* [[DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu Successfully defending against a Mongol Invasion.]] Bonus points if you push them off the map and send the riders back from whence they came! In real life only a handful of countries successfully fought off a Mongol Invasion, in game they are exceedingly strong. To be able to actually defeat them is therefore no small feat.
* Any time you, the player, achieve something that seems [[SelfImposedChallenge impossible in the scope and the setting of the two games]], such as unifying and establishing the Empire of Britannia early, or [[http://forum.paradoxplaza.com/forum/showthread.php?601251-In-the-Shadow-of-Certain-Painful-Doom-Abyssinia&s=34329792796db8c9cfc52de3b11d796f surviving in Abyssinia]], or bring a fallen Dynasty back into prominence. You ''can'' achieve the impossible.
** [[CreatorProvincialism Including making the Empire of Scandinavia/Sweden!]]
** Heck, [[FounderOfTheKingdom any time you establish an empire by conquest counts]].
* Leading a successful Crusade, and earning the admiration of your vassals and allies. Bonus points if you create the Kingdom of Jerusalem.
* [[TheChessmaster Seeing your plotting and political manoeuvring come to fruition as you ascend in power and prestige.]]
** In the same vein, going from being a lord of a paltry 2 counties to owning a Kingdom consisting of 14 instead. Modest in the grand scheme, but still impressive.
** Installing your dynasty onto the throne(s) of great kingdoms and empires, bringing prestige to your family name.
** All of this goes double if you manage it within a single lifetime. Imagine being born as some count in a relatively impoverished backwater, and ending your days as one of the world's foremost rulers.
* Victory through intrigue! Instantly ending an unwinnable claim war by assassinating the claimant. Isolating your enemies by assassinating the spouse who secures a powerful alliance. [[Characters/GameOfThrones Tywin Lanister]] or the [[Franchise/MassEffect Salarians]] would be proud.
** With the removal of assassinations, plotting the character's demise now becomes the main way of disposing of them. Pull enough people into your plot, and with luck... success.
* Using a proper understanding of the combat system - the mobility of ships, attrition, good commanders, retinue specialization, and terrain - to defeat bigger armies than your own!
* As a Catholic ruler, forcing the Papacy to submit to your will. This involves becoming an emperor, setting up your own antipope, and claiming the Papacy for your antipope. You'll have to fight the mercenaries hired by the Pope, along with any Catholic ruler who supports him. If victorious, you now have the Pope in your pocket, making it much easier to keep your Catholic vassals and neighbours in check.
* Undermining your liege as a powerful vassal. Bonus points if you reduce him or her to a PuppetKing or queen. Add more awesome points if you undermine his or her religion as well by being of another religion yourself.
* If you have a pet cat, it's possible for the cat to become injured or killed in battle. One of your options with this event is to [[RoaringRampageOfRevenge personally hunt down and kill the enemy commander]]. Successfully killing the bastard who hurt your kitty is ''very'' satisfying.
* The Children's Crusade event. Unlike in real life, the crusaders can in fact reach the Holy Lands, and once they do, it's a near certainty that they'll take Jerusalem. If you happen to support them beforehand, the leader will be so grateful that you can easily arrange a marriage alliance with him and steal the Holy Kingdom for yourself in the future.