England
From Crusaderkings
1066: You are William de Normandie, better known as William the Conqueror, fresh on the heels of your triumph at the Battle of Hastings in October 1066 and your crowning as King of England on Christmas Day 1066. Your Norman compatriots have been assigned most of the various lordships in your realm, but in the area of Northumbria, you have unreliable Anglo-Saxon vassals (of the Leofricson dynasty). Across the Channel, Phillip I of France covets your ancestral holdings in Normandy. To the north and west, you have potential conflicts with the Scottish and Welsh.
Your first task will probably be to consolidate your realm in England. The Leofricsons are almost certain to rebel against your authority soon, but are militarily weak and easily dispatched, unless they manage to secure an alliance with Scotland or France. However, even your Norman vassals are not guaranteed, in part because of your bastard heritage. Additionally, you are stricken ill, and could quite possibly die early, leaving a young and inexperienced son as your heir, which further raises the chance of your vassals breaking free leading to Realm Duress. Historically, the Norman dynasty established by William lasted only three generations, failing when Stephen I, William's grandson, was replaced by Henry Angevin (Plantagenet). Can you do better and establish the de Normandie dynasty in its new homeland?
1187: You are Henry FitzEmpress Angevin, better known as Henry II. You are the first king of the Plantagenet dynasty, and your holdings are impressive. Besides the Kingdom of England, you control significant sections of the French coast, both in Normandy and in Aquitaine, inherited through your marriage to Eleanor of Aquitaine. You have several heirs, including Richard the Lionhearted, John Lackland and Geoffrey. Your natural rival is Phillipe Capet (Phillip II) of France. Historically, Henry II was plagued by intrigue and warfare between his children over the inheritence of the kingdom, as well as machinations of his wife Eleanor.
