Dubhlinn Dynasty
I picked up Crusader Kings 3 last week. May have been a mistake, given the 30+ hours already spent in play, plus watching videos and reading the wiki. Ah well.
Here's the story of my first post-tutorial playthrough. I started as the Earl of Dubhlinn because one video suggested that it was an interesting start, and the terrain of Ireland was somewhat familiar from the tutorial.
Earl Murchad (1066)
Rather quickly inherited Leinster, which I think was the point of the 'interesting start' video. Then in rapid succession gained Athelone and Oriel. That gave our earl 4 counties, over his limit, and the right to create the Petty Kingdom of Meath — which he did not.
Having four sons and knowing something about the confederate partition laws (maybe I'm wrong), he held off and so each of his sons inherited a single county and no ducal title. Maybe I was wrong about that and it'd have made no difference, apart from him spending the gold.
Toward the end of his reign, King Malcolm of Alba invaded and he was vassalised. He died at the age of 65 having suppressed several peasant rebellions. Each of his 4 sons inherited a county.
Duke Domnall mac Murchad (1090)
His father's vassalation by Malcolm presented some difficulty in reuniting the lands, though perhaps I'm misremembering. He seems rapidly to have reclaimed Athlone and then created the Duchy of Meath (because now Scottish titles). Then got Leinster back and befriended the King.
According to his memories, he does not seem to have regained Oriel, perhaps he lacked a hook to accompany his claim.
He had but one daughter, and apparently paid no attention to possible matrilineal marriages when he sent her to Wales.
Apoplexy at the age of 58.
Duchess Tailltiu nic Domnall (1105)
Fecund. That's the word. Seven children, of whom 5 were patrilineal from her first husband. The youngest survived to take the reins.
That's no good from the perspective of the game. Her eldest son would indeed inherit her titles and lands, but in a different dynasty, so gg.
A history of Tragedy and of Triumph, after a fashion.
She killed her husband and schemed to send her sons to war.
Just as things seemed to be going well, plague struck and then seiges, killing several of her children. OMG the stress events.
She had the greatest extent of Meath, running the length of the east coast from Leinster to Ulster, and then was granted the whole of that duchy too. She also lost Dublin, making for a fragmented empire.
Tried to quell a rebellion by granting her son an equal title, but after his independence a random usurper came and ended the dynasty. Tried loading saves but no good.
So she abdicated, effectively, by imposing arbitrary rule and de-titling the Count of Ailech - he rebelled, she surrendered, and her son became the head.
I wonder how many of the troubles she had came from being a woman in a man's world. Because her son experienced much less in the way of rebellion.
Petty King Dúnlang mac Tailltiu of Ulster (1136)
On the abdication of his mother, he adopted the Ulster title and moved the capital north.
He lost the rest of the south as the allied island slowly bit pieces off. As I write this he's just lost Oriel, after adding Man and Isla to the north.
Married a genius, so his daughter Una was intelligent, and she in turn was married to a strong, intelligent Norwegian. They only had one child. Somehow they're now in Poland.