Ah, then this might be it. I made alliances at the start with everyone, and the AI was smart enough not to attack me. I concentrated on developing Frankfurt and Nuremberg to the extreme. I quickly took Magdeburg, Stettin and Prague, and this proved very useful. After a brief war, I took Hamburg too, and luckily, Antwerp and Bruges. Innsbruck and Staufen have been upgraded, and after that, Bern and Metz have been conquered.

When I fight, I ALWAYS execute the prisoners, and I set taxes as high as I am allowed too, without the fear of a rebellion.

I haven't fought the French because Milan, Venice and Sicily are a constant threat. They attack me with stacks and stacks, but I always repell and destroy their armies when they come to take my cities by force.