I didn't see anyone with this record at all, so I thought I would post it to give you guys something to strive for:
Israel formed by 1065, normal difficulty:
As you have no doubt guessed just by looking, I started as a Jewish patrician in Amalfi, and clawed my way up to my current level of geo-political power.
I can't form Italia yet because the King of France holds the Kingdom of Italy, and I can't usurp because I'm a republic. :sigh: More holy wars are in my future.
Fun fact: Israel gets to call its ruler a king even if its a republic.
Fun fact 2: It takes several years for the temple to rebuild. You don't get your religious goodies (head of religion, holy order), until the temple is finished, so plan accordingly. You also can't form Israel or rebuild the temple until Jerusalem is Jewish, which makes it hard to determine when you get to fire the decision to form Israel.