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KestrelGirl

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Jan 3, 2015
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  • Crusader Kings II
  • Crusader Kings II: Charlemagne
  • Crusader Kings II: Legacy of Rome
  • Crusader Kings II: The Old Gods
  • Crusader Kings II: Rajas of India
  • Crusader Kings II: The Republic
  • Crusader Kings II: Sons of Abraham
  • Crusader Kings II: Sword of Islam
  • Crusader Kings II: Way of Life
  • Crusader Kings II: Horse Lords
  • Crusader Kings II: Conclave
  • Crusader Kings II: Reapers Due
  • Crusader Kings II: Monks and Mystics
  • Crusader Kings II: Jade Dragon
  • Crusader Kings II: Holy Fury
I decided to compile this list of playable/worth-playing female CK2 characters, since they seem underused... or at least under-AAR'd.
This is formatted a bit like the old Interesting Characters Guide post on the forums (which was later updated and added to on the CKII wiki). It’s organized by religion and dynasty name (excluding the de/d’/di/la prefixes).
How to suggest a noteworthy playable woman: give her name, her ideal starting date, and a short description (including age and marital status).

Christian Characters

The Queens of Jerusalem

There are several playable queens of Jerusalem, and almost all of them fit at or near the beginning of the list, so they are first. Ironically, none of them actually holds the province of Jerusalem.
Isabella I d’Anjou (1191, 1193-97)
Maria Aleramicci (1205-9)
Isabella II de Brienne (1212-27, a child until 1227)
Alix de Blois (1228-46, should not be queen-regnant)
Your goal for all of them: turn back Jihads, support Crusades, and crush the infidels! Deus Vult!

Sibylla d'Anjou, Duchess of Ascalon, 1177-87
Historically, Sibylla actually became queen of Jerusalem in 1186, but this is not represented in-game.
Liege: Jerusalem
Age: 17-27
Marital status: Married
Heir: Non-dynastic son; dynastic brother (the king of Jerusalem) and half-sister.
Your goal: Well, you're in a bit of a rough spot. Dispose of your husband and son, of course. If you are lucky, you may take control of Jerusalem, but if worse comes to worse, your brother will inherit your title as part of his holdings.
Andregoto de Aragon, Duchess of Aragon, 936
Historically not the duchess and perhaps not even the actual countess of Aragon either, but she is in the game nonetheless.
Liege: Navarra
Age: 19
Marital status: Married to her liege, the king of Navarra
Heir: Non-dynastic son; dynastic half-sister.
Your goal: This isn't a fun place to start either. Eventually, as with Sibylla, your goal will be to get rid of your son and take control of your liege's holdings.
Illona/Helena Arpad, Queen of Croatia, 1090
Age: 42
Marital status: Widowed
Heir: non-dynastic daughter
Your goal: Have a son. Fast. Like, within 3 years fast.
Matilda d’Avesnes, Princess (in-game Duchess) of Achaia, late 1316
Liege: Naples
Age: 23
Marital status: Widowed
Heirs: none
Your goal: reunite Greece, become independent, then perhaps go for Neapolitan Constantinople.
Tamari "the Great" Bagrationi, Queen of Georgia, 1184
Historically, this badass queen brought on a golden age in Georgia. Try to live up to her name! You may also be able to play as her daughter Rusudan between 1223 and 1245; I think I’ve seen her as a ruler in game when fooling around with later start dates.
Age: 24
Marital status: Unmarried
Heirs: none
Your goal: take over the infidels around her as well as the two de-jure Georgian counties she doesn’t have yet. Beware of a Rumite invasion!
Dolça de Barcelona, Duchess of Provence, 1166
Liege: HRE
Age: 3 ingame, 1 IRL
Your goal: Survive a regency from hell!
Jeanne de Blois, Queen of Navarre, 1275-1284
Age: 1-11 (married at age 12)
Heirs: none
Led armies
Your goal: You have territories in France. Survive the depredations of the Capets and put your dynasty on the French throne!
Elizabeth de Burgh, Duchess of Ulster, 1337
She should be a countess!
Liege: England
Age: 5
Heirs: dynastic kinswoman
Your goal: Survive regency, unite Ulster (you only have a quarter of it), proceed to the rest of Ireland, and hopefully become independent before the game ends. The good news is that there are only a couple of independent counts in the way of two of your de jure counties.
Matilda di Canossa, Duchess of Tuscany, 1066
Yes, that Matilda. She controls several counties in Italy, with room to expand - she can fabricate a claim on Lombardy via plot in most games. Historically, she supported the Pope in various controversies having to do with the HRE, and actually has a monument in St. Peter's Basilica as a result.
Liege: HRE
Age: 18
Marital status: Unmarried
Heir: distant non-dynastic cousin
Led armies
Your goal: Form the Kingdom of Italy after taking control of as much of the de jure kingdom as possible.
Jahzara Fethee, Petty Queen of Shewa, 936
Though she might not be historical, this Ethiopian Miaphysite duchess makes for a fun start.
Age: 27
Marital status: Unmarried
Heirs: none
Your goal: Unite the squabbling territories around you and become deserving of your queen title.
Constance de Hauteville, Princess of Antioch, 1150
Your status as Princess, rather than Duchess, grants you queen-tier status.
Age: 26
Marital status: widowed
Heirs: 4 non-dynastic children (two sons, two daughters)
Your goal: "Honey, I shr- killed the kids!!" Or just ultimogeniture, I guess.
Jeanne von Hohenstaufen, Duchess of Franche Comté, 1200
Gained her title after her father's assassination. Historically she died in 1205 and was succeeded by her sister.
Liege: HRE
Age: 9
Your goal: Uh, *don't* die before you hit adulthood?
Beatrice von Hohenstaufen, Duchess of Franche Comté, 1205
Beatrice had a much more successful reign than her sister Jeanne; she reigned for 25 years and had 6 children.
Liege: HRE
Age: 13
Your goal: Gain power within the empire, or break away from it entirely. The choice is yours.
Béatrix d'Ivrea, Duchess of Franche Comté, 1148-1183
Liege: HRE
Age: 8-43
Marital status: Married to Holy Roman Emperor Frederick I "Barbarossa" from 1156 onward
Your goal: Beatrice, as she's called by history, was known in her time as a beautiful, cultured, pious, and modest woman. Live up to that ideal, or flip it on its head by seizing the reins of power.
Berenguela “the Great” d’Ivrea, Queen of Castille, June-August 1217
This queen had an incredibly short real-life reign; she abdicated in favor of her son Ferdinand III after just two months.
Age: 37 or 38
Marital status: Divorced
Heirs: two non-dynastic sons
Your goal: You start in a fairly good spot, aside from the sons. You could begin the Reconquista two and a half centuries early, or you could just unite the northern half of Iberia.
Jeanne II d'Ivrea, Duchess of Franche Comté, 1315
Liege: France
Age: 29
Marital status: married to the crown prince of France
Heirs: four daughters
Your goal: Get a divorce, have a son of your dynasty, and go from there.
Petronila Jimena, Queen of Aragon, August 16, 1157
The last of the Jimena dynasty.
Age: 24
Marital status: Married
Heir: newborn son
Your goal: She'll have to murder/divorce her husband, somehow remove her son, and remarry matrilineally. And then... crush the infidel!
Teresa Jimena, Duchess of Portucale, May 22, 1112
Teresa is illegitimate, which might cause some problems. She has Castille and Aragon (really Navarre) as allies, though, so holy war probably won't be an issue.
Age: 32
Marital status: Married
Heirs: non-dynastic son
Your goal: divorce/kill her husband, remove her son from succession, and remarry matrilineally. Also, if you can, get her legitimized. And as usual, reconquista!
Urraca Jimena, Queen of Leon and Castille, 1110
This powerful queen styled herself Empress of All Spain during her reign, but this isn't reflected in game.
Age: 30
Marital status: Wdowed
Heirs: Young non-dynastic son... who is the king of Galicia. Uh oh.
Led armies
Your goal: actually become Empress of Hispania. And get rid of her non-dynastic son. Tyranny is permitted.
Theodora Komnenos, Queen of Trebizond, 1284
Historically, she usurped the throne from her brother and kept it for a year before said brother locked her up in a monastery. We only know she existed because she minted coins.
Age: 34 in game, 31 IRL
Marital status: Unmarried (and so is the recently deposed Byzantine Emperor...)
Heir: none
Your goal: matrilineally marry the former Byzantine Emperor, put him on the throne, and your dynastic children will inherit the empire... if all goes well, that is.
Eudokia Makrembolites, Basilissa of the Byzantine Empire, June-December 1067
Age: 37 in-game, 46 IRL
Marital status: Widowed
Heirs: Six non-dynastic children. Good luck.
Your goal: get her a dynastic heir and end the megawar against the Seljuks before it's too late.
Isabelle de Mellent, Duchess of Gwent, 1184
Historically, she was John Lackland's first wife.
Liege: England
Age: 12
Your goal: You have all of three counties. This is gonna be a tough one to expand from, unless the king's massive demesne gets the better of him.
Stephanie de Milly, Duchess of Oultrejordain, 1175
Liege: Jerusalem
Age: 29
Marital status: Married
Heirs: one daughter and one son, both non-dynastic
Your goal: Crusade!
Konstanza de Penthievre, Duchess of Brittany, late 1186
Apparently the last Breton duchess of Brittany; she succeeded after her husband (Henry II's son Geoffrey) died in a riding accident.
Age: 25
Marital status: Widowed
Heirs: three non-dynastic daughters; no sons until March 1187
Your goal: become Queen of Brittany (she just needs one county and 385 gold) and then unite the Celtic realms!
Aliaenor (Eleanor) de Poitou, Duchess of Aquitaine, April 9-July 21, 1137
This is the famous Eleanor of Aquitaine, arguably the wealthiest and most powerful woman of her time. She didn't marry as many times as she seems to in CK2, though!
Liege: France
Age: 15
Marital status: Unmarried, but she is only unmarried with all her titles between the dates above
Heirs: none
Your goal: make her the queen regnant of France... and then England, if you have enough power and time.
Lucia de Poitou, Duchess of Tripoli, November 1287
The sister of Bohemond VII of Antioch and the last Christian ruler of Tripoli.
Age: 28
Marital status: Married
Your goal: Survive the Bahri blob as Jerusalem shrinks right next to you.
Zabel Rubenid, Queen of Armenia, 1220-1225
The highest-ranking of a handful of Miaphysites on this list.
Age: 4 in 1220
Your goal: take the lands around you that aren’t too big, like Antioch, Jerusalem, and Archa (the Hashashin base). Watch out for jihads. If absolutely necessary, swear fealty to Rum and kill it from the inside.
Lucia Sorrenti, Duchess of Sardinia, 769
Ahistorical character.
Age: 28
Liege: Byzantine Empire. Which hates you.
Marital status: Unmarried
Heirs: kinsmen
Your goal: This is a pretty tough start to survive in. Your liege hates you. That's something you can fix, though...
Alix de Thouars, Duchess of Brittany, 1203-1221
Age: 3-18
Your goal: Survive a regency from hell!
Johanna van Vlaanderen, Duchess of Flanders, 1205
This may be an unassuming start, but Johanna's father is the Latin Emperor Baldwin I, which gives her a nifty bloodline.
Age: 10
Your goal: Remove any pesky half-siblings, then deal with her dad, Emperor Boudewijn/Baldwin. Then she’ll inherit the Latin Empire, if it's still intact.
Yolande van Vlaanderen, Latin Empress, January-July 1219
Yolande is Johanna's aunt and Baldwin I's sister. Her husband briefly held the title of Latin Emperor, but Yolande took it back to her dynasty after he was imprisoned (which was actually in 1217). She passed on in August of 1219, but in-game, with the right moves, you can avert that fate.
Age: 43-44
Marital status: Widowed
Heirs: A lot of non-dynastic kids. Eleven of them, to be exact, including four sons. Historically, the eldest son renounced succession, but there's no way to get him to do this in-game since he's the heir to the throne. If only it were that easy.
Goals: This is another one of those "honey, I killed the kids" starts. But you're on a two-year clock. Oh dear.

Margaret "the Maid" Yngling, Queen of Scots, late 1286-1290
The real Margaret died at age 7 in 1290, sparking a succession crisis, but you can make this adorable little girl into a graceful ruler - or a fearsome one.
Age: 4-7
Your goal: take control of Norway, which is held by her father. Deal with her half-siblings, then her dad, and unite the North!

Christian Countesses (by primary county)
Gaday Arcruni of Tarsos, 1068-79 (age 21-32), unmarried, liege: Cilicia/Byzantium until 1071, Cilicia afterward - Is Miaphysite. Known to have existed, but no Wikipedia page. Actual dynastic name was Ardzouni.
Teresa de Azagra of Albarracin, 1276 (age 32), unmarried, has one non-dyn son, independent - Should be de Haro dynasty.
Marguerite de Nesle of Amiens, 1307 (age 12), liege: France
Jeanne Capet of Amous, 1337 (age 28), married, non-dynastic children, liege: Burgundy/France - Has four counties and the bloodline of Philippe Capet. Her husband is her liege.
Alisia di Matelica of Ancona, 936 (age 18), unmarried, liege: Italy - Probably ahistorical.
Isabelle Taillefer of Angouleme, 1203 (age 15), husband (king of England), liege: France - historically extremely fertile; bore a total of FOURTEEN children, all legitimate, by her two husbands
Mahaut d'Artois, 1302 (age 34), husband, 3 non-dyn kids, liege: France - has Quick trait
Joana d'Auvergne of Aurilliac, 1337 (age 11), liege: France - Historically married John II to become Queen of France.
Alix (Adelaide) de Bourgogne of Auxerre, 1263 (age 12), liege: France - succeeded her mother Mathilde; her older sister Yolande rules Nevers
Isabella d'Ibelin of Beirut, 1267 (age 15), husband (king of Cyprus), liege: Cyprus
Matilda I de Boulogne, 1125 (age 20), husband, liege: Flanders/France - first cousin of Empress Matilda, who is not playable. Is harelipped.
Marie de Blois of Boulogne, 1160 (age 24), husband, liege: Flanders/France - weak claim on England
Ida Chatenois of Boulogne, 1173 (age 12), liege: France - abducted by a count, with whom she proceeded to have a daughter, Matilda
Matilda II de Mello of Boulogne, 1216-1222 (age 14-20), liege: France - daughter of Ida
Mahaut (Mathilde) de Bourbon, 1171-1228 (age 8-65), should be married after 1183, liege: England, later France
Hawis de la Pole of Builth, 6/1 - 7/25/1309 (age 19), liege: England - among the last playable Welsh rulers in the game
Juana de Lara of Burgos, 1316 (age 30), liege: Castille - May be ahistorical, can't find anything about her
Eleanor Douglas of Carrick, 1337 (age 21), widowed, dynastic daughter, liege: Scotland - Historical character but no wiki page. Daughter of Sir Archibald Douglas, Guardian of Scotland.
Beatrice de Clermont of Charolais, 1337 (age 27) - Historical character but no wiki page. Has the bloodline of Philippe Capet, as a descendant of Louis IX.
Beatritz de Chalon of Charolais, 1202 (age 28), liege: Burgundy/France - May be ahistorical.
Isabel de Redvers of Devon, 1263 (age 25), widowed (husband is not in game), liege: England - All six of her children (born between 1247 and 1260) died in infancy and are not represented in game.
Catherine de Courtenay of Dyrrachion, 9/16/1293 (age 18), unmarried, no kids, independent - She's the granddaughter of the last Latin Emperor of Constantinople.
Maria Makrembolites of Euboia, 1066-74 (age 41-49), unmarried, liege: Aegean Islands/Byzantium - Is Orthodox. Liege is half-brother. Known to have existed (no wiki page), but unknown if she actually ruled.
Ingeborg Dovre of Gudbrandsdalen, 1066 (age 24), unmarried, liege: Norway - Likely ahistorical. Perhaps you can get up to some shenanigans while your liege makes war on England?
Margarete Meinhardiner of Innsbruck, 1337 (age 18), betrothed, liege: HRE - What a life she had! Just read the wiki page.
Jeanne d'Avaugour of Limousin, 1337 (age 36), unmarried, liege: Burgundy/France - Sorry for the French wiki page.
Ermesinde de Namur of Luxembourg, 1197-1247 (age 10-50), unmarried, liege: France - last of her dynasty; doesn't actually control or have a claim on Namur
Lucina de Candia of Malta, 1300-20 (age 19-39), married, liege: Aragon
Ermengarda de Narbonne, 1143-92 (age 14-63), liege: France - never had children; was a very cultured lady and should be RP'd as such
Margareta Ulv of Närke, 1281-91 (age 8-18), liege: Sweden - future mother-in-law of St. Bridget of Sweden; her dynasty is a cadet branch of House af Bjalbo
Jeanne Capet of Navarre, 1327 (age 16), liege: France - claims on d_Champagne, k_Navarre, and France
Agnes de Bachaumont of Nevers, 1182 (age 12), liege: France
Mahaut de Courtenay of Nevers, 1195 (age 6), liege: France - Wiki page is in French, sorry!
Mathilde II de Dampierre of Nevers, 1258 (age 23), married, 3 non-dyn kids, liege: France
Yolande de Bourgogne of Nevers, 1263 (age 15), liege: France - succeeded her mother Mathilde; her younger sister Alix rules Auxerre
Yolande de Dreux of Penthievre and Angouleme, 1252 (age 33), 2 non-dyn kids, liege: d_Brittany
Jeanne de Dreux of Penthievre, April 1331-1337 (age 12-18), liege: d_Brittany - third in line to inherit Brittany, which she did historically
Ingebjorge Giske of Romsdal, 1337 (age 16), liege: Norway - Historical character but no wiki page.
Ela of Salisbury (Wiltshire), 1196 (age 9-10), liege: England - The Eleanor of her time; she is an ancestor of several English royals, including four of Henry VIII's six wives and the late Princess Diana.
Alice de Lacy of Salisbury (Wiltshire), 1311 (age 30), unmarried, liege: England - Historically, she was an unfortunately frequent victim of abduction after the death of her first husband. However, said husband is not present in the game.
Aeffe of Somerset, 936 (age 22), husband, liege: England - Probably ahistorical.
Isabel de Warenne of Surrey, 1148 (age 11), liege: England - Inherited after her father died crusading.
Yelizaveta Tikhich of Torzhok, 1066-1087 (age 28-49), unmarried, liege: Novgorod - Is Orthodox. Probably ahistorical. Three-county start.
Blanca d'Ivrea of Valladolid, 1337 (age 22), liege: Castille - Is a great-granddaughter of Alfonso d'Ivrea and has his bloodline.
Mayor Venigomez of Valladolid, 1094 (age 24), husband, liege: Castille - Yes... that's her name. Appears to be ahistorical.
Sunniva Stibolt of Värmland, 1081-1110 (age 18-46), liege: Sweden - Ahistorical.
Adele Karling of Vermandois, 1080 (age 17), husband, non-dyn daughter, liege: France - The last Karling!
Elisabeth de Vermandois, 1153 (age 10), liege: France - niece of Eleanor of Aquitaine
Maria de Haro of Viscaya, 1337 (age 21), matri-married, dynastic son, liege: Castille - Is a great-granddaughter of Alfonso d'Ivrea and has his bloodline.
Margaret de Beaumont of Warwick, 1243 (age 34), liege: England
Urraca Jimena of Zamora, 1066 (age 33), liege: Castille - You could grab at least one Jimena kingdom while her nephews squabble...


Muslim Characters
Muslim women cannot marry matrilineally, so they're generally very hard to play unless you convert to another religion or somehow start with a dynastic son. The general starting goal for these is to get a dynastic heir ASAP. Seduction focus seems to work, but I don't believe there's legitimization... so that whole strategy won't work. Your best bet is usually to convert.
Shajar al-Durr, Sultana of Egypt, 1250
Age: 35
Marital status: Married
Heir: non-dynastic stepson
Your goal: Get rid of the hubby, convert to Miaphysitism, and have a dynastic son.
Warning: you may get a Crusade called on you; even though k_Jerusalem exists and is huge, it does not control c_Jerusalem. Fortunately, you have a lot of allies and the Mamluks.
Arwa al-Sulayhi, Sultana of Yemen, April 1074
Arwa was one of a few lady rulers of Yemen; in fact, her mother-in-law was another one of these. She took power after her husband was paralyzed, and was noteworthy for being very well-learned and beautiful. In-game, she's a Genius, Mastermind Theologian, and Poet so her stats are ridiculous! She also her own bloodline.
Age: 26
Marital status: Married, but husband is incapable and will quickly die
Heir: You have two dynastic sons!
Your goal: Survive squashed between the Fatimids and Seljuks.
Raziyya Ghulam, Khatun (queen) of Rajastan, December 1236
The Indian version of Queen Christina of Sweden; she called herself a Sultan and not a Sultana or Khatun, and dressed and ruled as a man. She's also the only independent Muslim ruler in India.
Age: 31
Marital status: Unmarried
Heir: an incompetent brother
Led armies
Your goal: remove incompetent relatives from succession, distribute your vast holdings, and wipe out megarevolts. You'll need to convert to a Dharmic faith to marry matrilineally.
Safvat ad-Din Padishah Hatun Qutlugh Khan, Beylerbayan (duchess) of Kerman, 1292
Historically, she was attractive, a poet, a murderess (she had her half-brother/rival imprisoned and assassinated), and a murder victim (1295, killed by her late half-brother's supporters), but these aren't represented in-game. You may also play as her mother, Turkan Hatun, in 1279.
Liege: Ilkhanate
Age: 40
Marital status: Married historically, not in game
Heirs: none
Turkan Hatun Qutlugh Khan, Beylerbayan of Kerman, 1279
Safvat ad-Din Padishah Hatun
's mother. Safvat should be in the game at this point but for some reason is not. She rules until the end of 1281.
Liege: Ilkhanate
Age: 39
Marital status: Unmarried
Heirs: Half-brother
Abisha Hadud Salaghurid, Countess of Shiraz, 1264
Liege: Ilkhanate
Age: 20
Marital status: Married historically, not in-game
Heirs: none
Your goal: Same as Safvat, honestly.
Mamam Khatun Saltukid, Beylerbayan (duchess) of Erzerum, 1191
Liege: Rum
Age: 40
Marital status: Widowed
Heirs: two dynastic sons!
Your goal: try to survive for longer than the 9 years she ruled in real life. If you're feeling ambitious, you can become Sultana of Rum.
Zainab Tari Soomra, Maharani (queen) of Sindh, 1092
A ruler whose reign was historically peaceful and prosperous. After ruling for 10 years, in 1102, she abdicated in favor of her much younger brother, who had by then come of age.
Age: 37
Marital status: Married matrilineally
Heir: dynastic son!, born in 1100
Your goal: don't abdicate (or die of the plague).

Dharmic Characters (Buddhist/Jain/Hindu)
I'm sad that I can't include Rudramadevi Kakatiya; unfortunately she doesn't seem to be in the history files yet despite abundant evidence of her existence and reign. (As of 3.2, there's a dead character where her kingdom should be.)
Ballamahadevi Alupa, Thakurani (countess) of Honnore, 1275-1284 (Hindu)
Liege: Hoysala
Age: 57-66
Marital status: Married matrilineally
Heir: dynastic son
Your goal: Kind of a quiet expansion run in this case, I think.
Nihal Bhambhani "the Usurper," Thakurani of Karur, 1066 (Hindu)
Liege: Duke of Multan (Qarmatia)
Age: 77
Marital status: Unmarried (widowed?)
Heir: dynastic son
Your goal: Same as above
Vakula Mahadevi Bhanja, Rani of Bhanja, 936 (Hindu)
Age: 36
Marital status: Unmarried
Heirs: kinsmen and kinswomen
Your goal: Standard expansion run, as eastern India is fractured into duchies of roughly equal size and manpower. However, you'll probably hit a wall with either the Pala Kingdom to the north, or the giant Rashtrakuta alliance to the west.
Pusuwan Kara-Khitai, Empress of Transoxiana, 1163 (Buddhist)
She really existed and ruled. I think that's all that needs to be said.
Age: 20
Marital status: Married normally
Heirs: none
Your goal: Have fun storming the cas- oops, I mean steppes! She has a pretty big army considering the size of her realm so that shouldn't be too hard.
Monyul Hariti, Ngamo (Countess) of Paro, 1328 (Buddhist)
Age: 33
Marital status: Unmarried (supposed to be widowed?)
Heir: dynastic son
Your goal: The usual stuff with an independent single county start... *Bill Wurtz voice* survive. Right next to a Yuan khan who's on the path to becoming Emperor of Tibet. Good luck.
Purgyal Lha Taramo, Gyelmo (Queen) of Ü-Tsang, 1066 (Buddhist)
Is Attractive. Has a bloodline that grants a handful of interesting benefits alongside prestige.
Age: 16
Marital status: Unmarried
Heirs: none
Your goal: You're already a queen; unite the East under your banner! You only control a small portion of your de jure kingdom, but you just have a handful of counts and dukes to deal with in succession.

Pagan Characters
Sokhatai Batbayar, Khatun of Altay, April 1071 (Tengri)

A tributary of Liao, but otherwise independent. She's empress-tier.
Age: 38
Marital status: Married
Heir: non-dynastic son
Your goal: Deal with family issues (ultimogeniture for the win), then start bullying the other khaganates nearby until you can take on the Liao.
Praskovya Bogolyubsky, Chieftess of Kashin, 936 (Slavic)
Liege: Tver
Age: 21
Marital status: Unmarried
Heirs: none
Your goal: This wasn't supposed to happen. You rule a tiny county, under a tiny unimportant high chief, right next to a very large and threatening Kievan Rus. You were meant to be married off, perhaps to your liege. Can you survive anyway?
Magajiva Daura, Countess of Daura, 867 (African)
Might be ahistorical... but she does have a bloodline!
Age: 21
Marital status: Married matrilineally to the high chief of Kano
Heir: dynastic daughter; husband has an older son with another woman, though
Your goal: Murder husband. Murder stepson. End up with duchy. Expand into k_Hausaland and further. Profit.
Sölvi Forsa, Chieftess of Jamtaland, 936 (Germanic)
Liege: Hälsingland
Age: 20
Marital status: Unmarried
Heirs: none
Your goal: Survive as the vassal of a duke squashed between the two largest of the Germanic realms, which will one day be called Norway and Sweden.
Rögnhildr af Holar, Chieftess of Norðland, 936 (Germanic)
Liege: Island (Iceland, duh!)
Age: 24
Marital status: Married
Heir: father
Your goal: Well, this is a dead end. Even more of one than Tutorial Island. Maybe it can be... not a dead end, by some miracle.
Orghana Oirat, Khatun (Empress) of Chagatai, 1252 (Tengri)
Really existed, but no wiki page. She's playable until 1261. She is a tributary of Yuan.
Age: 31
Marital status: Widowed
Heir: nephew (dynastic) on game start, but she also has a dynastic son (should not be dynastic, he's a descendant of Genghis Khan)
Your goal: Dominate the remnants of the Mongols!
Qangma Amala, Petty Queen of Sumparu, 936 (Bön)
Age: 20
Marital status: Unmarried
Heirs: none
Your goal: Unite the squabbling Tibetan realms. Swear fealty to either of the Purgyal kings if you must.
Dobrava Turov, Duchess of Kiev, 769 (Slavic)
Another ahistorical independent ruler. Seems she got upgraded from a countess to a duchess recently!
Age: 18
Marital status: Unmarried
Heir: none
Your goal: Conquer her neighbors and form Rus (which is supposed to exist already but doesn't) as a woman.
Tong Ataklumo, High Chieftess of Nagchu, 769 (Bön)
Liege: Tibet (emperor)
Age: 31
Marital status: Unmarried, but has a powerful lover who can make a strong ally.
Heir: none
Your goal: Survive the depredations of your liege, who's really grabby when it comes to your land.
Yaiza Tikanariyen, Chieftess of Canarias, 1180 (African)
CK2 says playing as her is "Impossible" with a 91% difficulty rating. You're right next to the Almohads. Good luck.
Age: 10
Your goal: Survive regency and make African paganism great again! (Sorry. Really sorry.)
Kanyava Variyid, Chieftess of Vel, 936 (Suomenusko)
Age: 23
Marital status: Unmarried
Heirs: none
Your goal: Survive and expand on the edge of the frozen Siberian wastes.
Khatyako Zavoyid, High Chieftess of Zavarot, 936 (Suomenusko)
Age: 18
Marital status: Unmarried
Heir: none
Your goal: Survive and expand on the edge of the frozen Siberian wastes. In this case, there are a few nearby chiefs whose domains seem ripe for the taking...

Bön Countesses by Surname (These are probably all ahistorical)
Brusha Yum of Rutog, 867 (age 25), unmarried, no kids; liege: Guge
Glo Dzeden of Manthang, 1066 (age 16), unmarried, heir: dynastic kinsman; independent
Phug Zazu of Tsakha, 769 (age 25), unmarried, no kids; liege: Tibet - Four-county start.
Pung Duk of Lhaze (Lhasa), 769 (age 24), unmarried, no kids; liege: Tibet
Qangtang Dhingyose of Satho, 867 (age 24), unmarried, no kids; liege: Sumparu
Yümai Kyi of Mainling, 936 (age 23), unmarried, no kids; liege: Ü-Tsang
 
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I can't think of a good date for her, but there is Tamari the great of Georgia, 1184~. She's unmarried and has excellent stats, and also starts with an alliance with the Byz empire through her sister. But I imagine its a bit of a nightmare eitherway, I suspect the Byz won't hesitate to push their claims alliance or no, and if the alliance is lost, the turks won't hesitate to invade..and then theres the mongols not too far off to consider, too!
 
I can't give you the exact dates — which are sometimes different in CK2 than they historically were, probably for balance reasons or for simplicity — but at various dates Melisende, Queen of Jerusalem is available. Sibylla also might be. Isabella I also. Isabella II/Yolande (de Brienne) is there, Maria (of Montferrat) might be.

And Berengaria of Castille, the mother of Ferdinand III. He ruled Castille after her with her still living, while his father (the marriage was declared null) ruled Leon.

Joan of Ponthieu should be there, as landed countess in Brittany and simultaneously the Queen of Castille by marriage.

Queen Zabel of Armenia (in Cilicia, and I'm not sure if she's a queen or duchess in the game) also is in.

El Cid's wife might be in in Valencia (1099-1102).

Urraca of Leon and Castille (and also Gallicia) from 1109 to 1126. She held three royal crowns in Spain and claimed the imperial title (Empress of All Spain)

Matilda was the Princess of Athens between 1316 and 1318 (Duchess in the game). She was 23 and twice-widowed by that time.

Also check these out:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Women_rulers
 
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You have to add Ermesinde de Namur, countess of Luxembourg from 1197. Her lands are small, but good enough for the war of succession you have to fight with the Van Vlaanderen family. She lacks her historical husband and ally (she's only 10 in 1197) and she also lacks her claims on Namur which would cause the War of Succession that ended 1199 in failure and she would try it again in 1223, again failure. She proved to be a good administrator and if you fight her wars well you could turn history in the Namur family's favor. She's also the last of the Namur family in that start date, try to save them if you can, the coat of arms is quite nice.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ermesinde,_Countess_of_Luxembourg
 
You can play as Duchess Alienor of Aquitaine before she is married. She is playable as not married Duchess between 9th April of 1137 until 21 July of 1137 in vanilla game. In this start, she has a lot of power and she can matrilineally marry forth son of Duke of Burgundy, which makes her more powerful than King of France or if you are lucky you could invite first, second or third born son of Duke of Burgundy and make it easier to get Duchy of Burgundy for yourself.

From 22nd July until 24th July, she is playable as not married Countess of Poitiers, Saintonge and Bordeaux, which is a slightly harder start.

From 25th of July until 31st of July 1137, she is playable as a wife of Duke Louis of Aquitaine. From 1st August of 1137 until 20th March of 1152, she is playable as a wife of King Louis the Young. Her first female child is born on 1st January of 1145, so if you want to play without an heir, chose a date before that. From 21st March of 1152 until 17th May of 1152, she gets back her duchies, but she is still married to King Louis. From 18th May 1152 until 24th October of 1154, she is back to being a countess, but now she is a wife of a duke Henry of Aquitaine. Her first male child is born on 17th August of 1153, so if you want to play without a male heir, chose a date before that.
 
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Matilda di Canossa, Duchess of Tuscany, 1066
This is the Matilda who traps characters into matrilineal marriages and always demands independence right after you start your game. She's a vassal of the HRE, starts young and unmarried, and controls several counties in Italy. Some say she already has sons from another marriage in later patches, but as far as I know this isn't true. Your goal: form the Kingdom of Italy after taking control of as much of the de jure kingdom as possible

She doesn't start with sons (checked just a moment ago) She better not - in history she only had one child, who was a girl who died in infancy.
 
It's the shame the game doesn't actually give proper historical rulers for yemen (I literally just checked) because that were the most interesting female ruler to play as would be Arwa al-Sulayhi, she de facto ruled under her husbands for 34 years and ruled in her own right for 37 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arwa_al-Sulayhi

Side Note: I think that paradox really needs to radically change how they handle Muslim women, female muslims rulers were only slightly less common that female christian rulers, (Actually the whole way the handle succesion is completely historically inaccurate, most rulers at the time just flat out choose there succesor, I mean even under Agnotic-Cognatic Razia Sultana wouldn't have ever gotten the thrown with crusader kings logic.)

(Side note of the the side note: the game designers clearly didn't realize that people could actually play as female muslims, seriously try it, I'm pretty sure the game will run some events that assume your male and trying to divorce your husband has the game reffer to your husband with female pronouns)
 
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It's the shame the game doesn't actually give proper historical rulers for yemen (I literally just checked) because that were the most interesting female ruler to play as would be Arwa al-Sulayhi, she de facto ruled under her husbands for 34 years and ruled in her own right for 37 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arwa_al-Sulayhi

Side Note: I think that paradox really needs to radically change how they handle Muslim women, female muslims rulers were only slightly less common that female christian rulers, (Actually the whole way the handle succesion is completely historically inaccurate, most rulers at the time just flat out choose there succesor, I mean even under Agnotic-Cognatic Razia Sultana wouldn't have ever gotten the thrown with crusader kings logic.)

(Side note of the the side note: the game designers clearly didn't realize that people could actually play as female muslims, seriously try it, I'm pretty sure the game will run some events that assume your male and trying to divorce your husband has the game reffer to your husband with female pronouns)

Yeah female rulers are rare enough, why remove historical female rulers ?

And I agree that it should be possible to have agnatic-cognatic under Muslim rule.

Hey I got an idea for Agnotic Succession. What if the spouse gets the title when one presses a female claim under Agnatic ? Doesn't that make sense ? Same for marriage I suppose, that the husband of an only daughter or something becomes the heir.
 
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They're okay here for the most part as long as they're not spammy!
That's a hefty list, congrats on assembling it :eek: