Ok so, I made a comment about how Aragon seems to be about the crappiest faction to start with, being that you get tossed after about 3 or 4 turns by Spain, France or the Elmos. Well, tried for shits and giggles another one just to challenge myself. So far it's the best campaign I've had. It seems there are some interesting benefits of being so small and stuck in the middle. Here's a bit of a timeline.

1089: Bribed control of Navarre
1094: Bribed Portugal
1095: Portugal goes into rebellion... I take my pimp shoes and go home.
1112: Finally get forces together sufficient to take back and hold Portugal
1124: Troops led by El Cid (picked him up when he was about to get bit off by the Elmo's.. don't have a hero until 1286 so I kinda needed him amyway.) along with allied Spanish force defeat Kahlifah's force in Valencia and lay siege. Aragon has most forces and keep province. Elmo's start picking off Aragonese shipping.
1126: El Cid leads assault and does away with Elmo threat for good.
1139: Pick up Sicily after christian revolt when Sicilians excommed.
1141: Aquitaine taken much the same way as Sicily. English king popped by French, english provinces go rebel. Spain takes most of them.
1149: Five year thrashing of Kievian navy begins. End up with bunch of high valour captains.
1165- 1190: I decide to intervene in Franch civil war and pick up Toulouse, Burgandy, Ile de France, and Flanders.
1201: Sicilians get excommed again this time going into civil war, I "intervene" and take Papal States, Naples, Corsica and Malta.
1206: Sicilians get Pope slapped for the third time. No civil war this time but the turn before they waxed a 4* assassin trying to smoke a French inquisitor, so I declare war and ram them with a crusade.
1211: Finally dust off the Sicilians, spain takes out the French.

So now I control 1/2 of Spain, all of southern France with a corridor all the way up to Flanders, the western Med islands and all of Italy except Rome (i'm not going down like the Sicilians).

Point is if you take your time while you small and stay allied to powerful neighbors, they tend to rape each other and you can easily pick off what you need. Soon enough you have some real treeitory and some real power.