But see below...
Hypocrite: Boudica's focus on religion and boosted faith production means that she'll be spamming Missionaries to convert your cities, and will be quick to denounce you if you try to do the same.
Impossibly-Low Neckline: For some reason, Boudica in IV is wearing a top designed to show off a lot of cleavage.
Interface Spoiler: In V, if you see someone create a pantheon within 10 turns of the game, you can be certain that the Celts exist somewhere on the map, as they are the only civilization that can naturally gain faith without buildings.
Jerkass: Boudica is a bold, aggressive leader whether in terms of religious or military expansion, and slow to declare friendship.
Lightning Bruiser: Gallic Swordsmen in Civ III are just as strong but twice as fast as a conventional Swordsman unit.
Rape, Pillage, and Burn: Pictish Warriors can freely pillage tiles and have a combat bonus in enemy lands, making them well-suited to early aggression. These benefits pass on to units they upgrade into, as well.
Religious Bruiser: They have a strong emphasis on early religion, what with their ability and their Pictish Warriors earning additional faith whenever they kill an enemy.
Sore Loser: Defeat Boudica in V and she'll angrily thrust her sword into a nearby chariot while ranting at you.
Boudica: Evil king! You realize that you "won" this war in name only?
Stone Wall: The Celts in IV get the Dun for their unique building, offering the defensive benefits of Walls while also giving units trained in the city the Guerilla I promotion to grant them a further defensive bonus on Hills tiles.
Zerg Rush: Compared to the Swordsman, Civ V's early-game frontline infantry unit, Pictish Warriors are cheaper to build, don't require any iron resources, and are nearly as strong when fighting outside friendly territory. As such, it's easy to build up a horde of Pictish Warriors to overwhelm a rival's early army, while pillaging their mines and pastures to prevent them from building Swordsmen or cavalry.

Japan

Japan

Leaders: Tokugawa Ieyasu (II-IV, VI), Amaterasu* (II), Oda Nobunaga (V), Hojo Tokimune (VI)
Unique Units: Samurai (III-VI), Zero (V)
Unique Buildings: Shale Plant (IV), Electronics Factory (VI)
Ability: Bushido (V), Meiji Restoration (VI)

In 594 AD the regent Prince Shotoku helped unify Japan under a single state, and while he brought many Chinese religious and philosophical influences into the new regime, these would gradually mix with Japan's native Shinto and strong clan system to create something unique. In 1185 the Minamoto clan established the first shogunate, a feudal government run by the samurai warrior class that existed parallel to the imperial dynasty. Japan eventually fell into clan-based infighting during its Warring States Period, but in the 16th century the warlord Oda Nobunaga began the process of reunifying Japan, a goal realized by his successor Tokugawa Ieyasu. The Tokugawa Shogunate froze Japanese society and closed its borders for two hundred years, but when the Americans forcibly opened the country in 1853, the Japanese realized that if they did not modernize, they would be subjugated like China. The rapid Westernization of the Meiji Restoration gave way to militant nationalism and imperialism, and ultimately led to Japan's devastating defeat during World War Two. But Japan rose from the ashes, undergoing a miraculous economic recovery so that today it stands as an advanced democracy while retaining its distinct national identity.

In Civ V, Japan is a military powerhouse, plain and simple. Its "Bushido" ability means that all Japanese military units will fight as if at full strength no matter how damaged they are, Samurai are some of the best units of the pre-Industrial age, and Japan's signature Zero fighter plane will rule the skies until jet aircraft are created. All this gives Japan the edge during mid- and late-game expansion, allowing it to easily pursue a Domination Victory. When there's not fighting to be done those Samurai can also build Fishing Boats, which generate culture for Japan, and Oda Nobunaga will occasionally go for a Diplomatic Victory, but for the most part Japan is all about showing the rest of the world what it means to be a real warrior.

Japan in Civ VI is a unique blend of military, industrial and cultural might. Its "Meiji Restoration" ability gives city districts adjacency bonuses when placed next to each other, encouraging a compact and productive empire, while the Electronics Factory is more productive than a standard Factory and generates culture as well. The famous Samurai are peerless Medieval-era warriors who fight at full effectiveness even when damaged, and Hojo Tokimune's "Divine Wind" leader bonus grants all Japanese units a combat boost on coasts or shallow seas, as well as full immunity to hurricanes, while ensuring that those hurricanes do extra damage to invaders. But Hojo is no coarse barbarian - his ability also lets Japan build military, cultural and religious districts in half the usual time, and his adherence to the codes of Bushido means he only respects other nations if their skill at arms is matched by their faith and refinement. Tokugawa favors an isolationist playstyle: his international trade routes have a penalty to yields and tourism, but his domestic trade routes gain bonus science, culture, and gold for each speciality district at the destination. In addition, Tokugawa's cities within six tiles of the capital have 100% loyalty and gain tourism for each specialty district after Japan researches flight.

BFS: Nobunaga carries three giant katanas with him to the diplomacy screen!
Call to Aquaculture: In Civ V, Samurai with no fighting to do can improve marine resources.
Canon Foreigner: Sort of. Japan's only available on the SNES version of Civ I.
Conservation of Ninjutsu: Samurai in VI, and all Japanese units in V, fight just as effectively when damaged as they do when at full health; As damage is represented by soldiers in a unit dying, this means a single samurai is just as deadly as four or more samurai.
Crippling Overspecialization:
- In IV, the civilization as a whole suffers from this — Tokugawa's Aggressive and Defensive leader traits are both focused on providing bonuses to combat units, which comes in handy when he's at war but does nothing to help build his empire in peacetime.
- In V, Zeroes. They are slightly stronger than Fighter planes, and have a bonus against them... except Fighters are not common units, since they're very ineffective at anything but intercepting other aircraft, while Anti-Aircraft Guns can stop Bombers without using up the empire's oil supply.
- In early versions of V, Japan also had similar problems dealing with peacetime to the ones it had in IV, with no unique buildings and Nobunaga's unique trait only applying to combat. A later patch gave Japan some culture and production advantages to aquatic tiles to compensate.
Critical Existence Failure: Samurai in VI are the only units that fight at full power no matter how much damage they've taken, while in V, all of Japan's units share this ability.
Cultured Warrior:
- In V, Japan boasts powerful Samurai to shred enemies on land and Zeroes to act as high-mobility anti-air, all coupled with bonus culture from improved sea resources and atolls.
- In VI, Hojo's "Bushido" agenda has him approve of civilisations with strong militaries and culture and/or faith, and despising civs that are only strong militarily without corresponding strength of either.
  Hojo Tokimune: To follow Bushido is to train the mind, the body, and the soul... but where can your people do so?
Graceful Loser: When signing a peace treaty, Nobunaga states "It was an honor to fight you," and when defeated admits "You are much wiser than I thought."
Hidden Elf Village: Tokugawa, true to history, is a strict isolationist, and it takes ridiculous amounts of bribery to get him to even open his borders. If he's one of your rivals in Civ IV, you should probably just consider him an enemy and forget diplomatic measures - it's a lot cheaper.
Jack of All Stats: Japan in VI possesses bonuses suitable for all victory types: adjacency bonuses to faith, culture and science to help those victory conditions, and additional production and combat bonuses to help a Domination Victory.
Japanese Politeness:
- Oda Nobunaga may be a jerk, but he still adheres strongly to honorable mannerisms signature of a samurai, and speaks formally even when announcing his invasion of your territory.
  Nobunaga: I hereby inform you of our intention to wipe out your civilization from this world.
- Hojo Tokimune plays this completely straight and never fails to be polite in his personalized quotes, and even introduces himself as "a humble disciple of Bushido."
Jerkass: Oda Nobunaga in V is a warmonger likely to pick on city-states, quick to denounce and become hostile, and has a habit of backstabbing "friends" to boot.
Katanas Are Just Better:
- Played straight in III. The best time to be playing the Japanese is during the Medieval Era in that game, when your Samurai can hack and slash their way through any and all other civs, until gunpowder finally renders them obsolete.
- Played somewhat straight in IV, as well. Instead of replacing Knights, Samurai instead replace Macemen, who are the best melee units in the game. Against other melee units, the Samurai's strong attack and first strikes make them damn near unstoppable. Against Knights, which serve as the medieval cavalry unit and are immune to first strikes, it's a whole 'nother story. Better hope you brought some yari — err, Pikemen with you.
One-Hit-Point Wonder: There is an achievement in V for killing an enemy with a unit at 1 hp as Japan. This was significantly easier in the base game than in expansions, which changed unit health values from 10 to 100.
No Celebrities Were Harmed:
- IV's version of Tokugawa was based more on Toshiro Mifune than the historical figure himself.
- Hojo Tokimune in VI has a far closer appereance to Motoya Izumi's portrayal of him◊ in the Hōjō Tokimune taiga miniseries than any of his few historical depictions.
Samurai: A Japan without Samurai would be like a Gandhi without nukes.
Weather of War: In Civ VI, Hojo's "Divine Wind" makes it easier for Japan's invaders to suffer from the original kamikaze.

Persia

Persia

Leaders: Xerxes (II-III), Scheherazade* (II), Cyrus the Great (IV, VI), Darius the Great (IV-V), Nader Shah (VI)
Unique Unit: Immortal (III-VI)
Unique Buildings: Apothecary (IV), Satrap's Court (V)
Unique Improvement: Pairidaeza (VI)
Ability: Achaemenid Legacy (V), Satrapies (VI)

The Iranian Plateau has seen its share of empires over the course of history, from the Medians to the Parthians to the Khwarazmians to the Timurids, but one of its most celebrated was the Achaemenid Empire. By 550 BC, a Median vassal named Cyrus II turned against his master, then played the rival powers of Lydia and Babylon off each other to forge a new empire through a mixture of diplomacy and military might. This was further expanded by successors such as Darius I, and at the height of its power the Achaemenid Empire stretched from modern-day Iran to Egypt and the Balkan coast. Though ended by Alexander in 330 BC, the Achaemenids left behind a legacy of just governance that allowed a centralized authority to peacefully rule a diverse mix of peoples and faiths.

Ancient Persia was pretty progressive for its time, and Civ V rewards rulers who can live up to those lofty standards. Persia's "Achaemenid Legacy" ability means that its Golden Ages last 50% longer, and during one all units receive a bonus to movement and combat. In the early game the Persian Immortal gives the nation an edge thanks to its ability to heal twice as fast as normal Spearmen, while in the mid-to-late game the Satrap's Court produces a Bank's additional gold as well as even more happiness. The end result is an empire that can focus on internal development while remaining competitive on the battlefield, and if Persia decides to expand, its new subjects may find themselves pleased with their new ruler.

In Civ VI, Persia gains a focus on consolidating its own empire and quickly assimilating foreign cities into it. Its "Satrapies" ability means that internal trade routes automatically gain +2 gold and +1 culture and make Persia's roads one level more advanced than normal, while their Pairidaeza improvements produce further culture and gold, with bonuses when built next to Holy Sites, Commercial Hubs, Theatre Squares or City Centers. Cyrus the Great is always looking for opportunities to expand, and his "Fall of Babylon" ability means that his forces get +2 movement for 10 turns upon declaring Surprise Wars, which hit Persia with less warmongering penalties and war weariness, and he takes no growth penalties in cities he occupies. Meanwhile, Nader Shah's units get bonus combat strength when attacking units that are at full health and cities not founded by him get bonus faith and gold from domestic trade routes. The Immortal unique unit, replacing the Swordsman, has a ranged attack as well as strong defensive strength, meaning that they can quickly overwhelm any foe. All in all, Persia is an expansionist civ that can easily bring any hapless city into its ever-growing empire.

Bow and Sword in Accord: The Immortal in VI replaces the Swordsman and is given a ranged attack, while retaining the Swordsman's melee defence.
Breaking Old Trends: Nader Shah, introduced in VI's Leader Pack, is the first historical Persian leader who isn't from the Achaemenid dynasty, instead being the founding leader of the Afsharid Dynasty (which rose just over two millennia after the former fell). He's also Persia's first Islamic leader to be introduced to the series.
Chronic Backstabbing Disorder: Encouraged as a gameplay mechanic in VI, as Cyrus's "Fall of Babylon" means that you are rewarded for springing surprise attacks on your enemies. Even his introductory speech declares that "I'm sure we'll be become fast friends... at least, for the time being."
Clasp Your Hands If You Deceive: In VI, Cyrus poses like this on his diplomacy screen if you've denounced him. Given that you're probably denouncing him because of his deceptiveness...
Cultured Badass:
- In Civ V: Brave New World, the Great People abilities were switched around so that only Great Artists could initiate Golden Ages. This doesn't slow Persia down as much as one would think, since the Guild tech that grants Great Artists is only one detour away from the path to Civil Service, which most Persia players want to get anyway for Chichen Itza and to upgrade their Immortals to Pikemen. Combined with the military boost Persia gets while in a Golden Age, it's quite easy for Persia to pursue both Domination and Culture Victories simultaneously.
- Cyrus keeps this up in VI; he gets extra culture from Persia's unique ability and improvement. This actually synergizes with his warmongering; through early trade routes and/or Pairidaezas, he will likely reach Political Philosophy before his neighbors, allowing him to take Oligarchy for the strength boost it will give his Immortals and leverage it before the others can catch up. Like in V, Persia in VI can easily go for Domination or Culture Victories.
The Good Kingdom:
- Encouraged in V, where keeping Persia's citizenry happy is key to triggering Golden Ages, which in turn reward the player by lasting longer and boosting Persia's military.
- Continued in VI, where Persia's interior roads are of a higher quality than normal for their era and internal trade routes boost gold and culture, something you normally only get from external trade.
Healing Factor: In V, the Immortal replacement for Spearmen heals twice as fast as a standard unit. This carries over when they're upgraded to Pikemen.
Heart Is an Awesome Power: Golden Ages are a nice bonus for all civs in every game, but prior to Civ V, they were usually too brief or infrequent to build a whole strategy around. However, Persia's special ability in V increases the length of its Golden Ages by 50%, and gives all Persian units a movement and combat bonus for the duration. Combined with Chichen Itza (the wonder that gives another 50% increase to GA length) and the Freedom ideology, which offers yet another such stacking bonus, the Persians can stay in a cycle of consecutive Golden Ages for 50 turns or longer!
Insufferable Genius: Darius in V loves talking about how much smarter and better he is than you. Considering how nice life is in Persia, he may have a point...
Darius: Peace be upon you. I am Darius, the great and outstanding king of kings of great Persia. But you knew that.
Opportunistic Bastard: Cyrus' "Opportunist" agenda makes him prefer surprise attacks, and approve of other leaders who do the same.
Cyrus: I understand all too well, there are some opportunities one simply can't pass up.
Take Over the World: In VI, Cyrus' "Fall of Babylon" ability is all about quickly conquering and expanding before the enemy can mount an effective defence.
Warrior Poet: Nader Shah weaves his country's language in a distinctly fanciful way, even for a civ leader in the series (he even quotes The Shahnameh in one of his lines). Fittingly, just like Cyrus (though he does it differently), his leader bonuses are based around both culture AND conquest.
Weirdness Coupon: "Fall of Babylon" also means people won't get as annoyed at you for doing a surprise attack on someone. Given Cyrus' history, it may well be because, well, it's Cyrus. It's what he does.

Sioux

Sioux

Leaders: Sitting Bull (II, IV), Sacagawea (II)
Unique Unit: Dog Soldier (IV)
Unique Building: Totem Pole (IV)

The Sioux consist of seven nations spread across the northern part of the Great Plains of North America, who would meet each summer for religious ceremonies and to settle intertribal issues. These archetypical Indians in tipis and feathered headdresses traded with French merchants in the 16th century, but focused on their old conflict with the Pawnee, until in the 19th century the encroaching United States became the Sioux's greatest threat. A combination of continued white settlement, broken treaties and starvation sparked the Dakota War in 1862, which saw the Sioux driven out of Minnesota. From 1866 to 1868 Chief Red Cloud led a campaign that ended in a treaty granting the Sioux control over central Wyoming, but the later discovery of gold in the Black Hills, and the subsequent rush of settlers, sparked the Great Sioux War of 1876-77. Despite the efforts of leaders such as Crazy Horse and Sitting Bull, and the victory at Little Bighorn, the Sioux and their Cheyenne allies were defeated, and the Wounded Knee Massacre of 1890 marked the last major armed conflict between the natives and their invaders.

In Civ IV, Sitting Bull was given command of a generic Native American civilization representing every tribe in North America, so that a Lakota leads a faction that includes a special unit from the Cheyenne and a distinctive structure from the Haida. Sitting Bull is already a Protective leader who grants archery and gunpowder units free promotions to make them better at defending cities, but the Totem Pole gives archers even more experience points, resulting in an civilization that is very hard to invade, or very hard to dislodge if it takes one of your cities. The Dog Soldier replaces the Axeman, and while lacking the latter's raw strength, receives a whopping 100% combat bonus against other melee units. All in all, picking a fight with the Native Americans may be more trouble than it's worth.

Arcadia: Sitting Bull's preferred civic in IV is Environmentalism, which encourages the use of Natural Park improvements over Lumber Mills and the like.
Composite Character: Imagine a "Native European" civilization where Napoleon leads Hakkapeliitta to defend his Hanse and you'll realize how weird Civ IV's portrayal of "Native America" is. A game mod puts a bit more effort into it, including every Native American civilization using their own native names.
Stone Wall: The Civ IV Civilopedia boasts that "Troy can't hold a candle to the Native American Empire."
Tipis and Totem Poles: Almost literally. "Native America"'s leader is from the plains-dwelling, tipi-pitching Plains tribes, while its unique building comes from the Pacific Northwest.
Weak, but Skilled: The Dog Soldier is only strength 4 compared to a strength 5 Axeman, but thanks to its combat bonus fights at strength 8 against other melee units.
Zerg Rush: Another feature of the Dog Soldier is that it doesn't require any strategic resources to build, letting the Native Americans get it out quickly to overwhelm a neighbor.

Spain

Spain

Leaders: Isabella (II-V), Philip II (II, VI)
Unique Units: Conquistador (III-VI), Tercio (V)
Unique Building: Citadel (IV)
Unique Improvement: Mission (VI)
Ability: Seven Cities of Gold (V), Treasure Fleet (VI)

Carthage and Rome colonized and competed for the Iberian peninsula during ancient times, while the Dark Ages brought Visigoth and later Moorish invaders to the region, but in the 8th century the Spanish got sick of this and started fighting back. The struggle between the Christian and Muslim kingdoms of Spain remained a stalemate until the 1469 marriage of Queen Isabella of Castile and King Ferdinand of Aragaon created a power couple capable of completing the Reconquista. By 1492 the Muslims were out of Spain, the Spanish Inquisition was making sure everyone was a proper Catholic, and an explorer named Christopher Columbus had found new lands to conquer overseas. The Spanish quickly began expanding into the New World for God, glory and gold, becoming the first truly global power and building an empire that spanned the Americas, Caribbean, and eventually the East Indies. European conflicts, imperial overreach, and independence movements gradually cost Spain her colonies, but the fact that Spanish is the world's second most popular language shows the impact this nation has had on history.

As befitting Spain's status as a explorer and colonizer, in Civ V its "Seven Cities of Gold" ability grants hefty bonuses for both discovering and controlling Natural Wonders, encouraging the nation to seek out and grab the best real estate. Aiding this goal is the Conquistador, an improved Knight that can not only see further, fight cities effectively, and defend itself while embarked, but can also found new cities on other continents. To help defend these lands, Spain also gets the Tercio, combining the strength of the Musketman with the anti-cavalry bonuses of Pikemen. Isabella will usually go for a Domination Victory when she isn't playing the diplomacy or science games, but can be counted upon to aggressively expand both her borders and her religion.

Like England, Spain in Civ VI excels at developing into a naval empire, but its focus is on faith, not culture. Its "Treasure Fleets" ability improves the yield of trade routes between continents and lets Spain create fleets earlier than its rivals, but King Philip II isn't content with mere treasure and wants to unite the world under Spain's religion, by force if necessary. His "El Escorial" leader bonus improves the effectiveness of Inquisitors and gives Spanish combat units a bonus against enemies of the faith, and his "Counter-Reformer" agenda makes him quite antagonistic towards anyone trying to spread a foreign religion into his lands. Spain's Conquistadors get a further combat bonus when stacked with a religious unit and can actually convert cities they help capture, while the Mission improvement generates additional faith, more if built on another continent than Spain's capital. The other nations of the world will either bow to the One True Faith or feel Spain's wrath.

Antiquated Linguistics: Isabella in V uses the historical form of "vos" in her lines, roughly equivalent to the English "thou," making her speech seem almost Shakespearian to a modern Spanish-speaker.
Awesome, but Impractical: Spain's bonuses to combat and faith in VI seem contradictory, since going for a Religious Victory means converting as many cities as possible to your religion, but triggering "El Escorial"'s combat bonus against an opposing religion requires you to not do that, while stacking a religious unit with a Conquistadore means it isn't directly spreading your religion. It's also of limited use in multiplayer games, since many players don't bother with religion, and some AI-controlled civs don't emphasize it either.
Blood Knight: While not quite as aggressive as the likes of the Aztecs or Zulu, Spain makes up for that in its emphasis on religion, and if you dare have a different religion than its leader, they're often programmed to hate you.
Bold Explorer: Encouraged by Spain's "Seven Cities of Gold" ability in V, which doubles the output of Natural Wonders. In VI, this is replaced by a focus on settling or conquering on continents you did not start out on.
Church Militant: Many versions of this civ focus on both military strength and religion, unsurprisingly.
Flaunting Your Fleets: It wouldn't be Spain without the Spanish Armadas, so in Civ VI they gain the ability to combine naval units into an armada much sooner than everyone else. So during the Renaissance, watch out.
The Fundamentalist:
- Isabella's relations with you in Civ IV depends on whether or not she shares your faith. If she follows your religion, you'll have to actively work to tick her off. If she doesn't, she will devote her life to your destruction.
- Philip II's "Counter-Reformer" agenda makes him like anyone who shares his religion and hate anyone who tries to convert his cities to another faith.
  Philip: Rather than penitent, you are blasphemous. The vengeance of God will be upon your head.
Graceful Loser: Isabella in V.
Isabella: ...Very well. This is, without a doubt, God's will, and I must bow to it.
Large Ham: A bit more understated than Gilgamesh, but Philip still brings the jamón.
Luck-Based Mission: Its unique ability in V gives Spain a massive amount of gold if it's the first to discover a Natural Wonder, and doubles the tile yields of any such features in Spanish territory. Depending on where the Random Number God put everything during map generation, and who sends their units where, the ability will either provide Spain with a huge advantage, or do nothing at all.
Master of All: The Spanish Tercio in Civ V is stronger than a Musketman but also shares the Pikeman's Anti-Cavalry bonus, making it the dominant military unit of the Renaissance Era.
No Blood for Phlebotinum: Scouting around and snapping up Natural Wonders is the key to getting the most out of Spain in Civ V. If there are no Natural Wonders available in neutral territory (they often show up inside the limits of a city-state) then it's time to prepare your Conquistadores for some conquistadoring.
Power Up Letdown: The Conquistador in V is a more expensive Knight (which hurts since Knights are the backbone of Medieval warfare), and its special qualities are of limited use. The additional sight range might be useful if they came out earlier, but by the time Knights are unlocked there's not much exploring left to do, and the ability to found cities on other continents is dubious since Chivalry and the technology needed to cross oceans are on different branches of the tech tree, so if you choose to work towards Conquistadores first you may find that your rivals who rushed Astronomy have already settled the good lands on the next continent. And if you do find a place to convert a Conquistador into a city, now you've got a small, vulnerable settlement on a distant shore, and you just sacrificed a military unit that could have helped defend it.
Proud Merchant Race: Some balance passes to Spain in VI gave them benefits to trade routes, but in a flip, most of those bonuses give production and faith bonuses as well as the usual gold. To maximize their colonialism focus, they get triple the yield of these bonuses if the route goes between two continents.
Pretty in Mink: Isabella of Spain wears a red dress heavily trimmed with ermine in V.
Religious Bruiser:
- In V, Spain gets no inherent religious ability (though Isabella is still programmed to spread her faith around as much as possible), but if you take "One with Nature" as your pantheon (which grants +4 faith for every Natural Wonder you control), that gets doubled to +8, a huge boost over whatever else anyone could get, and a lot of Natural Wonders also produce faith points on their own, which get doubled too! With a little luck, a properly-specced Spain can produce ten times as much faith points as anyone else in the world and swarm the earth with their religion.
- In VI, Phillip II is aggressive with religion as his leader bonus boosts all his military and religious units against any civilization not following his religion and despises anyone who try to spread their religion to his cities. A common strategy is to have your own religion, attack enemies, then make the local religion your own via Inquisitors, which Spain also specializes in.
The Spanish Inquisition: Spain in VI has more effective Inquisitors than other civs, but you really ought to have expected that.

Viking

Viking

Leaders: Cnut the Great (II), Gunnhild* (II) Ragnar Lodbrok (III-IV)
Unique Unit: Berserker (IV)
Unique Building: Trading Post (IV)

"Viking" is more a job description than an actual civilization - when the people of northern Europe wanted loot, had overpopulation issues, or were just feeling bored and violent, they'd get in their longships and go on a viking, or overseas raid. This was particularly prevalent during the Viking Age of 800-1050 AD, when Norse raiders sailed up the Seine to threaten Paris, sacked monasteries on the British Isles, and generally made life difficult for anyone near a body of water. But the Vikings also went on trading expeditions, and started settlements in Russia, Iceland, Greenland, and a distant western coast they called Vinland nearly five hundred years before Columbus "discovered" the New World. Eventually the Vikings converted to Christianity and developed into kingdoms like Denmark and Sweden, but the Scandinavian reputation as fearsome seaborne warriors persists to this day.

Fittingly, the Vikings' unique unit and structure in Civ IV are about making them more effective naval invaders. The Berserker replaces the Maceman and starts with the Amphibious promotion, allowing it to attack from transports or across rivers without penalty, while the Trading Post replaces the Lighthouse and gives Viking ships a free Navigation promotion, letting them move faster. Add to this Ragnar's Aggressive and Financial traits, and the Viking's neighbors better invest in a strong navy and coastal defenses.

Composite Character: The Viking civ draws city names from Scandinavian settlements all over the map - Norway and Sweden, Denmark and Germany, even England and Russia.
Horny Vikings: Ragnar's even depicted with one of those ceremonial and stereotypical Viking helmets.
Obviously Evil: Ragnar's greeting dialogue not-so-innocently asks if your civilization has "any undefended coastal villages".
Suspiciously Similar Substitute: Denmark in V and Norway in VI each have a similar theme, including the Berserker unit.

Added in Civilization III

Arabia

Arabia

Leaders: Abu Bakr (III), Saladin (IV, VI), Harun al-Rashid (V)
Unique Units: Ansar Warrior (III), Camel Archer (IV-V), Mamluk (VI)
Unique Buildings: Madrassa (IV, VI), Bazaar (V)
Ability: Trade Caravans (V, pre-Brave New World), Ships of the Desert (V, post-Brave New World), The Last Prophet (VI)

The arid Arabian Peninsula has been an important trade center since ancient times, but for most of its history it was a sideshow to foreign empires' struggles over the Middle East. This all changed when the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) brought a new religion to the region, uniting the Arabs under Islam through conversion and conquest. His followers created the first Caliphate in the 7th century, expanding out across North Africa to Spain in the west, and eastward through Iran into northwest India. This was followed by the Abbasid Caliphate which shifted its capital to Baghdad, where the arts and science flourished under wise leaders like Harun al-Rashid. At the height of its power the Caliphate was both astonishingly wealthy and far more advanced than medieval Europe, with achievements in chemistry, mathematics, astronomy and medicine that the Christian kingdoms wouldn't match for centuries. But internal religious conflicts, the difficulties of running such a vast domain, and external foes eventually brought down the empire - the Mongols' sack of Baghdad in 1258 was not only the Caliphate's death blow, but a tremendous loss to science and culture. Arabia was subsequently taken by the Turks and later Europeans, and today faces the challenge of matching its past glory in a world that seems interested only in its oil supply.

As befitting a people situated on the nexus of three continents, the Arabs are exceptional traders, and in Civ V their "Ships of the Desert" ability improves their Caravans' range and makes them more likely to spread the Arabs' religion. The Bazaar is one of the best buildings in the game, boosting overall city income like a Market, granting bonus gold from trade routes, oases and oil deposits, and improving the yields of luxury resources near cities. The Arabs' Camel Archer dominates the Medieval battlefield thanks to its improved mobility and ranged damage, while in the lategame the Arabs' doubled oil supply can fuel further conquests or be leveraged through trade. Harun al-Rashid rarely declares war, preferring instead to focus on fostering wealth, religion and science within his empire, but is likely to become guarded towards perceived rivals, especially those who threaten city-states under his protection.

The Arabs in Civ VI shift focus to religion, but in a more sophisticated manner than conquest-happy Spain. Its "The Last Prophet" ability ensures that Arabia will always found a religion, so it has no reason to rush to generate a Great Prophet, and its Madrassa produces more science than a University as well as additional faith. Vizier Saladin wants to see Arabia's religion spread to other cities, but while his "Righteousness of the Faith" leader bonus lets Arabia's religious building boost his cities' science, faith and culture output, it also lets said building be constructed for only one-tenth the normal cost, a discount that applies to other civilizations as well. Arabia's neighbors thus have an incentive to tolerate its evangelizing, but if they don't, that's where the feared Mamluk heavy cavalry comes into play. Under Sultan Saladin, Arabia focuses on military and religious domination, as the Sultan's military and religious units gain 100% flanking and support bonuses.

Arab Oil Sheikh:
- In III, Abu Bakr's Modern era portrait has him standing in front of several oil wells in the desert.
- Part of the Arabs' ability in V. Their oil resources provide double, and their unique "Bazaar" building gives them extra gold from oil.
Belief Makes You Stupid: Arabia's religious schools provide a pretty spectacular aversion, actually.
- In Civ IV, the Madrassa is an improved Library that provides the same amount of science, but double the culture, and lets two citizens become Scientists and two more become Priests.
- In VI, the Madrassa outperforms a University in terms of science output, while also providing faith equal to its adjacency science bonus.
Boring, but Practical: Sultan Saladin's ability just doubles flanking power for his units, which is far from flashy, but also quite effective.
Composite Character: The Arabian capital in VI is Cairo, Egypt's modern capital and a major city in the Muslim world, while pre-Islamic Egypt is represented by Cleopatra's civ.
Cultured Warrior: Downplayed in VI. Saladin can have cultural and scientific or military bonuses, but you have to pick one side of Saladin to emphasize when starting the game.
Fragile Speedster: Ansar Warriors in Civ III are faster than Knights and hit just as hard, at the cost of defense
Good Bad Bugs: In Civ VI, if Arabia is in the game and gets eliminated before all of the religions are taken, they still get the last religion. The idea behind it is that there's a chance that Arabia could come back in the game after one of their cities is liberated and could trigger the last Prophet.
Graceful Loser: Harun al-Rashid in V, whether thanking your "generous terms" in a peace treaty, or admitting defeat.
Harun al-Rashid: You have won, congratulations. My palace is now in your possession, and I beg that you care well for the peacocks.
Healing Factor: The Mamluk in VI heals itself every turn, regardless of whether or not it attacked.
Hit-and-Run Tactics: Camel Archers in V are similar to Mongolian Keshiks. While they lack the additional movement and faster experience gain / Great General production rate of Keshiks, they have higher stats on both offense and defense, so they're one of the few things that can stop a Mongol horde.
Horse Archer: Well, Camel Archers. In IV they have a chance to withdraw from combat unlike a standard Knight, while in V their high mobility and powerful ranged attack make them very effective at picking foes apart. Oddly enough, in IV they don't require horses to train, but in V they do.
Jack of All Trades: Arabia in V is notable for having bonuses to reach different kinds of victory - Domination and Diplomatic - but their bonus to commerce and religion mean you are also likely to become rich and have many friends, which can be useful to secure Research Agreements and reach a Science Victory. The only victory road they have no bonus to is Cultural.
Proud Merchant Race: In V, Arabia's "Ships of the Desert" ability gives its Caravans extended range, which equals greater income, while its Bazaar gives the civ even more luxuries to sell to its neighbors.
Religious Bruiser:
- With its bias on desert terrain, Arabia in V can use the "Desert Folklore" pantheon belief to acquire a religion quickly, then easily spread that religion through trade to become the dominant faith.
- Saladin's "Ayyubid Dynasty" agenda makes him hate civs that follow rival religions, or attack those that follow his faith.
  Saladin: I will not abide sacrilege. You will pay for your blasphemy against the Most Exalted, He who knows no imperfections.
Reluctant Warrior: Saladin's war declaration in VI.
Saladin: It is a shame that we must resort to violence, it is not the custom of kings to kill kings.

Austria

Austria

Leaders: Charles V (III), Maria Theresa (V)
Unique Units: Hussar (III, V)
Unique Building: Coffee House (V)
Ability: Diplomatic Marriage (V)

The Ostmark was designated as the eastern borderlands of the Holy Roman Empire in 976 and given over to the Babenburg dynasty, but it wasn't until the Hapsburg family took over three hundred years later that Austria rose to prominence. From the 14th to the 18th century, the Hapsburgs grew in power and influence, at times being elected the Holy Roman Emperor and expanding into Hungary after defeating the Ottomans. In 1748 Maria Theresa became Austria's first female ruler and its last Hapsburg ruler, and though derided by the male leaders of Europe, brought political stability and prosperity to her country. Following the Napoleonic Wars, Austria became a major player in the German Confederation, then was defeated by its erstwhile ally Prussia, and finally evolved into the Austro-Hungarian Empire in 1867 in order to survive rising Hungarian nationalism. Austria-Hungary's competition with Russia and Serbia over the Balkans caused the spark that ignited World War One, and Austria briefly became a republic afterward until being annexed by Nazi Germany. Following the Second World War, Austria was given its sovereignty with the stipulation that it would remain neutral during the Cold War, and today is a member of the European Union with a commitment to peaceful conflict resolution.

The Hapsburgs famously ruled territory all over Europe thanks to the strategic use of weddings, and as such Austria's "Diplomatic Marriage" ability allows it to simply buy a city-state it's been allied with for at least five turns. Instead of building Windmills to aid the construction of other buildings, Austria has its famous Coffee Houses, which help generate Great People; coffee has served as the heart of negotiation and inspiration for far longer than you may think. Maria Theresa is an easygoing leader who prioritizes diplomacy and culture, but those who would threaten city-states under Austria's protection should beware the Hussars, which boast superior speed, sight range and flanking bonuses compared to standard Cavalry. Through diplomacy, build your nation; through coffee, make it great.

Altar Diplomacy: Using the "Diplomatic Marriage" option comes with a message that a handsome/beautiful Austrian prince/princess has married a noble from the city-state in question, making the city a permanent part of the empire.
The Assimilator: Austria is the only civilization that can completely and nonviolently annex a city-state (Venice can only puppet them). As such, a well-funded Austria can spread like wildfire during the mid-to-late game, snatching enemy alliances from under their noses and eroding their ability to control the World Congress, and taking permanent control of Natural Wonders, luxuries and strategic resources within a city-state's borders.
Misplaced Accent: Happily Averted, as Maria Theresa speaks a proper Viennese (Austrian) German dialect rather than (German) High German.
Must Have Caffeine: Apparently the power of coffee inspires Austrian citizens to become Great People. Since this 25% bonus to Great Person production stacks with the effects of Gardens, the National Epic, and certain policies and ideologies, Austria has a strong culture game, and can also pop out enough Great Engineers to win Wonder races or Great Scientists to speed through the tech tree.
Nice Guy: Maria Theresa is quick to make Declarations of Friendships with other leaders and can prove to be a trustworthy ally throughout the entire game, provided that you're not a warmonger.
Screw the Rules, I Have Money!: Austria can simply outright buy a city-state into its empire, permanently, thanks to a diplomatic marriage and a huge dowry. A rich Austria is a large Austria.

Byzantium

Byzantium

Leaders: Theodora (III, V-VI), Justinian I (IV), Basil II (VI)
Unique Units: Dromon (III, V-VI), Cataphract (IV-V), Tagma (VI)
Unique Building: Hippodrome (IV)
Unique District: Hippodrome (VI)
Ability: Patriarchate of Constantinople (V), Taxis (VI)

As it waned, the Roman Empire split itself in two for administrative purposes, and though the western half would fall to barbarians in the 4th Century, the eastern Roman Empire would continue for another thousand years. From its majestic capital of Constantinople, strategically situated on the waterway separating East from West, the so-called Byzantine Empire continued Roman traditions of art, trade, religion and learning. In 555 AD, the power couple of Justinian I and Theodora led the empire to regain control of not just Greece and Anatolia, but the Italian peninsula and much of the North African coast. Despite such periods of resurgence, the Byzantines gradually lost ground to eastern invaders, while relations with their fellow Christian domains in Europe eventually ended in the Great Schism of 1054, forever separating the Catholic and Orthodox churches. Constantinople fell to the Turks in 1453, but even in its death the Byzantine Empire shaped history - the tide of refugees fleeing west helped start the Renaissance, while the loss of a Christian-controlled passage east led Europe to search the seas for new trade routes and discover a new world.

Byzantium was the heartland of Orthodox Christianity, and its ability in Civ V, "Patriarchate of Constantinople," allows it to choose an additional belief when founding a Religion, further customizing it towards whichever victory it seeks. When piety is not enough, the Byzantines' special units allow them to dominate the early game - the Dromon uses Greek Fire to annihilate any ships foolish enough to oppose it, while the Cataphract is a slower but stronger Horseman able to make use of defensive terrain and more effectively attack cities. Theodora usually focuses on growth, culture, and religion, but those who get on her bad side will find Byzantium's defenses to be strong, especially its navy.

With Basil II at the helm, Byzantium makes its return in Civ VI with three main focuses - keeping its people happy, spreading its religion, and absorbing territory under swarms of heavy cavalry. Its "Taxis" ability lets Byzantium grab a religion quickly by making Holy Sites generate an additional Great Prophet point per turn, spread that religion to nearby cities whenever its forces defeat an enemy unit, and gives every Byzantine religious and military unit additional strength for every holy city converted to Byzantium's religion (including their own). This is made even more dangerous by Basil II's leader bonus, "Porphyrogénnētos," which allows his light and heavy cavalry units to do full damage when attacking a city that follows the same religion as Byzantium. Even the Byzantines' specialty district has a military application, since the Hippodrome both provides more amenities than a normal Entertainment Complex and also generates a free heavy cavalry unit that requires no resources to maintain, both when such a district is first built and whenever a building is completed in it. Basil II's unique unit, the Tagma, is a replacement for the Knight that provides extra combat strength to any military/religious units nearby, helping out Byzantine conquests even further. Despite their power being overwhelmingly tied to land, the Byzantines are still dangerous on the sea thanks to the Dromon, which has longer range than a Quadrimene and a hefty attack bonus against land and naval targets. Theodora provides a more balanced approach, trading Basil's military bonuses for cultural adjacency bonuses for Holy Sites and giving farms faith adjacency bonuses when placed next to Holy Sites and Hippodromes. In short, Byzantium can pursue a Religious and Domination Victory simultaneously, and will prove to be a very bad neighbour.

Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: Theodora in V is one of the easier leaders to befriend. It's just that in the long run, being friends doesn't mean very much to her.
Bread and Circuses: The Hippodrome is a recurring Byzantine construction that keeps the rabble happy. In IV it's a superior Theatre building that provides additional happiness, while in VI it's a district that provides additional amenities when it isn't producing free heavy cavalry units.
Chronic Backstabbing Disorder: Theodora in V has a low loyalty score, if not quite as bad as the likes of Napoleon.
Gorgeous Greek: Theodora is depicted like a Femme Fatale in V.
Greek Fire:
- In III and V, the Dromon replaces the Galley and Trireme, their games' earliest military ships, but start out with a ranged attack that rival navies won't be able to duplicate until the midgame. The Civ V incarnation also follows the ranged ship upgrade path instead of the Trireme's melee path, so any promotions remain useful forever, and gets a damage bonus against enemy ships to boot.
- In VI, the Dromon replaces the Quadrireme, and far outclass it by having 2 attack range and a +10 ranged strength bonus against both land and naval units.
Insistent Terminology: In VI, Basil II is quick to remind you he's the emperor of Rome, and don't you forget it. Justified, as "Byzantium" is really just a name historians use after the fact to distinguish the very Greek and very Christian Eastern Roman Empire from its declining western half after the division of Rome; To Basil - And all other "Byzantine" emperors, they really were the emperors of Rome.
Jack of All Stats: Religion is a customizable tool in Civ V, and Byzantium's religion is extra-customizable, so it can be geared for whatever victory type you want. Select two founder beliefs and you get double benefits from spreading it around; you want extra money and extra happiness for every believer, you got it! Or you could select two enhancer beliefs and watch as your religion practically auto-spreads around the continent. Make it so your religion generates loads of extra faith and select "Holy Warriors" to blow it on instantly buying an army using faith points instead of money. Make it so you can use all three faith-built buildings at once, then combine with a reformation belief so they all generate free tourism too for a tourism blast! Or use "Just War" and "Defender of the Faith" together at once to ensure that everywhere your religion is, you have a combat bonus, offense or defense. The possibilities are almost endless.
Mighty Glacier: Cataphracts tend to be more powerful, but more ponderous, than the units they replace. In IV they're stronger than Knights, but lack an immunity to first strikes, while in V they're stronger than Horsemen and have a smaller attack penalty against cities, but less overall movement.
Morton's Fork: Having Basil II as a neighbor in VI. His "Porphyrogénnētos" leader bonus means that if you accept his religion, his mounted units get a combat bonus against your cities, giving him an incentive to attack you. If you don't share a religion with him, his "Divine Guardian" agenda makes him despise you, giving him an incentive to attack you.
Ominous Greek Chanting: Justinian I's, Theodora's, and Basil II's diplomacy themes.
Real Men Love Jesus: Basil II takes his faith very seriously, and won't tolerate those he sees as heathens.
Basil II: Your decisive actions, your great victories, all are a gift of God. Make sure you thank Him.
Reclining Reigner: Theodora is always seen lounging on her sofa.
Religious Bruiser: Byzantium in VI sees conquest and religion go hand-in-hand; both military and religious units get combat bonuses for every holy city converted to Basil's religion (not even considering the additional combat strength provided if the "Crusade" belief is chosen), defeating enemy units helps spread the religion further, and all cavalry units (which, thanks to the Hippodrome, they can essentially just print out) do full damage to cities that follow Byzantium's religion. If you find your empire bordering Basil's, watch out.
Smug Snake: Basil II thinks very, very highly of both himself and his people.
Basil II: (text accepting player's delegation) Your delegation was shown the wonders of the Empire. I hope they can resign themselves to returning to your lands.
Basil II: (declaring friendship with the player) Our people stand as one! Well, mine stand just a bit higher, but you see what I mean.
Status Buff: Tagmata provide a +4 strength bonus to adjacent combat units and religious units.
Unstable Equilibrium: Byzantium's "Taxis" leader bonus provides +3 combat and religious strength for each holy city converted to Byzantium's religion, so the more they take, the more dangerous their armies and missionaries become.
You Will Be Spared: When Basil II declares war on you, he promises to make it brief and decisive, in his "abundant mercy."

Hittite

Hittite

Leader: Mursilis I (III)
Unique Unit: Three-Man Chariot (III)

We don't know much about the Hittites beyond what their enemies and trading partners wrote about them. Around 2000 BC they migrated south to establish kingdoms in modern Turkey and Syria, but in 1595 BC King Mursili (or Murshilish) launched a raid against the contemporary power of Babylon. By 1299 BC the Hittites were a major empire, able to fight the Egyptians to a standstill at the Battle of Kadesh and keep control of the Levant. Part of their success was due to hardware such as three-man war chariots, which were nearly enough to rout the Egyptians in themselves. More importantly, the Hittites were one of the first peoples to move out of the Bronze Age, and were forging iron weapons as early as the 14th Century BC. But eventually their rivals closed the technology gap, and the Hittites were finally broken and conquered by invaders such as the Assyrians by 1100 BC.

In Civ III the Hittites are considered an Expansionist and Commercial civilization, though oddly enough their starting technologies don't bring them any closer to Iron Working than any other given civ. Their unique unit is the Three-Man Chariot, fully twice as strong and tough as a normal Chariot - which is to say that it's a 2/2/2 unit rather than a 1/1/2 unit. They reappear in the "Wonders of the Ancient World" scenario in Civ V, with a "First to Iron" ability that boosts the production bonus of strategic resources and doubles the yield of horses and iron deposits.

Demoted to Extra: They're only included in a Civ V special scenario, while VI includes the Hittite capital of Hattusa as a city-state.
Mighty Glacier: Their Heavy Chariot unit in "Wonders of the Ancient World" is a melee unit that replaces the Chariot Archer, and hits hard with twice the combat strength and a free Shock I promotion, but only has 3 movement.
Proud Scholar Race: Hattusas in Civ VI represents the Hittites' early technological achievements, by granting an increasing amount of bonus science each turn based on how many envoys a civ has in it.
Stone Wall: A bit of a subversion, since the Hittite unique building in "Wonders of the Ancient World" is the Lion's Gate, which actually grants a slightly lower defensive bonus than standard Walls. But to make up for that, they provide bonus gold each turn, and reduce the gold and culture cost of acquiring new tiles around the city.

Inca

Inca

Leaders: Pachacuti (III, V-VI), Huayna Capac (IV)
Unique Units: Chasqui Scout (III), Quechua (IV), Slinger (V), Warak'aq (VI)
Unique Building: Terrace (IV)
Unique Improvement: Terrace Farm (V-VI), Qhapaq Ñan (VI)
Ability: Great Andean Road (V), Mit'a (VI)

In the 12th Century the Inca were a pastoral society, but in 1438 they began expanding out from the city-state of Cusco. Under the leadership of their Sapa Inca, Pachacuti-Cusi Yupanqui (literally "earth-shaker"), the Inca subdued their neighbors through conquest and assimilation, creating an empire they called the Tawantinsuyu, "four parts together." Two generations later the Inca Empire reached its greatest extent under Huayna Capac, stretching along the Andes Mountains through modern Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia, Chile and Argentina, held together by marvelously-engineered networks of roads linking its cities and fortresses. But in 1526 the Spanish conquistador Francisco Pizarro arrived during a time of civil war and a smallpox epidemic, and within fifty years the Inca Empire was destroyed, its wealth plundered and its people made colonial subjects stripped of their former culture.

In Civ V, the Inca can turn mountains and hills from marginal terrain to prime real estate. Their "Great Andean Road" ability allows Inca units to ignore the movement penalty of passing over hills, and not only halves the maintenance costs of all land improvements, but makes any improvements on hills free of upkeep. On top of that, the Terrace Farm can be constructed on hills to improve food yield, moreso if it borders a mountain. The Inca replacement for the Archer, the Slinger, may not be quite as tough, but will automatically withdraw from the first foe to try and catch it in melee. All in all, the Inca are uniquely suited for taking the high ground, and their foes better remember that those hills aren't going to save them if the Inca are feeling aggressive.

The Inca return in Civ VI: Gathering Storm, and are once again the undisputed masters of the mountains. Their Terrace Farms allow the Inca to get food from hills much earlier than their competitors, and gain additional food from adjacent mountains as well as production from adjacent aqueducts or sources of fresh water. Their "Mit'a" ability lets Incan citizens work mountains, which yield production as a base yield plus food for each adjacent Terrace Farm, which means Incan cities can quickly dwarf their neighbours. Pachacuti's leader bonus is "Qhapaq Ñan," and favours a more isolationist playstyle - domestic trade routes gain +1 food for every mountain tile in the trade route's original city, and gain access to the Qhapaq Ñan improvement once Foreign Trade is unlocked. This improvement allows Incan units to move right through mountains even during the Ancient Era, while other civs have to wait until the Industrial Era to be able to match that. The Incan unique unit is the Warak'aq, their version of the Skirmisher, and not only is it stronger at ranged combat, it can attack twice if they have enough movement points. Pachacuti's "Sapa Inca" agenda means that he appreciates those who stay away from the mountains, but those that choose to settle near them will eventually have to fight off Incan expansion.

Badass Boast: Pachacuti in V, both on offense and defense.
Pachacuti: (declaring war) Resistance Is Futile! You cannot hope to stand against the mighty Incan empire. If you will not surrender immediately, then prepare for war!
Pachacuti: (when attacked) Declare war on me?! You can't, because I declare war on you first!
Hidden Elf Village: Their abilities and improvements in VI encourage this playstyle, unless their neighbours have gotten themselves some nice mountainside real estate.
Pachacuti: (agenda-based disapproval) The Inca are masters of the mountains. Do not challenge me on this ground. Be content with the lowlands.
Mega City:
- In V, the unique Terrace Farm improvement gives a city bonus food based on how many mountains it is adjacent to, speeding early game growth. Since Incan players are wont to settle in hilly terrain anyway, this means that they can create some truly gigantic cities throughout the game.
- In VI, these bonuses apply both to mountain adjacency and the mountains themselves, giving the Inca a huge early-game advantage.
My Rules Are Not Your Rules: The Inca are able to thrive where everyone else would starve, walk through rough terrain like it's nothing, and can (with a social policy) have completely maintenance-free roads between their cities, resulting in free money from the city connections. (Or, in VI, where roads are free, they can instead build mountain tunnels and have roads go through them, letting them use a wall as an avenue.) An Incan game is likely to prioritize completely different things than a normal civ.
Power Up Letdown: Slingers have the chance of withdrawing if a melee unit gets up close to them, which is awesome in wars... but not so much when you are escorting a civilian unit through hostile territory, who will be captured when the Slinger runs away from an attacker.
Sore Loser: Defeat Pachacuti in V and he tosses down his ceremonial spear, claims that someone must have betrayed him, folds his arms and turns away from the player, sulking.
Suffer the Slings:
- In V, the Slinger. It deals the same ranged damage as the Archer, and while it may be weaker, the trick is catching it...
- In VI, the Warak'aq is stronger, and can attack twice. Instead of being a weaker Archer, it's a replacement for the Middle Ages-tier Scouting unit, the Skirmisher.

Iroquois

Iroquois

Leader: Hiawatha (III, V)
Unique Units: Mounted Warrior (III), Mohawk Warrior (V)
Unique Building: Longhouse (V)
Ability: The Great Warpath (V)

Tradition has it that in the mid-16th century the legendary Chief Dekanawidah convinced the warrior Ayonwentah to set down his arms and help forge an alliance between the tribes of the Lake Ontario region: the Onondaga, Seneca, Kanien'gehaga (or Mohawks), Cayuga, Oneida, and later the Tuscarora. Together they formed a league named "the people of the longhouse," or Haudenosaunee, called the Iroquois Confederacy by outsiders. Even though they had no written language, the Confederacy operated under an oral constitution that settled matters affecting the whole nation while allowing individual peoples and tribes to govern themselves. In the 1600s the People of the Longhouse were able to leverage Dutch firearms earned through the fur trade to expand and assimilate other tribes, which brought them into conflict with the French, which drove them into an alliance with the British. This ultimately ended with the Confederacy fighting alongside the British in the American Revolution, and after their allies' defeat in 1783, the natives' territory was ceded to the Americans. Some from the Confederacy migrated into Canadian lands provided by the English, others held out as best they could against the new American nation.

If the Inca rule the uplands of Civ V, the Iroquois rule the woodlands. The Mohawk Warrior gets a combat bonus in such terrain, and doesn't even require iron resources to be recruited. More importantly, the Iroquois' "Great Warpath" ability means that they treat forests and jungles within their territory as roads (and later railroads!), allowing them to link cities and build trade routes using nothing but the terrain generated by the map. Further encouraging the Iroquois player to abstain from logging is the Longhouse, a replacement Workshop that increases the production yield of forests. If the Iroquois look after their forests, the forests will look after them.

Adaptation Name Change: Not just "Ayonwentah" into "Hiawatha", but the whole civilization's name. "Iroquois" is actually a bit of an epithet given by their enemies; it might be a corruption of a Huron word for "snake", or a French-Basque term for "killer people." The Civilopedia apologizes for this, but explains that "Haudenosaunee" wouldn't fit on the game screen.
Crippling Overspecialization: The Iroquois' ability to treat unworked forest and jungle as roads is great until the endgame, when you are missing out on mountains of food because you haven't worked half of your tiles, leading to the Sadistic Choice between growing your cities or making them work (Brave New World alleviates this slightly with internal trade routes, at least). Similarly, the Longhouse can let Iroquois forest tiles provide a good balance of food and production, but its usefulness, unlike the Workshop it replaces, is directly proportional to how many forests there are around an Iroquois city.
Defiant to the End: Hiawatha's defeat message in V.
Hiawatha: You have defeated us - so be it. But our spirits will never be vanquished! We shall return!
Green-Eyed Monster: Hiawatha's AI in V has one of the highest expansionist flavors in the game; it's not uncommon for him to "covet your lands" even if your cities are some considerable distance away from him. Fortunately, his Nice Guy tendencies mean he'll be far more likely to befriend you than invade your territory, unlike fellow expansionists such as Montezuma or Shaka.
Green Thumb: Their unique building lets them get extra production hammers from forests; with enough green territory around them, the Iroquois can become an industrial powerhouse!
Home Field Advantage: While everyone else is trudging through the rough terrain, the Iroquois are zipping right through the woods to surround the invaders.
My Rules Are Not Your Rules: Much like the Inca (although not to the same extent), the Iroquois can thrive in areas other civs struggle in. They won't generate as much food as the Inca but they are able to move through forests and jungles easily creating a natural defense against expansionist civs, they can generate tremendous production once they gain access to their Longhouses and their Mohawk warriors don't require iron, unlike the Swordsmen they replace, meaning that if they Iroquois need to get aggressive early on to get the forests they require, they can do that to.
Nice Guy: Hiawatha is one of the easiest leaders to befriend, very loyal, and quite forgiving of non-warmongers.
Power Up Letdown: Their unique ability, "The Great Warpath", only works if the unit traverse into forests but not when they exit the forest - units noticably end their movement once they move into rough terrain or rivers. Their Longhouse also removes the scaling factor that most Workshops have in favor of one additional production for each forest tile. This is great when there are plenty of forests to work on, but completely detrimental to cities when there aren't.
Proud Industrious Race: Zig-Zagged. If there are a lot of forests around their cities, the output from Longhouses will make it easy to leave most other civs well behind in production. But if not, the Iroquois will be left to grieve that they cannot build ordinary Workshops like everyone else.

Korea

Korea

Leaders: Wang Kon (III-IV), Sejong (V-VI), Seondeok (VI)
Unique Units: Hwach'a (III-VI), Turtle Ship (V)
Unique Building: Seowon (IV)
Unique District: Seowon (VI)
Ability: Scholars of the Jade Hall (V), Three Kingdoms (VI)

Korea was first unified in 668 AD, when the Kingdom of Silla conquered its two rivals after securing an alliance with the Tang Dynasty of China. This kingdom eventually declined so that Korea fell into another warring states period, but the country was reunified in 1392, when a general ordered to launch a pre-emptive invasion of China decided he'd rather stay home, founding the Choson/Joeson Dynasty in a mostly bloodless coup. This golden age of Korean history saw the legendary leader Sejong the Great, who in 1420 assembled the greatest scholars in the realm under the "Hall of Worthies," or Chiphyonjon, and later helped introduce the first written Korean language. A proponent of neo-Confucianism, benevolent social programs, as well as gunpowder weaponry, Sejong even found the time to publish a farmer's handbook detailing modern agricultural techniques. After his reign, Korea entered five hundred years of isolation as "the Hermit Kingdom" until a modernized Japan annexed it in 1910. Following World War II and the end of its occupation, Korea found itself divided between American and Soviet spheres of influence, leading to the Korean War of 1950, which ended in a stalemate. Today South Korea is a thriving democracy, one of Asia's strongest economies, and a technological innovator, while North Korea is... not.

In Civ V, Korea's "Scholars of the Jade Hall" ability grants bonus science for any city specialists and Great Person tile improvements, as well as a technology boost whenever a scientific wonder is constructed in the nation's capital. While Seoul works to become the scientific center of the world, Korea's special units keep invaders from interrupting - the Hwach'a lacks a Trebuchet's attack bonus against cities but has nearly twice the ranged attack strength, while the Turtle Ship exchanges the Caravel's ability to cross oceans with an enormous increase in firepower, making both exceptional defensive units. Sejong is a pretty mellow leader who focuses on a Science Victory, but will raise a strong defensive army to ensure that his people can study in peace and quiet. All said, Korea can be considered a Babylon that blooms in the mid-game and isn't as dependent on Great Scientists.

Korea is just as scientific in Civ VI. Seondeok's leader bonus grants +10% science and culture in all cities with an established governor, while Sejong receives twice Korea's science output in culture after researching Korea's first tech of an era. Its Seowon unique district replaces the Campus and must be placed on hills (which luckily are in Seondeok's start bias), and grants a starting adjacency bonus of +4, something most other civs might match once per game if they're lucky. This bonus diminishes with every adjacent district, however, which is why it's a good thing Korea also has the "Three Kingdoms" ability, which gives Farms and Mines bonus food and science if constructed next to a Seowon. The Koreans once again have their beloved Hwacha, which is nearly as strong as a Field Cannon while being cheaper to maintain and available slightly earlier on the tech tree. It can't move and attack in the same turn, much like bombard units, so its best use is still keeping other people from bothering you while you're pursing a Science Victory.

Badass Boast: As easygoing as Korea's leaders are, declaring war on them has them deliver some good ones.
Sejong: You poor, miserable wretch. You will be crushed by this country's magnificent scientific power!
Seondeok: Your defeat shall be swift... your people, forgotten. This I have foreseen.
Gentleman and a Scholar: Korea under both Seondeok or Sejong in VI not only gets a hefty bonus in Science, but in Culture as well. This allows Korea to be ahead in both the Technology tree and the Civic tree.
Insufferable Genius: Both Seondeok and Sejong in VI have different agendas about their Science output but have the same attitudes that make them act like they're better than others:
- Seondeok's agenda has her respecting technologically advanced nations while dismissing nations that are behind technologically.
  Seondeok: (agenda-based disapproval) While others reach for the heavens, you claw at the dirt.
- For Sejong, his agenda is the exact opposite of Seondeok's agenda. He likes other civilizations that are behind him in Culture and Science and gives Condescending Compassion spiels about how he is a shining example to others like you. Otherwise, Sejong dislikes other civilizations that are directly competing with him in Culture and Science output.
Macross Missile Massacre: Hwach'out for those hwach'a!
Nice Guy: Sejong in V is arguably the easiest leader to befriend. His AI is programmed to be a peaceful and friendly leader no matter the player's current style of play, as Sejong is not overly competitive, does not like declaring war yet is friendly to both peaceful and warmonger nations, and is very willing to forgive past transgressions. He's also a very loyal ally to have who will practically never backstab his friends.
No Celebrities Were Harmed: Seondeok's appearance in VI looks closer to Yoo-won Lee's portrayal of her in Queen Seondeok than any of her real life portraits.
Power-Up Letdown: The Cannon the Hwach'a upgrades to actually has a weaker ranged attack strength, mitigated only by its bonus against cities, which may be useless if Korea doesn't plan on expanding militarily. Meanwhile, since the Turtle Ship lacks the Caravel's ability to withdraw from melee naval attacks, it doesn't gain that when it upgrades into an Ironclad.
Proud Scholar Race: Along with Babylon, a common trait of Korea across the series is a significant boost in science as its unique ability.
Rock Beats Laser: In V, there's a Korean achievement for defeating an Ironclad, a Strength 45 early Industrial Era naval unit, with a Strength 36 Turtle Ship, unlocked in the Renaissance Era. Its name is of course "Turtle Power."
Stone Wall: From the late Medieval to early Industrial eras, Korea is particularly hard to attack by land or sea, but the advantages its Unique Units have come at the cost of offensive capability.
Then Let Me Be Evil: Seondeok's response to a player denouncing her has shades of this.
Seondeok: Korea has done nothing to deserve your vile insults! But now, perhaps we shall.
This Cannot Be!: Sejong runs into this if you force him to sign a peace treaty.
Sejong: How can it be this way? What strategies did you implement?

Maya

Maya

Leaders: Smoke-Jaguar (III), Pacal II (IV-V), Lady Six Sky (VI)
Unique Units: Javelin Thrower (III), Holkan (IV), Atlatlist (V), Hul'che (VI)
Unique Buildings: Ball Court (IV), Pyramid (V)
Unique District: Observatory (VI)
Ability: The Long Count (V), Mayab (VI)

The Maya have lived in the jungles and highlands of the Yucatan Peninsula for some four thousand years, forming a number of city-states that alternatively traded with and warred against each other. At their height around 250-900 AD, the Maya produced their famous stepped pyramids, complex calendar, and elevated roadways linking their cities. But toward the 9th century the civilization entered an as-of-yet unexplained decline, and many of its southern cities were abandoned. The unexpected upside of this was that when the Spanish entered the region in the 1500s, the dispersed nature of the Maya slowed efforts at colonization and conversion. Some seven million Maya continue to dwell in Central America and continue their cultural traditions; they were tickled about the whole "2012 Doomsday" scare, knowing firsthand that just because something ends doesn't mean that nothing continues afterwards.

The Mayan Long Count calendar is a game mechanic in Civ V: once Theology is researched, it replaces the standard Gregorian calendar, and every bak'tun (394 years) the Maya will receive a free Great Person. The Maya created this calendar thanks to their advances in astronomy and mathematics, and set many religious rituals to it; as such, the Mayan Pyramid replaces the normal Shrine and produces Science in addition to Faith. For defense the Maya get the Atlatlist, a replacement Archer that is available right from the start of the game. Combined, the Maya are a civ with a unique dual emphasis on faith and science that's particularly resistant to early-game rushes.

In Civilization VI, the Maya specialize in building tall. Their "Mayab" ability prevents Mayan cities from receiving housing bonuses from adjency to fresh water, but increases the housing bonus from farms in addition to making farms produce gold, and makes luxury resources next to Mayan city centers provide bonus ammenities. This gives the Maya more freedom in deciding their cities' locations, which is important since Lady Six Sky's leader bonus, "Ix Mutal Ajaw," increases the yields of cities located within six tiles of the Mayan capital and grants Mayan units a combat bonus within that area, but decreases the yields of cities outside that radius. The Mayan unique district, the Observatory, is cheaper to build than the Campuses of other civilizations and gets adjancancy bonuses from the Maya's many farms, as well as plantations and other districts. Their unique unit, the Hul'che, is stronger than the Archer it replaces and gets an attack bonus against wounded enemies, the better to finish off those who encroach on Mayan lands. The result is an empire that can easily use its boosted science and production to win a Science Victory, through with a bit of effort a Cultural or Diplomatic Victory aren't out of the question either.

Alternative Calendar: In V, the Maya get this as an aspect of their unique ability. When you research the Theology tech, it replaces the Gregorian Calendar with the Mayan Long Count. This isn't just cosmetic; you get a free Great Person every bak'tun (394 years) once you research Theology.
Anti-Cavalry: The Holkan in IV is a Spearman replacement that is immune to first strikes and doesn't require copper to build, allowing the Maya to quickly put up a defensive force against early cavalry rushes, or try a rush of their own.
Belief Makes You Stupid: Inverted in V - their unique shrine replacement, the Pyramid, not only gives double the normal faith, but it provides a boost to science as well.
Blood Sport: Like the Aztecs in VI, the Maya can build Mesoamerican Ball Courts in IV for even more happiness than a normal Colosseum.
Despair Event Horizon: Defeat Pacal in V and he slumps to his knees, declaring that you are the long-feared apocalypse.
Pacal: Today comes pain that is always hot. With you comes the path to the black storm.
The Eeyore: One of Pacal's text greetings is asking if you have a message for him from the gods; "I can feel their icy breath upon my neck!" Another is to introduce himself before deciding "Not that it really matters... I don't think we'll speak again."
Evil Laugh: Pacal's reaction to the player declaring war on him in V isn't to reply with a taunt or defiance, he just gives a sinister laugh.
Hidden Elf Village: Lady Six Sky's agenda in VI is the aptly-named "Solitary" - she keeps her empire clustered around her capital and likes civs that stay away from her borders.
Lady Six Sky: The stars themselves look away from your deeds. Do not approach my lands.
Impractically Fancy Outfit: Pacal must get a lot drag walking around dressed like that.
Jack of All Stats: The Maya in V don't excel too much in any one area; their Pyramids give them better-than-average faith and science, they immediately get Atlatlists to prevent rushes, and their Long Count ability can only give them one of each type of Great Person every time it kicks in, so they can't overspecialize. Their primary power is in their flexibility - more science means more good things in general, more faith means they can probably develop a religion (which is a customizable tool in Civ V, with many uses) being able to pick and choose Great People means they can adapt to changing times.
Made a Slave: The Javelin Thrower in III has a 1 in 3 chance to convert a defeated enemy unit into a Worker.
Mayan Doomsday:
- Referenced in a Civ V achievement that requires you to nuke somebody in 2012, as well as Pacal's gloomy demeanor.
- In VI there aren't any direct references, given that the Mayan DLC was released in 2020, but Lady Six Sky's debut did coincide with the release of the game's Apocalypse Mode...
My Rules Are Not Your Rules: In VI, the Maya do not get any extra housing from settling near fresh water sources, but farms give out a full 1 housing each instead of the usual 0.5, so they don't need to settle near fresh water, freeing them up to take advantage of that bonus for settling a city center next to amenities. Their farms also give out a gold bonus. Their Science District, the Observatory, also gets science bonuses from nearby farms and plantations, making them a unique agricultural/science hybrid.
Necessary Drawback:
- In V, they automatically get free Great People every so often according to their calendar, but doing so drives up the opportunity cost of getting that type of Great Person again the normal way.
- In VI, cities within 6 tiles of the Mayan capital receive +10% to all yields, but cities outside that 6-tile range receive -15% to all yields, encouraging the Maya to build tall. Packing your cities closer together also gives the Maya less room in which to build Farms, from which they get bonus Housing and Gold.
Proud Scholar Race:
- In Civ V, while not directly focused on science like Babylon and Korea, the Maya's Pyramids mean that they will almost always be ahead of the pack in tech, especially if they use their first Great Person to produce an Academy somewhere near their capital.
- In VI, the Mayan Observatory can gather powerful science adjacency bonuses from plantations and farms. The Maya are encouraged to build the latter improvement for bonus housing and gold. Observatories in cities close to the capital gain even more science.

Netherlands

Netherlands

Leader: William of Orange (III-V), Wilhelmina (VI)
Unique Units: Swiss Mercenary (III), East Indiaman (IV), Sea Beggar (V), De Zeven Provinciën (VI)
Unique Building: Dike (IV)
Unique Improvement: Polder (V-VI)
Ability: Dutch East India Company (V), Grote Rivieren (VI)

The Netherlands consist of a stretch of flood-prone coastal lowlands situated between Germany and France, and over much of its history the country would be either controlled or contested by its neighbors. But in the 16th century, after Protestantism had taken hold in the Low Country, its inhabitants faced increasing persecution by its Spanish Hapsburg rulers. William van Orange, though a Catholic himself, believed in religious freedom strongly enough to lead a rebellion, and despite his assassination the Dutch Republic gained independence in 1648. The Dutch Golden Age that followed saw not just the flourishing of art and science, but the rise of the Dutch as a global trading power, and its East India Company became the world's first multinational corporation. Though eventually eclipsed by other naval powers such as the English, today the Netherlands remain a major economic center, a founding member of the European Union, and the headquarters of the International Court of Justice.

Unlike Civ V's other commercial civs, the Dutch are based on trading resources, not just producing a lot of them. The "Dutch East India Company" ability allows the Netherlands to retain half of the happiness from luxury resources it trades away, making even one-for-one resource swaps attractive deals. The Dutch navy once rivaled the Portuguese and sunk the Spanish Armada, and its Sea Beggars not only capture ships like Privateers, but heal quickly and can better conquer coastal cities. Finally, the Dutch have long mastered techniques to get the most out of soggy terrain, and their Polder improvements allow them to generate food, production and gold from marshes or flood plains.

The Dutch in VI acknowledge both the country's mercantile history and cultural heritage, so that Wilhelmina's "Radio Oranje" leader bonus grants culture from all foreign trade routes and loyalty for all domestic ones. The "Grote Rivieren" ability gives all Campuses, Theater Squares, and Industrial Zones a bigger adjacency bonus if next to a river, allows Harbours to claim all surrounding tiles when built, and adds +50% production to the constructions of Dams and Flood Barriers. Polders are back, and while they have extremely fiddly placement requirements, the results are worth it, since they provide food, gold and production. If other civilizations aren't willing to be friendly trading partners, their coastal cities aren't safe from de Zeven Provincien, a Renaissance-era ranged naval unit with a bonus against cities and districts. Overall, the Dutch can pursue a Cultural Vitory as they enrich themselves through international trade, or with the right lategame civis, use those same trade routes to help complete the projects neccesary to win a Science Victory.

Break the Haughty: If William in V declares war on you and you defeat him, he goes from laughing in your face while declaring his intention to "erase your existence," to breaking down at his desk and begging God to have mercy on his subjects.
Crutch Character: "East India Company" in V is extremely powerful during the early stages of the game, when luxuries are critical to keeping your citizens happy, but becomes largely irrelevant when happiness-boosting ideologies and policies start coming into play.
Defeat Means Friendship: As an improved Privateer, the Sea Beggar can capture enemy ships it defeats.
Land of Tulips and Windmills: In V and VI, the Dutch have Polders which provide food. As soon as the Dutch learn Economics in V, every single Polder goes from having food crops to 100% tulip crops, a reference to the Dutch tulip bubble (in gameplay terms, the tulips just add a production and gold bonus and still provide the same food as before). This is partially driven by Rule of Cool or Rule of Cute since the rainbow-coloured polders look more interesting. Meanwhile in VI, Wilhelmina's background on her diplomacy screen is a field of tulips with windmills in the distance.
My Rules Are Not Your Rules: The East Indiaman in IV isn't just a superior Galleon, it can cross national borders without diplomatic incident, allowing the Dutch to better explore rivals' territory, and maybe even land a Settler or two behind their lines.
Nice Guy: William happens to be one of the friendliest and most loyal leaders in V, unless you're a warmonger.
Parasol of Prettiness: Wilhelmina has one and likes to flaunt it around during diplomacy screens.
Private Military Contractors: The Dutch special unit in III is the Swiss Mercenary, a superior Pikeman. Due to Rule of Cool, it's dressed like one of the Pontifical Swiss Guard.
Proud Merchant Race:
- "East India Company" gives the Dutch extra freedom when it comes to selling luxury resources, as they can retain some of their happiness even after giving away luxury resources - a very important commodity before the Industrial Era.
- Wilhelmina's agenda in VI is simply "Billionaire,"^note compelling her to have as many trade routes as possible, and making her like other leaders who trade with her (and dislike those that don't).

Ottoman

Ottoman

Leaders: Osman I (III), Suleiman (IV-VI), Mehmed II (IV)
Unique Units: Sipahi (III, V), Janissary (IV-VI), Barbary Corsair (VI)
Unique Building: Hammam (IV), Grand Bazaar (VI)
Ability: Barbary Corsairs (V), Great Turkish Bombard (VI)

After the collapse of the Seljuk Sultanate of Rum at the hands of the Mongols in the 13th century, the Byzantine Empire attempted to recapture lost territory in northern Anatolia, but ran into unexpected resistance from the Turkish successor kingdoms. Sensing weakness, prince Osman I began pushing back, seizing territory throughout Anatolia, and his successors would take up his name and expand into the Balkans. The Ottomans survived not only crusader forces at Nicopolis but the attentions of Tamerlane, and in 1453 captured the Byzantine capital of Constantinople, which Sultan Mehmed II made the seat of his new empire. At the height of the Ottomans' glory under Sultan Suleiman the Magnificient in the 1500s, the empire and its vassals stretched across North Africa, the Middle East, Persia, Turkey, and into Hungary. But despite its riches and military power, the Ottoman Empire declined over the centuries, stagnating and bleeding territory until it was dissolved by the Allied Powers after losing in World War One. Today the Republic of Turkey is a secular democracy that plays pivotal roles in both European and Middle Eastern politics.

The Ottomans didn't gain all that territory by asking nicely for it, and boast powerful military units and abilities in Civ V. Their Janissary slave-soldiers were rightly feared musketmen as early as the 1440s, and so get both a combat bonus when attacking and heal themselves upon defeating a foe. The Turks also have a long cavalry tradition, and their Sipahi lancers have superior speed and vision compared to their contemporaries. Finally, Suleiman built up a huge navy during the 1500s using former pirates based out of North Africa, and so the Ottomans' "Barbary Corsairs" ability reduces naval maintenance and allows their ships to potentially capture foes' vessels. By bullet or lance, by land or by sea, the Ottoman Empire should be rightly feared during the Renaissance era.

Suleiman makes his return in VI, and the Ottomans are once again geared towards rapid expansion. Their "Great Turkish Bombard" ability lets them build siege units in half the time, and with +5 combat strength against district defences. Ottoman-controlled cities not founded by them don't lose population when conquered, and get +1 amenities and +4 loyalty, making consolidating gains much easier. In terms of naval power, their Barbary Corsairs are Privateer replacements that can commit coastal raids without sacrificing movement points. The Janissaries make their return, and are stronger Musketmen that can be built at a quicker pace, with the caveat that training them in Ottoman-founded cities consumes population. Meanwhile, the Grand Bazaar is the Ottoman version of the Bank, which grants them additional strategic resources worked by the city and amenities from luxury resources. Suleiman himself has the "Grand Vizier" leader bonus, and allows him to deploy his own unique governor, Ibrahim

, who can be used domestically for extra military production, but really shines when stationed in the cities of other civs - he can be used to foster alliances and give your allies some needed help, give your units combat strength bonuses against an enemy, or stop a certain civ from exerting loyalty pressure onto you completely. Suleiman's "Lawgiver" agenda means that he'll expand rapidly, but also makes sure that his cities have enough amenities to remain loyal; he'll see anyone who fails in these areas as the next target of Ottoman rule. The Leader Pack gives Suleiman an alternate Muhtesem persona, which lacks Ibrahim or Jannisaries but gives science and culture bonuses when the Ottomans are in a golden age and gives them combat bonuses when both the Ottomans and their enemies are not in a golden age.

Barbarous Barbary Bandits: In V, the "Barbary Corsairs" ability extends to all of their melee naval units, which can take over enemy ships. This is especially effective on Archipelago maps, where they can consume enemy navies to bolster their own numbers. In VI, the Barbary Corsair is a unique pirate ship that can raid the coasts with no movement point cost.
Crippling Overspecialization: Like Japan, the Ottomans in V have two unique units and a special ability keyed to warfare, but unlike Japan haven't gotten a peacetime balance buff.
Dual Wielding: Though their incarnation in V is a melee unit, the Sipahi of Civ III was a mounted pistolier.
Defeat Means Friendship:
- In the base game of V, Ottoman ships had a chance of converting barbarian naval units they sailed up to, while later versions gave every Ottoman melee naval unit the Privateer's "Prize Ships" trait.
- In Civ VI, conquered cities generate more loyalty and get a free amenity to make the city much more productive and friendly to your rule than most conquered cities are.
The Good Chancellor / Evil Vizier: Ibrahim in Civ VI can, when used cleverly, help you wipe out your opponents one city at a time while maintaining relatively good relations abroad by lowering your grievances. Which makes him a good minion to you, and a menace to your rivals.
Life Drain: Janissaries in V heal half of their maximum health whenever they kill an enemy unit. Coupled with their 25% higher strength when attacking, they form a dangerous backbone for the Ottoman land army.
Master of All:
- In Civ IV, Janissaries get a 25% combat bonus against melee units, archers, and cavalry. Their only "weakness" is other gunpowder infantry, which is to say that they fight at even footing then.
- The Grand Vizier Ibrahim in VI is a governor who acts like this. Other governors have an overall focus geared to stuff like defense, money, expansion, etc. Ibrahim is meant to be able to be used in as many ways as he has skill promotions. He can boost military production, be re-positioned near the frontlines to make nearby fighters stronger, be stationed in other capitals to reduce their grievances, and so on. He only takes three turns to establish himself, too, so he can shift gears quickly. If Ibrahim has any one focus, it's probably just "conquest in general."
Musical Nod: Also possibly a Genius Bonus - Suleiman's War Theme in Civ V contains brief snippets from both Beethoven and Mozart's "Turkish March"es.
Rape, Pillage, and Burn:
- This is the specialty of Sipahis, a replacement for lancers. With increased movement, vision range, and the ability to pillage without expending movement points, they excel at darting in, ruining a few tile improvements, and escaping to outside enemy range.
- Their Barbary Corsairs in VI can pillage without sacrificing movement.
Siege Engines: Their specialty in VI gives the Ottomans easy production of more powerful siege weapons. The ability name, "Great Turkish Bombard," refers to a type of massive cannon they once created, but instead of a unique unit, players gain access to better siege weaponry in any age in general. Plenty of other civs have better mainline fighters, but this ability gives the Ottoman Empire better straight-up conquest options.
Signature Headgear: Suleiman's turban reached peak magnificence in Civ V, to the point that his Civ VI design was criticized for being too small and insufficiently globular.
Slave Mooks: The Janissaries were this historically, and VI gives a nod to this by encouraging you to train them in conquered cities, where they don't consume population.
Vizier With Good Publicity: One of Ibrahim's promotions in VI lets him lower grievances with the target Civ, meaning that they'll turn a blind eye to your conquests.

Portugal

Portugal

Leaders: Henry the Navigator (III), João II (IV), Maria I (V), João III (VI)
Unique Units: Carrack (III-IV), Nau (V-VI)
Unique Building: Feitoria (IV), Navigation School (VI)
Unique Improvement: Feitoria (V-VI)
Ability: Mare Clausum (V), Casa Da India (VI)

In the early 11th century, the King of León granted his vassal Afonso Henriques the fiefdom of Portugal as reward for his efforts during the campaign against the Muslims of Iberia, and within a few decades Portugal was recognized as an independent kingdom. Portugal remained separate even after the rest of the peninsula consolidated under Spain, and once the Reconquista was completed, turned its attentions to the sea. With patrons like Prince Henry the Navigator, Portuguese sailors charted the first sea route around Africa to India, and by the 16th century Portugal had the colony of Brazil in the New World, as well as trading posts along the African coast, India, Taiwan, Japan and Timor. Portugal was content to rake in the dough for the next couple hundred years, but in 1807 Napoleon's attentions forced its royal family and government to spend a few years in exile in Brazil, and the empire began a gradual decline. Revolution and radicalization in the early 20th century led to a military coup and the Portuguese Colonial War from 1961-1974, but two years afterward democracy was restored, and today Portugal is a part of the European Union.

Portugal's famous trade routes with other nations made it a huge economic powerhouse for their time, and in Civ V its "Mare Clausum" ability doubles the value of its trade routes with other countries. Furthermore, the Portuguese Nau is a faster Caravel that can uniquely perform a trade mission with foreign cities and city-states for bonus gold and experience, encouraging the country to explore new lands and cash in. Finally, the Feitoria is a unique improvement that can be built on a city-state's coast, granting Portugal a share of nearby luxury resources - whether the city-state wants to or not. Maria I plays to her empire's strengths by focusing on gold and city-state diplomacy, and will quite naturally build an impressive navy.

In Civ VI, Portugal is primarily focused around naval exploration and trade. Their "Casa Da India" ability restricts international trade routes to cities on the coast or with a Harbor, but grants Portugal increased yields from those routes. This ability also grants their trader units additional movement over water tiles and allows them to embark as soon as they are unlocked. Meanwhile, João III's ability, "Porta Do Cerco", grants all Portuguese units additional sight, but more importantly it grants Portugal an additional trade route each time they encounter a new civilization. But just because their are focused on maritime trade and exploration doesn't mean Portugal is incapable of defending or enforcing its trade routes. The Nau not only starts off with a free promotion and has lower maintenance costs than the Caravel it replaces, but it also is able to build the unique Feitoria improvement. This unique improvement, which can only be built within the waters of a foreign city and adjacent to any luxury or bonus resource, grants increased gold and production, which gets multiplied by each trade route Portugal has with said city. Finally, the Navigation School replaces the University and provides additional production to naval units as well as bonus Great Admiral points. By and large, Portugal is geared for mercantile thalassocratic dominance, exploring the vast seas, encountering new trading partners, and establishing trading outposts all over the world.

Adipose Rex: João III in VI is depicted as a portly man with a very round belly.
Bold Explorer:
- The Carrack in III is a stronger Caravel that doesn't run the risk of getting lost while crossing ocean tiles, helping Portugal find new lands faster.
- Much like Spain, Portugal in V has an incentive to go out and explore the world, though in its case it's not so much about finding real estate as it is new markets to exploit and luxuries to acquire.
- In VI, João III's ability grants all units additional sight as well as increasing trade route capacity every time a new civilization is encountered, while the civilization ability grants increased naval movement for Traders. All of this encourages Portugal to expand to new horizons and continents. João's "Navigator's Legacy" agenda also compels his AI to explore as much of the map as possible and favor civilizations who do the same.
Cloudcuckoolander: Maria I is given a higher-than-average deceptiveness rating to reflect the historical figure's madness, so you can't be completely sure she won't do something unpredictable even if she's supposedly friendly towards you. Some of her spoken lines suggest she isn't quite on top of things, as well.
Maria I: (introduction) I am Maria, Queen of Portugal! Have we met before? You look familiar to me... Or maybe not.
Maria I: (defeated) I know little about this conflict... (deep breath) I'll have to consult my regent...^note
Crippling Overspecialization: Portugal in V, if well played, is an economic powerhouse and one of the strongest diplomatic civs in the game. However, they don't have any kind of bonus towards any other victory route.
- In VI, a good majority of Portugal's uniques are geared towards the seas, meaning Portugal will be a Game-Breaker in a water map like Island Plates and Archipelago, but be incredibly terrible on land maps like Pangaea or Highlands.
Defiant to the End: João III's defeat quote in VI:
João III: I am told that you are the conqueror of Portugal. That may be the reality, but I will never recognize your victory. Begone!
The Empire: In V, of the more subtle and even insidious versions of mercantile imperialism is on display: using trade bottlenecks to make sure that if any foreign lands try to export their goods, they have to go through your hands first. This takes the form of the Feitoria improvement, which forces city-states to give you access to their luxuries, even if they don't like you.
- Even moreso in VI as the Feitorias can be built on the waters of both city states and foreign civilizations.
My Rules Are Not Your Rules: In Civ IV, Caravels are the first ships able to cross oceans, and while they can transport a single land unit, they're limited to recon units, Spies, Missionaries and Great People. Not so the Portuguese Carrack, which can transport two of any unit, giving the civ a substantial lead when it comes to settling other continents.
Proud Merchant Race:
- In IV, the Feitoria replaces the Customs House, and grants every water tile the city works generate 1 extra commerce.
- In V, Portugal's trade route income gets twice the value from having different resources than its trading partner, their Caravel equivalent can perform one-time trade missions for a lump sum of gold and bonus experience based on its distance from the capital, and their unique improvement forces city-states to share their luxuries.
- In VI, Portugal's civilization ability increases their yields from international trade routes and grants their Trader units additional movement speed while on the water. Meanwhile, the Feitoria can only be built within the waters of foreign cities, but grants Portugal bonus gold and production from every trade route to that city. Finally, João III's ability grants Portugal an additional trade route every time they encounter a new civilization.
Pretty in Mink: Maria I wears (at least in the concept art) an ermine-lined cape.
Try to Fit That on a Business Card: João III's voiced Civilopedia quote ("I am Dom João, by the grace of God, King of Portugal and of Algarves, and of lands overseas, in Africa, lord of Guinea, and lord of the conquest and exploration of, and trade with, Ethiopia, Arabia, Persia, and India."), which is taken from his actual style.
You Have GOT to Be Kidding Me!: Maria I's reaction in Civ V to a declaration of war.
Wooden Ships and Iron Men: In all of its appearances, Portugal is a naval focused civilization, though compared to England it focuses more on exploration than combat. Especially in VI, where the Nau gains a free promotion and has lower maintenance costs compared to the Caravel it replaces, while the Navigation School grants bonus production to naval units as well as additional Great Admiral points.

Sumer

Sumer

Leader: Gilgamesh (III-IV, VI)
Unique Units: Enkidu Warrior (III), Vulture (IV), War-Cart (VI)
Unique Building: Ziggurat (IV)
Unique Improvement: Ziggurat (VI)
Ability: Epic Quest (VI)

The ur-civilization - literally, Ur was a Sumerian coastal city and at one time its capital. The Sumerian Empire was forged from the city-states of ancient Mesopotamia somewhere around 3000 BC, and stands as the first known civilization, the first with a written language, and the first with a standing army. The Sumerians built great metropolises of baked clay bricks, canals, and mountain-like ziggurat temples, recording the deeds of both great kings and humble farmers on cuneiform tablets. Though subjugated by the Akkadians in 2334 BC, Sumer revolted after the Gutians took over around 2250 BC, and enjoyed a golden age until 2004 BC. Eventually the Sumerian Empire fell apart and was succeeded by the Babylonian civilization, but while many cultures have come after them, none can say they came before them.

Sumer in Civ VI can build a Ziggurat to generate Science and Culture next to a river, but other than that the civilization is based around getting into fights and having a glorious time of it. Its "Epic Quest" ability gives Sumer the benefits of entering a tribal village when its units clear a barbarian camp, while the War Cart is an Ancient Era powerhouse that can steamroll the opposition no matter how many spears they throw at it. Gilgamesh likes anyone who forms a long-term alliance with him, an attractive offer to Sumer's neighbors thanks to his "Adventures with Enkidu" leader bonus, which lets Sumerian units share combat experience and loot from pillaging with nearby allies. The same bonus also lets Gilgamesh declare war without a warmonger penalty if an enemy is already at war with an ally, and he has no tolerance for anyone going after his friends.

Ambiguously Gay: The civilopedia in VI adopts a sarcastic tone when describing Enkidu as Gilgamesh's "companion," reflecting real-world scholarly debate about the nature of their relationship.
Bash Brothers: Gilgamesh in VI is the embodiment of the trope, and his unique bonus encourages it as a strategy, granting bonuses for forging alliances and warring against common foes.
Pete Murray: Some people are fast out of the gate in Civ. The Aztecs, for example, and the Scythians, are two Civs that bring a lot of hurt early. But Sumeria is something else entirely. When humanity wakes at the Dawn of Time in Civ, Gilgamesh has been up for half an hour already, has made you breakfast, built a Ziggurat, hitched up the War Cart, and is ready to go.
Blood Knight: Gilgamesh, as seen in his war declaration.
Gilgamesh: Why do I fight? Because I can... because Inanna demands it. Now you will know the power of Sumer!
Bully Hunter: Gilgamesh gets tribal village bonuses for destroying barbarian camps. Nothing he loves more than beating the crap out of some bandits.
Camera Abuse: Make an insulting offer to Gilgamesh in Civ IV and he'll perform a Neck Lift on the player's POV, bringing you in close for a Death Glare and curt headshake before tossing you back.
Demoted to Extra: In V, which has Ur as a city-state and the civ itself playable in the "Wonders of the Ancient World" scenario (with Harun al-Rashid playing the role of Gilgamesh).
Disk One Nuke: The War Cart in VI is a Heavy Chariot that requires no tech whatsoever to unlock, no horses to build, less production to make, and has all-around better stats.
Large Ham: Fitting for a leader whose story is an epic...
Magnetic Hero: In Civ VI's "Heroes and Legends" game mode, Gilgamesh's leader bonus is tweaked to give him a 25% production bonus when training Hero Units, which also enjoy an extended lifespan under him.
Proud Scholar Race: In "Wonders of the Ancient World," Sumer shares Babylon's trait of being able to get a free Great Scientist when they discover writing, and in VI it can build Ziggurats that boost science by a bit, giving them an early-game advantage.
Pyramid Power: Stepped pyramids, at least - Ziggurats function as Courthouses in Civ IV but can be built earlier on the tech tree, while in VI they're useful tile improvements that boost science.
True Companions: With his allies, as seen in Gilgamesh's agenda-based disapproval message.
Gilgamesh: If you harm my friends, you will face the might of Uruk; this I promise you.
Unskilled, but Strong: Sumer's special unit in IV, the Vulture axeman, has a higher base strength than the standard Axeman, but lacks the latter's 50% boost to combat strength against other melee units. This makes Vultures more dangerous when fighting archers or cavalry, but they'll get slaughtered by Axemen.

Added in Civilization IV

Ethiopia

Ethiopia

Leaders: Zara Yaqob (IV), Haile Selassie (V), Menelik II (VI)
Unique Units: Oromo Warrior (IV), Mehal Sefari (V), Oromo Calvary (VI)
Unique Building: Stele (IV-V)
Unique Improvement: Rock-hewn Church (VI)
Ability: Spirit of Adwa (V), Aksumite Legacy (VI)

Ethiopia may be the cradle of humanity itself, and is certainly one of the oldest civilizations. The Kingdom of Axum was founded around the 4th century BC, and became both a major trading power as well as the first Christian nation in Africa, under the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. Axum eventually declined, and in 1270 the Solomonic Dynasty took over the monarchy, stressing legends of Ethiopia's ancient connection to King Solomon of Israel. This lineage was forced to accept Portuguese assistance against Islamic invaders in the 1500's, leading to religious strife between the local church and Catholic missionaries. By 1855, Ethiopia stabilized under new rulers, and while the rest of the continent would soon be gobbled up by Europeans, Ethiopia remained independent during the Scramble for Africa. Then in 1935, when Emperor Haile Sessalie was in the middle of his reform efforts, fascist Italy invaded the country, which the League of Nations opted to do nothing about. Sessalie was restored to power after World War II, only to die in prison in the 70's after a Communist coup. In 1991 a democratic resistance was able to take power, and today Ethiopia faces the usual socio-economic and governmental challenges so many African countries are plagued with.

In Civ V, Ethiopia is a religious civ with significant defensive buffs. The Stele replaces the Monument, generates additional Faith, and can be built right at the game's start, allowing Ethiopia to get a religion going earlier than anyone but the Celts. As befitting a culture that resisted colonialism and conquest for so many centuries, Ethiopia's "Spirit of Adwa" ability gives all of its units a combat bonus when fighting a bigger nation, while Mehal Sefari riflemen get stronger the closer they are to the national capital. As might be expected, Emperor Sessalie has a particular dislike of warmongers.

In Civ VI, Ethiopia remains a religious and defensive civ, now tied to a specific terrain type. Its "Axumite Legacy" ability grants it faith from improved resources and trade routes to foreign cities with resources, while also letting Ethiopia use that faith to purchase Archeologists and Archeological Museums. Its Rock-hewn Church improvement, built on hills or volcanic soil, generates more faith based on how many hill or mountain tiles surrounds it, which synergizes nicely with Menelik II's "Council of Ministers" leader bonus that lets Ethiopian hilltop cities create extra science or culture based on their faith output. That same bonus also gives a combat bonus to Ethiopian units on hills, which the Oromo Cavalry can take particular advantage of thanks to ignoring the movement penalty for moving through such terrain. Menelik II will naturally focus on settling the highlands and using his empire's incredible faith output to fuel a Religious or Cultural Victory.

Conservation of Ninjutsu: "Spirit of Adwa" gives Ethiopian units a combat bonus when at war with a civilization that controls more cities than it.
Damn You, Muscle Memory!: Ethiopia's default colors in V, red against a very dark green, looks quite similar to the barbarians' red-on-black. Cue players accidentally moving to attack Ethiopia's scouts only to cancel declaring war at the last minute, or Ethiopian players being confused as to why "their" units are making off with a Worker.
Geo Effects: In VI, Ethiopia's playstyle is centered heavily around using the terrain to their advantage. Founding cities on hills will grant them bonus science and culture from faith, and their unique tile improvement generates extra faith based on how many hills are around it. Ethiopian units also gain a combat bonus when fighting on hills.
Menelik II: The high hills are mine by right and custom. You are better off settling elsewhere.
Home Field Advantage: In V, Ethiopia's special unit gets stronger the closer it is to its capital, while in VI all Ethiopian units get a combat bonus on hills, where the civ is encouraged to settle.
Modest Royalty: True to his real-life counterpart, Haile Selassie in V does his best to keep the Bling of War to a minimum, with just a green suit, sash, and some medals.
More Dakka: The Oromo Warrior in IV, Ethiopia's superior Musketman. It starts with one guaranteed first strike, has a chance to make another thanks to a free Drill I promotion, and further promotions down that line will give it more first strikes. So when fighting most enemies, the Oromo Warrior is going to take several shots before combat officially begins.
Nice Guy: Selassie is one of the easiest leaders to befriend, provided you're not a warmonger.
Religious Bruiser: While Ethiopia is primarily a faith-focused civ, its other bonuses make it quite powerful when defending against invaders.
Stone Wall:
- Ethiopia's unique ability in V gives it a hefty 20% boost to combat strength against enemies with more cities than it, especially when the Mehal Sefari appears in the midgame with its combat bonus from being close to Ethiopia's capital. The flipside of this is that Ethiopia loses these bonuses if it starts capturing too many cities or sends it unique unit out beyond its borders.
- In VI, hill terrain is tough to invade to begin with, but Menelik's leader bonus makes Ethiopian units even harder to dislodge from the highlands.
Underdogs Never Lose: It's no guarantee, but in V its ability and special unit certainly make it harder for some big bully to take down Ethiopia.
You Bastard!: Like Gandhi, Selassie's defeat message has him shaming the player.
Haile Selassie: God and history will remember your actions this day. I hope you are ready for your impending judgment.

Holy Roman Empire

Holy Roman Empire

Leaders: Charlemagne (IV)
Unique Unit: Landsknecht (IV)
Unique Building: Rathaus (IV)

On December 25, 800, Charlemagne, King of the Franks, was crowned Emperor of the Romans by the Pope in gratitude for liberating Rome from the Lombards. This was more than a symbolic gesture, reflecting as it did the fact that Charlemagne had united most of the Christian population of Western Europe under his rule within a state which covered more territory than any other since the collapse of the Western Roman Empire. His reign also sparked a brief revival of cultural and economic growth that some historians have dubbed the "Carolingian Renaissance." The unity of his empire scarcely outlived Charlemagne himself, however, as his descendants violently contended against one another for the right to wear the Imperial crown for the better part of a century. Ultimately, the form the Holy Roman Empire would take for almost eight and a half centuries was crystallized by the coronation of Otto I, a German prince, in 962. While never particularly centralized or stable politically — with what little chance of true unity as existed being shattered with the Peace of Westphalia in 1648 that ended the Thirty Years' War and conclusively broke the power of the Emperor over the princes — the Holy Roman Empire provided a framework to unite widely different people groups under a single common identity, in particular serving as a forerunner to the modern German state.

In Civilization IV, much like its Roman counterpart, the Holy Roman Empire is well-suited to building and maintaining a large, stable empire, although not quite as skewed towards aggressive conquest. Charlemagne's Imperialistic and Protective nature allows him to claim, fortify, and garrison vast expanses of territory quickly, while his Rathaus unique improvement, replacing the Courthouse, slashes city maintenance costs, freeing up valuable commerce that can be redirected to other areas of interest. The Landsknecht, meanwhile, is a replacement for the Pikeman equally adept at carving bloody swathes through both mounted and melee units practically with impunity, making a well-balanced Holy Roman army in the medieval era a force not easily dealt with, whether on offense or defense.

Anti-Cavalry: The Landsknecht retains a Pikeman's combat bonus, but gets a similar buff to combat against melee infantry, allowing it to fight a Maceman on equal footing.
Composite Character: See Germany's entry; since what we think of as modern "Germany" was the Holy Roman Empire for a while, there's a lot of crossover in the series between the two.
Decomposite Character: Of course, this means that in Civ IV that Germany is technically split between the Holy Roman Empire representing medieval Germany and the German civilization proper representing the modern German state that emerged from Prussia.
Expy: Charlemagne's appearance is obviously patterned off of The Burger King.
Jack of All Stats: To a degree. While Charlemagne's leader traits and the Holy Roman Empire's unique units and improvements lack focus on a particular specialization, a shrewd player can build a strong, prosperous, well-defended empire that can easily adapt itself to many paths to victory.
Stone Wall: Especially in the Medieval Era, the Holy Roman Empire's strengths work best when defending behind a fortified position.

Khmer

Khmer

Leader: Suryavaman II (IV), Jayavarman VII (VI)
Unique Unit: Ballista Elephant (IV), Domrey (VI)
Unique Building: Baray (IV), Prasat (VI)
Ability: Grand Barays (VI)

In the 8th century, Prince Jayvaraman II returned from his education in Java and began building a new state out of the remains of the Kingdom of Chenia in southeast Asia. This Khmer Empire spread rapidly through modern Cambodia and Laos, but subsequent successors would spent half a century squabbling for power. Things stabilized in 968, and in 1113, Suryavaman II expanded the empire into Burma and Thailand, and built the Angkor Wat temple complex as a Hindu shrine and monument to his reign. Jayavarman VII rose to power in 1181 as a powerful military leader, but upon crowning himself king, turned his focus inward, overseeing an era of massive infrastructure projects such as temples, highways, and hospitals. The Khmer entered a decline in later centuries, coming into conflict with former allies until a Thai splinter state rose up in 1350 and absorbed their former masters by 1431. Still, the Khmer left behind a legacy of public works projects such as aqueducts and temples, most famously the aforementioned Angkor Wat, now a World Heritage Site whose representation also appears on the Cambodian flag as a reminder of the nation's glory days.

In Civ IV, the Khmer are an Expansive and Creative civilization under Suryavaman II, meaning their cities and borders grow faster than average. The Baray plays to these strengths, providing health to cities like a normal Aqueduct, as well as a bit of extra food. To defend their borders, the Khmer have a Ballista Elephant, which is just as effective against cavalry as an ordinary War Elephant, but able to automatically engage such units even if they're hidden in a stack with other targets.

Civ VI's Khmer have more of a populus, religious, and agricultural focus. Their Prasat has more faith than a standard Temple, provides culture from city population, and rewards cities with extraordinary levels of population with large amounts of tourism. To reach those high levels of population, the Khmer's "Grand Barays" leader bonus makes Aqueducts produce an amenitity and faith based on city population, and adjacent Farms produce more food if next to an Aqueduct or faith if next to a Holy Site. Jayavarman VII's leader ability "Monasteries of the King" is more of the same, and lets Holy Sites alongside rivers produce housing, extra faith, and food, as well as a culture bomb effect to claim surrounding tiles. Any who antagonize the Khmer will have to contend with the Domrey, ballista elephants that unlike Trebuchets can move and fire on the same turn, as well as exert zone-of-control over enemy units. With a well-developed empire of high-population cities, the Khmer can pursue multiple victory types, with more success if they incorporate religion and the world's fresh water supplies into their city development plans.

Anti-Cavalry: While all civs have access to anti-cavalry units, the Ballista Elephant in IV is notable for its ability to circumvent "stacks of doom" and directly target its preferred enemy unit type, as long as its attacking outside a city (this paradoxically makes them good city defenders, or at least good to keep in garrison, as even though they don't get defensive bonuses like other cavalry, they can cripple a giant "doom stack" standing outside a city by taking out its cavalry)..
Boring, but Practical: The strength of the Khmer in Civ IV is having cities that grow fast and stay healthy and are well-defended. This means you get more population which you can put to work doing pretty much anything you want, unlike more specialized civilizations.
Defiant to the End: It sounds like Jayavarman is being a Graceful Loser in his defeat message, until you read between the lines.
Jayavarman VII: One gains humility in defeat. I pray you are granted the most humility of all.
Martyrdom Culture: Missionares trained in a city with a Prasat will have the Martyr promotion that is normally available to the more faith expensive Apostles. When destroyed by religious units of other religious civilizations, they produce a relic as long as a relic slot is available, which isn't a problem for the Khmer since the Prasat has extra space for them. However, the April 2021 update phased this out, reworking the Prasat to give culture and tourism based on their city's population.
Mega City:
- The Khmer can have plenty of theses thanks to their "Grand Baray"-enhanced Farms and the extra amenity their Aqueducts provide. With high populations, Khmer Mega Cities will have higher faith, culture, and tourism.
- In IV this is their entire shtick, their unique building (the Baray) is an aqueduct with the usual health benefits and +1 food, speeding up city growth. Their leader has the "Expansive" trait, giving bonus health and cheaper granaries, meaning you can grow even faster and don't run into unhealthiness as quickly. He also comes with the "Creative" trait, giving free culture, which means more happiness, bigger border and better defenses.
Military Mashup Machine: Combining War Elephants with Siege Engines.
Real Men Love Buddha: Jayavarman's "An End to Suffering" agenda compels him to both grow his population and build as many Holy Sites as possible, and respect others who do the same.
Jayavarman VII: Ending spiritual suffering is just as important as easing physical distress. You understand this.
Suspiciously Similar Substitute: Siam in V. Both are empires situated in Southeast Asia and have a War Elephant unique unit. Historically, the Siamese (in the timeframe that V focuses on) ended up conquering the Khmer Empire.
We Have Reserves: Before the April 2021 update, Khmer Missionaries have the Martyr promotion when trained in a city with a Prasat, so you want them die to other religious units and produce relics, which will give your cities tourism and even more faith to train more Missionaries with.

Mali

Mali

Leader: Mansa Musa (IV, VI), Sundiata Keita (VI)
Unique Unit: Skirmisher (IV), Mandekalu Cavalry (VI)
Unique Building: Mint (IV)
Unique District: Suguba (VI)
Ability: Songs of the Jeli (VI)

West Africa has played host to a number of empires, most of which are quite obscure indeed to anyone who isn't either a native of the region or a professional historian, but one managed to make it into the annals of European and Islamic historians. Despite its brief existence, the mansas of the Mali Empire were, in its heyday around the 13th to 14th centuries, among the wealthiest men on Earth, controlling vast gold mines and the main artery of trade between the Mediterranean and Sub-Saharan Africa. When their most famous ruler, Musa I, made his 1324 pilgrimage to Mecca with a thousands-strong entourage and literally tons of gold, the donations and alms he made along the way single-handedly destabilized the economies of Egypt and Arabia. Mansa Musa also encouraged the spread of learning within Mali's borders, financing mosques and universities such as the Sankore Madrassa in Timbuktu, which would become one of the premiere centers of scholarship in the Islamic world.

In Civilization IV, Mali's reputation as a center of wealth and learning is reflected in its leader Mansa Musa's Financial and Spiritual nature. Its unique building, the Mint, boosts production like a Forge while also providing bonus income. To defend its vast coffers, Mali has the Skirmisher, a beefed-up Archer with an extra first strike attack.

Mali's vast wealth remains its focus in Civilization VI, along with bonuses allowing it to thrive in arid terrain. Its "Songs of the Jeli" ability lets desert tiles adjacent to Malian city centers produce extra food and faith, allows mines to generate gold, and lets Mali use faith to purchase the Suguba district, a replacement Commercial Hub that provides discounts on all gold and faith purchases in their city, and receives adjacency bonuses from nearby rivers and Holy Sites. However, this comes at a 30% production penalty towards units and buildings, encouraging Mali to leverage its wealth to simply buy whatever it needs. Mansa Musa's leader bonus, "Sahel Merchants," enhances Mali's income by granting international trade routes bonus gold for all the flat desert tiles around its starting city, and permanently add a bonus trade route to the empire each time it enters a Golden Age. Sundiata Keita's "Sogolon" ability strengthens Mali's revenue through great writers instead. He recruits great people at a twenty percent gold discount, the Suguba's markets gain two great work of writing slots, and great works of writing provide bonus gold and production. To protect its caravans, Mali fields the Mandekalu Cavalry, a superior Knight that prevents nearby land trade routes from being plundered while ignoring enemy zone of control, and brings in a bounty of additional gold whenever it defeats an enemy. For Mali, gold isn't just useful for the occasional investment: it's the empire's most valuable resource.

Big Fun: Provided you don't get on his bad side, Mansa Musa is a very cheerful guy.
Bribing Your Way to Victory: In VI, Mali can get a nice bonus towards a Diplomatic Victory by simply buying diplomatic favour from other civs. In fact, this trope is probably your only way to keep in the game; that dip in production means those discounted gold purchases are much more important to Mali than they are to other civs.
City of Gold: In VI, Mali can get rich by barely even trying.
Intrepid Merchant: The Mandekalu Cavalry in VI protects any nearby trader units, so those merchants can waltz right through barbarian lands rather safely.
Loves Only Gold: In VI, Musa's "Lord of the Mines" agenda means that he will strive to rule the richest empire in the world, and respects others with an impressive gold output. That being said, his agenda approval messages suggests he believes that having money is a sign of divine favor...
Mansa Musa: Rejoice with me, friend, for we are free from every want and can devote our time to the will of God.
Magikarp Power: In VI, Mali's desert start focus and production penalties make it very vulnerable to early game invasions. Once it get its banks rolling, though, it can buy its way out of any invasion and towards victory.
Money Multiplier:
- The Mint building in IV, Mali's unique replacement for the Forge, gives a city an extra 10% gold generation, a smaller but much earlier bonus than the sort a Bank provides.
- In VI, the Suguba districts get extra money from adjacent Holy Sites, rivers and districts (though not Harbors), while Malian mines sacrifice a bit of production in exchange for +4 gold. On top of that, international trade routes net more money depending on how many desert tiles the origin city has.
Proud Merchant Race: Mali has one major focus, getting obscenely rich. In VI, every aspect of Mali is geared towards getting more gold in any way they can.
Screw the Rules, I Have Money!: Other civilizations have bonuses that help them generate culture, or research, or conquer, but the ease with which Mali can accumulate wealth allows it to fund its research or culture without difficulty, or field a huge army. The overall usefulness of a fat bank account in Civ IV means that Mali usually does quite well in a given game, while in VI, its wealth bonuses and production penalties encourage Mali to simply buy things with gold outright.
Suspiciously Similar Substitute:
- Songhai in V. Not only are they both empires situated in Sahelian Africa who built their economy off the gold-salt trade, but Songhai ended up conquering and succeeding Mali in history. City names are even shared between both nations (Timbuktu/Tomboctou, for example).
- In terms of gameplay mechanics, the incarnation of Mali in VI is one to V's Venice. Both have a crippling production debuff (indirectly, in Venice's case) but also a massive bonus to gold, encouraging them to purchase units and buildings instead of building them.
Thirsty Desert: Averted in VI, with desert tiles adjacent to Malian city centres providing both faith and food.
Uncle Pennybags: Mansa Musa, as revealed in his quote when sending the player a diplomatic delegation.
Mansa Musa: Please accept these simple gifts of indigo cloth, kikeliba tea, and one hundred porters carrying sacks of gold dust.
War for Fun and Profit: Those Mandekalu units in VI earn gold depending on the strength of the unit they kill.

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