Though I'm quite familiar with the Thirty Years War in terms of its geopolitical and religious implications, I'm less familiar with HOW war was fought then, in the early 17th century, versus the 18th. Would that era in warfare terms be too different to be a part of Empire? I tend to agree a small scale Napoleonic expansion to at least 1815 is likely, and there's nothing wrong with that. I'd rather enjoy seeing a map chalk full of little known and transient states, like the Kingdom of Italy, Etruria, the Confederation of the Rhine and the Duchy of Warsaw. And if we want to keep things away from the era of the Wars of Religion, one could still make use of some of the 17th century. Perhaps going back to 1683 and the defeat the Ottoman Empire at Vienna. Just food for thought anyway.