Eh, I restarted as a count in Sweden after I got excommunicated with my other count, making my courtiers hate me and leave me after a while. Things are going nicely now, while I lack any real geniuses to back me up, my character is a great marshall and alone took 5 lands (one belonged to a count who insulted me in a tournament, I demanded compensation and got a claim on his county, then just moved in and kicked him out, and the other 4 were pagan provinces) and made myself into a duke. Now I'm knighting my sons as they come of age and planning to wage war on some more pagan tribes till I'm powerful enough to take on the kingdom of sweden or norway.
EDIT: Crap, the Kingdom of Norway declared war on my duchy, probably because their snobby king has claims on 4 of my 5 lands. I'm gonna be forced to offer myself as a vassal to his rival (king of sweden) to fight back at him. With some luck, I'll be able to take some lands from him and maybe eventualy usurp his throne, but it'll take a while, and my duke is getting old, and my two oldest sons (both counts) aren't great marshalls, I only hope my youngest one finishes his education on the army to make up for it when I die. I'm still quite fertile, but my wife is getting old also and had a miscarriage last time, I hope I get me 2 other heirs before death catches up with me.