How to remove "Backward Monarch"?

Question

I am playing as HRE and have Castille under a PU.

Our relationship is strained enough as it is due to -213 AE, which makes it hard to keep the PU alive, but now a new modifier appeared:

Backward Monarch: -12

Where does this modifier come from? How is it triggered and how can I avoid it?

Does it have to do with monarch age (my king is pretty old) or with technology somehow (although I am pretty much as teched out as possible)?

Answer 1

If you have a monarch with below average (less than 3-3-3) skills, then there are events that fire for your subjects (ie: those under a personal union with you). Depending on which choice they choose, you can get various negative effects (Ignorant Monarch, Backwards Monarch are two of them).

There's nothing you can do about it, unfortunately.