Lacking a working Paradox forum, I will post my AAR here.
Author's note: for ease of reference, Western dating conventions are used.
Emirate of Toledo
When Habiba died, everything changed.
Habiba, born in the Armanjani family, an Arab noble family from Northern Africa, rose to fame as the first wife to Barakat Dhu'l Nun, Emir of Toledo. Three daughters and one son she gave him; only one daughter survived childhood and she passed away before giving her parents grandchildren.
1165
The Emir
Barakat, Emir of Toledo, the hero of this episode, was tired.
Through the 66 years of his long life, the opulence of the palace in Toledo had grown, even as other realms in Spain has waxed, waned and even crumbled, Toledo had grown. True, its independence had been sacrificed for the greater good, and larger empires, not all of them Muslim, had gained a foothold in Iberia, but in Toledo, the slope remained upwards, if gently so. The submission to the Fatimids, while thoroughly Islamic in every principle, had been a disputed decision; some nobles, proud of independent traditions of Andalucia, threatened civil war. Fortunately, the power of the throne had been enough to dissuade some and dislodge others. Fatimid backing was important in a peninsula torn between Muslim feuding and German incursions. In spite of this security, the family of the Emir was not a happy one. He had survived his four children, so the first in line to succession in the emirate were Slavic cousins, some of whom Kaffirs.
The bright spots in the Emir's life were few and far between. His relation with his liege was one: the young Fatimid Caliph was a bright and practical man, but his busy life and differing personality prevented personal friendship. Still, the mutual support was undeniable.
A pleasant fact, since the ambitions of the Emir had never been humble. All of Al-Andalus, or Iberia as many had taken to calling it Kaffir-style; nothing less would be acceptable for the glory of Dhu'l Nun. The only thing the Emir was sure about was that it would not happen in his lifetime, nor in his childrens' lifetimes - after all, he had witnessed their ends.
Through some strange twist of fate all Muslims had simultaneously taken to monogamy on January first, 1066, and the Muslims of Al-Andalus were no exception, so Barakat stuck with Habiba through thick and thin.
The topography of Toledo has seen little change in the intervening decades.
Geography, 1165
Strangely enough, the mostly unemployed armed forces appeared hard to manage. Several marshals had lost their minds attempting to administer the armies of Toledo.
1169
All things come to an end; sometimes for better, sometimes for worse. In the case of Habiba's demise, history will tell what the effects will be. Things changed, without a doubt.
For years, the relation between the Emir and his spouse had been purely professional. Many had been the disagreements caused by Habiba's temperate nature, and when she died, the Emir was shaken as much by the loss of a capable steward to the realm as by the loss of his life's partner. Yearning to continue the Dhu'l Nun line, emissaries from Toledo traversed the world in search of a bride for the Emir, and they found one.
Jailbait in less civilised societies
Laying eyes upon this woman who could have been his granddaughter, the Emir vowed:
"A careful life I have lead; caution and diplomacy have brought me where I am today. Let us see what life has in store for this same man when his blood starts flowing again for the first time in forty years! Let the world tremble before the might of Al-Andalus!"
Evil tongues dismiss this speech as propaganda, meant to cover up the fact that Toledo joined a war against an already outnumbered enemy. Be that as it may, the war was joined, and whether that has anything to do with the mental state of the Emir, no one may ever find out.
The die has been cast, the new road of Toledo lies open before her with an aging but reinvigorated Emir at the helm. What will the coming years bring?