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Ya'kub ibn al-Layth al-Saffar (867 start).

Just read the article. The Saffarids are an interesting enough starting position by themselves, and Ya'kub himself is statistically one of, if not the, most formidable warriors in the game during this start (at least, I'm almost sure he is in HIP). But he is also an immensely interesting and at the same time obscure figure. He first rose to power a few years before the start, and before that was a mere commoner turned bandit in a land that has descended into chaos. Saffar isn't the name of some ancestor - it's simply his former profession, "coppersmith". His true religious and political alignment is a matter of great debate, which means you can fill in the blanks as you like during the game. However, two things are for certain: he was a Persian patriot and he absolutely despised the Abbasids for their decadent and treacherous ways. He was a grim and severe warrior, molded by a hard life, but not cruel and was remembered as a friend of the poor, whether rightly or not. His enemies called him "the Anvil". If that does not get your blood pumping, I don't know what will.
 
Ekkehard Karling (867 AD) Count of Dijon and Charolais. As a member of the Karling Dynasty this Count start offers obvious long-term advantages. However, you start as a 65 year old childless, bachelor, whose heir is his brother of about the same age. Can you quickly turn your fate around, gain a wife, heir, perhaps even claim the Duchy of Burgundy? In the long run, can you take the Karling dynasty to its greatest heights?

I enjoy starting as a French Count, and the idea of a longer play period appeals to me. So far this is the best French Count to start with IMO, as it is not too hard, not too easy.
 
Since there is a lack of Indian rulers on this list. Haven't actually done this start yet, since I think it is probably more difficult than I can handle, but I noticed it the other day and thought people might be interested. On the whole, really disappointed with how few counts there are to play in India (as someone who likes starting as a count), so it is worth noting the few interesting ones.

Thakur Tailapa of Banavasi (1066, but other characters of the dynasty until the last start date), of the Hangal Kadamba dynasty. A different branch of the dynasty rules in Goa, under Thakur Jayakeshi of the Goa Kadamba dynasty. Historically, the Kadamba are significant as one of the first indigenous dynasties to rule in Karnataka alongside the Western Ganga dynasty, since previous rulers of the region had been from northern kingdoms such as the Maurya. At their height, they ruled an area roughly equivalent to the in-game kingdom of Karnata. Their capital moved over time, but often was at the site of Banavasi, marked by a distinctive Kadamba architectural style They later split into the two branches represented in the game, ruling in Goa and Hangal under various larger Kannada empires for most of the time span of the game.

Reunite the two branches through marriage or warfare then reclaim the lands of your ancestors and rule again as kings from the ancestral seat of Banavasi, or from the newer, flourishing seat in Goa.
 
Antso III de Vasconia, Duke of Gascony, 867

Known as "Mitarra" (from the Arabic for "terror" or "the terrible") or "Menditarra" (meaning "the mountaineer" in Basque), during the reign of Sancho III Gascony became de facto independent, owing no allegiance to the King of France.

Gain your independency from the Karlings and liberate all Basque people from foreign rule.
 
Since there is a lack of Indian rulers on this list. Haven't actually done this start yet, since I think it is probably more difficult than I can handle, but I noticed it the other day and thought people might be interested. On the whole, really disappointed with how few counts there are to play in India (as someone who likes starting as a count), so it is worth noting the few interesting ones.

Yeah! I've tried a few games as Indian rulers, but I'm wondering who's a good starting character in India (in either 865 or 1066)
 
Baghatur Dengizikhid, High Chief of Pest, 867 start. Tengri religion.

There are a lot of cultures available in the 867 start date that did not make it to the EU3 era. There are two which didn't make it to 1066 - but one of them, Norse, didn't die out so much as split into three. And then there are the Avars - the foremost power in the Danubian region under the Avar Khaganate, but did not outlast its conquest in 804 by very long.

In 867, Avars are the majority culture in much of Hungary and Wallachia... but they no longer form an independent state, and you are their last remaining duke (or high chief, given that you're Tengriist) level noble. (There are four Avar chiefs - your vassal in Bihar, the chief of Fejer in Balaton, and the chiefs of Szekelyfold and Temes, subject to the Bulgarian dukes of Transylvania and Temes, respectively.) I'm not sure if you're a historical figure or the result of Paradox space-filling - you have a small family tree and a dynasty name that isn't the same as your province, but if real, you're too obscure for the English Wikipedia or Google.

You start as a wrong-culture, wrong-religion vassal of the king of Bulgaria - but the Magyars are invading, claim Hungary, and share your religion, so they may become your new overlords... with plenty of event troops, any provinces they occupy in the war (which may include yours - but if Bulgaria is losing, they'll be in bad enough shape that fighting your own war of independence and than swearing to Hungary is a viable alternative) an interest in your capital as *their* capital, and if they manage to form Hungary they assimilate all provinces they hold (including yours) to Hungarian.

On the other hand, the king of Hungary is creating plenty of vassals, and most of them are easy prey if you manage to fabricate claims, and Tengriism means raiding and conquering your Christian neighbors, not having to convert (unless the king does) and guarantees you low crown authority at worst for quite a while.

(I can't speak too much to what happens if Bulgaria wins - they didn't in my game. I imagine converting as soon as they can revoke titles is a very good idea, though, and that Chrobatia, Balaton, and Temes are your best targets.)

Can you pull back your people from the brink of destruction and restore the glory of the Avar Khaganate? Or will you be unable to stand against the tide of history?
 
Duke of Cornwall at the 867 was a pretty interesting choice.
Very challenging at first, trapped between Mercia and the Atlantique, the only breton in the isles, and not even neighboring the other dukes of Wales.
The possibilities of expensions are numerous and Northern induced turmoil certainly proves fun and unpredictable.
 
Emir al-Husayn of the Rassid Emirate, 867 Old Gods Start: (Shia)

A fun start in the corner of Arabia (modern day Yemen), with the ability to expand quickly through Holy Warring and by capturing the Duchy of Medina you can become the Shia Caliph within the first decade of the game. By making the Rassids a powerful force you can stop the Rise of Shia event from ever being needed, and a world full of heretics and heathens is perfect for an expansionist challenge.

You are an old man, but a healthy one. Historically the Rassids were a tribe from which most of the Imams/Kings of Yemen were taken, and acted as more of a symbolic religious figure than an actual ruler of Yemen (which was infamously unruly), but in game your Duchy is stable enough.
 
Abu Ja'far Ashinas, Emir of Ascalon in 867:

Probably descended from the sacred ruling house of the Gokturk Empire (the Ashina clan are said to be descended from the sky-god Tengri himself), Ja'far is heir to the Emirate of Jerusalem (peculiarly ruled by a man of your dynasty, but without an in-game family connection). Purchased by the Caliph as a Mamluk slave, you can go all 'Gladiator' on the game and try to bring down the Caliphate, perhaps usurping its position in the world with your own Mamluk state.
 
Abu Ja'far Ashinas, Emir of Ascalon in 867:

Probably descended from the sacred ruling house of the Gokturk Empire (the Ashina clan are said to be descended from the sky-god Tengri himself), Ja'far is heir to the Emirate of Jerusalem (peculiarly ruled by a man of your dynasty, but without an in-game family connection). Purchased by the Caliph as a Mamluk slave, you can go all 'Gladiator' on the game and try to bring down the Caliphate, perhaps usurping its position in the world with your own Mamluk state.

Since we're mentioning the Ashina clan, the Khagan (spiritual leader) of the Khazars was of the Ashina clan, and thus a direct descendant of the Gokturk royal house. In-game they are represented by the Duke of Azov in 867, who is Jewish. Unmarried, childless, and vassal to the only Jewish kingdom on the map, can you try and restore a dynasty that once dominated the steppes all the way to China?
 
Queen (king, actually, long story) Tamari of Georgia, 6. April 1184.

You're a very skilled, young female ruler sandwiched between the the expanding Turks in Armenia minor and hordes of the steppes. The Kingdom of Jerusalem is still at its height, The Byzantine Empire can still be saved, but trouble will soon come from the far east and you need to act quickly.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tamar_of_Georgia
 
I put this entry on the wiki, so I'm copying it here:

Jeanne, Countess of Navarre, 1 January 1327: An unmarried 16-year-old with a strong claim on the Duchy of Champagne and hereditary weak claims on the Kingdoms of Navarre and France, you are the second most senior living Capetian - preceded only by your uncle and liege, Charles IV. Denied the throne of France due to her sex and that of Navarre due to her mother's illicit bedchamber adventures, Jeanne's chances of inheriting either are slim. Your uncle will make you Duchess Jeanne II of Navarre immediately, but you will have to fight the Prince-Bishop of Reims for Champagne. Historically and in the Hundred Years' War start, Jeanne reclaimed her patrimony. There are several venues to achieving this in game. One of them is a wise marriage, and several kings would gladly have you as their daughter-in-law, including your Catalan neighbour. Be prepared to take full advantage of the inevitable Hundred Years' War, one that could be brought on sooner by your masterful intrigue...

Acquire all titles once held by your paternal grandmother: the Kingdom of Navarre, the Duchy of Navarre and the Duchy of Champagne.
Conquer all counties belonging de jure to Navarre and Champagne.
Press your claim on your paternal grandfather's realm - France itself!
 
Don't know... As far as I can tell, only Denmark and Norway(with their allies) will invade. Last time I played, when I became King, I started plotting to revoke, fighting and imprisoning catholic vassals. At that time, Denmark declared on me, to whom I lost. In the meantime, I let them siege all they want, and the war dragged on for some very long time all the way to -100%. It also prevented Norway from attacking me separately, and I just used my troops to revoke/imprison catholic vassals and raid for money. when the war was over, Norway attacked me, but since I had a truce with Denmark, they only called some welsh or Scottish king, and I was able to beat them. All in all, these holy wars helped me: they gave me +50 opinion with catholic vassals, they ravaged the lands of catholic vassals (which allowed me to stomp them easily) and Denmark cut me in size below the limit for prepared invasion. I had a truce with both neighbors, and while at it, I performed a realm wipe (banished or revoked every vassal), and declared prepared invasion of Norway. After that your only catholic neighbor is Denmark, who'll never attack you since you are now several times bigger and stronger then he is.

So the answer to the initial question is probably: stabilize the realm and declare a prepared invasion on Norway whenever possible (if you're above the limit you may want to grant independence to some vassals)

can't you just give a few catholics near Denmark independence so you have a buffer against them and are small enough for a prepared invasion? Then you can invade, give land to norse vassals (who will be loyal) and conquer the last holy site you need.

When the faith is reformed, you can get crown authority up, and...

Voila.
 
I've been playing around with Russia in 867. In terms of religion, it can go Norse or Slavic or accept one of the missionaries and conquer quickly by holy war. Both Norse rulers, in Novgorod and Kiev, are rather easy starts. Dyre in Kiev is younger but poorer. Stuck with gavelkind inheritance, I found it useful to form Ruthenia then launch an invasion of Novgorod before Rurik's heir could form his kingdom. So I now rule the territory of both kingdoms.

I'd like to reform Slavic paganism, but paradoxically Dyre is a Norse pagan. He's got almost 2000 piety. I would leave it to my son, but the boy remained steadfastly tied to his father's faith despite being fostered with a gregarious Russian vassal. The other children, and there were many, all became Slavic pagans. Getting on in years, I handed duchies to the boys and married them to Slavic heiresses. The youngest died mysteriously, and the second-oldest, who was a genius and married to a brilliant heiress, caught leprosy. Finally, Dyre died. Halfdan the Northman inherited, but I managed to give his son Novgorod, where he was rather loved as a Slavic convert. He will reform the Slavic faith, now that we control three holy sites, Birlad, Novgorod, Kiev.

The trick in uniting Russia and reforming the Slavic faith is grabbing Birlad. You could march to Plock but the Catholics from Bohemia tend to get aggressive there. Birlad becomes independent when Hungary forms, so go and grab it and the other two provinces nearby and form Moldau. Crimea is a nice target too. The main concern besides pagan Hungary is the Byzantine Empire. Lots of ways all this could go. You're a regional power, for now, so stay out of the Great Powers' way. :)
 
Orthodox
Trebizond, Despotate of
Alexios "Megas" Komnenos, Emperor (Despot in game) of Trebizond, 1 January 1205 - It is unknown how he and his brother David have survived the coup that killed the Emperor Andronikos I. What it says is that they were sent to Georgia, to the court of Queen Tamari, his supposed aunt. The Queen of Georgia helped them invade the region of Trebizond for them to create a kingdom that would serve as a shield against the Sultanate of Rum and the brothers tried to retake the Byzantine throne. Historically, Alexios and David were never able to definitively defeat their rivals.

Can you change history and make him the Emperor? And maybe start a second "Alexiad"? Or as a third option, you could create a stronger state than the old Byzantine Empire.
 
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Shia
Persia, Sultanate of (Seljuk Sultanate)
- Bey Unsur al-ma'ali Ziyarid of Dailam, 1066/1081

The founder of your dynasty was the last Zoroastrian ruler of note in Persia, who was determined to crush the Abbasid caliphate and restore Sassanian Empire. His successful reign ended when Turkish slaves murdered him. Now Persia itself has fallen to rule of Turks. You control two provinces of your ancestral lands as vassal to Kurdish Satrap. Can you succeed where your ancestor failed and restore Sassanian empire?
 
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Bogomilist
Hungary, Kingdom of
-Ninoslav, Duke of Bosnia, 1232
Ninoslav is a Bogomilist ruling a land of Bogomilists as a vassal of the Catholic king of Hungary and Croatia. The king will be eager to bring both Ninoslav and Bosnia under the Fold, all the while underestimating his Croatian vassals' desire to break free from him. But the Catholic king is all that stands between Ninoslav and his aggressive Orthodox neighbours, Serbia and Bulgaria, who are even more keen to put an end to Bogomilism... and Bosnia. In real life, Ninoslav's decision to stand with his people, loyal to their faith, meant that he faced a full-fledged crusade. Which of the two evils will you choose - loyalty to Catholic liege or bitter war against Orthodox neighbours?

Catholic
France, Kingdom of
-Marie de Blois, Countess of Boulogne, 1160
At first glance, the youthful Marie seems like a minor French noblewoman. No, wait, she is Norman... and a princess! The Anarchy has ended leaving Marie's brothers dispossessed of their father Stephen's English crown, and her brothers have since both died childless. Marie is thus left with her father's county of Mortain, her mother's county of Boulogne, and a weak claim but hereditary on England. She is 24 and childless but married to the son and heir of her liege, the duke of Flanders, so arranging a quick end to the marriage is necessary. With Marie's second cousin Henry controlling all of England, large part of France and most of Aquitaine, claiming your heritage will be very challenging. Very.
 
Sunni
Granada, Emirate of
Emir Mohammed I ibn Nasr 1238
The Founder of the last Muslim dynasty of Spain, he is famous for building the famous Moorish castle the Alhambra and was allied with Castile in conquering Seville in exchange for Granada independence. Many infidels surround you, and your former "ally" may be holy warring you in a few years. Do you have what it takes to recreate Al-Andalus?
 
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Nestorian

It's probably been suggested before, but I just noticed this when playing my version of the Bardovkas. In 1279, the Ilkhanate has a Nestorian ruler by the name of Abaga Borjigin. I did a quick search on the internets, and couldn't find much (anything) on him, but I don't think Paradox would've just put in a random Nestorian Khan in a non-bookmarked location. Either way, starting in 1279 you can play as a Nestorian Ilkhanate who has a surprising number of Nestorian vassals as well. Though familial problems do persist, and your son stays true to the Old Ways. With a large number of pissed off vassals, an aging ruler, and a son who doesn't follow his religion, it'd make for an interesting playthrough.