[quote=@Darkspleen]
This is what I've got thus far. Let me know what you guys think.

[hider][b]Bernhardt von Eisenburg (Reigned 1269 – 1295)[/b]
Bernhardt came into power in 1269, inheriting holdings in both Upper and Lower Saxony that had been in his family for generations. These holdings included a castle and several villages distributed throughout Saxony. No fool, Bernhardt recognized the very real potential of war between the two Saxon states and also realized that any such conflict would put his house in a very awkward position; there was also the potential for the rapid expansion of his family’s holdings if he played his cards right. Towards that end he sought to form ties with foreign noble families which could be cultivated into alliances later on. In 1271 he married Stefanie von Feilhaber, the eldest daughter of a minor family residing in Austria. The following year Stefanie gave birth to Bernhardt’s third son, but died in childbirth. Bernhardt proceeded to cultivate ties with the ruling Hapsburg family and other regional nobles over the next few years. In 1290 the von Feilhaber heir died in a hunting accident, leaving Bernhardt’s son as a strong contender for the Feilhaber inheritance. When the von Feilhaber head died of consumption the following year Bernhardt convinced the Hapsburgs to support his son’s claims on the von Feilhaber holdings.

[b]Reinhold von Eisenburg (Reigned 1291 - 1332)[/b]
Thanks to his father’s political machinations Reinhold inherited the von Feilhaber family’s holdings which included several villages. Unlike his father Reinhold was no diplomat and had few aspirations for expansion. On the other hand he was a fairly competent administrator and was able to consolidate his family’s holdings on its new holdings in Austria. Meanwhile his two older brothers inherited the family’s estates in Upper and Lower Saxony when Bernhardt passed away in 1295. While viewed as the lesser of the three brothers, on account of his smaller holdings, Reinhold would amass a small fortune, one that would dwarf those of his brothers. In 1332 he passed away after contracting consumption.

[b]Seraphina von Eisenburg (Acted as regent 1332 – 1345)[/b]
When Reinhold died in 1332 his son and sole heir, Gunther, was only ten. Seraphina, Reinhold’s wife, acted as regent until Gunther came of age. One of Seraphina’s first acts as regent was to betroth her son to Freya von Meyer, the eldest daughter of a noble family that controlled several towns in the region. She also sought to create closer ties with the other families in the region and made various promises and political marriages with these families. During this time she was able to resist a number of attempts to gain control over the von Eisenburg holdings in Austria by the parts of the family in Upper and Lower Saxony.

[b]Gunther “the Stalwart” von Eisenburg (Reigned 1345 - 1370)[/b]
When Gunther came into power at the age of sixteen he found himself in a situation that was simultaneously lucky and unlucky. On one hand he had the massive fortune amassed by his father and the political ties, especially the marriage with Freya von Meyer, created and strengthened by this mother. On the other hand he had to deal with increasingly aggressive family members in Upper and Lower Saxony who sought to take advantage of his young age and usurp his holdings. He managed to fend off their attempts to politically usurp his holdings, but things came to a head in 1348 when his cousin, Reiner, raised an army of six hundred to forcefully back his claim. Gunther’s ability to raise levies were limited as his holdings consisted of just a few villages and he found himself with a mere hundred. All was not lost, however, as Gunther still had a small fortune and strong political ties which he utilized wisely. First he acquired a large number of horses which he used to form a rather sizable formation of light cavalry. He then hired several mercenary companies, most notably Genoese crossbowmen, and asked for aid from friendly noble families in Austria. All in all he managed to raise a force of about five hundred; although his force was still smaller than Reiner’s he possessed more cavalry and competent Genoese crossbowmen. It was in this battle that Gunther proved himself to be a competent military leader, effectively utilizing his forces to their maximum potential, especially his light cavalry, to not only defeat Reiner’s force, but to also capture Reiner himself. Gunther would keep his cousin hostage until a sizeable ransom was paid several years later. 

Gunther, recognizing the potential strength of his cavalry, continued to maintain and nourish a fairly sizable force of light cavalry and heavy cavalry that would later form the core of the von Eisenburg’s fighting force. This cavalry force would prove to be incredibly helpful when, in the 1350’s, Austria erupted into a civil war. Gunther threw his weight behind Frederick III and fought for him in a number of important battles. While the numbers he contributed to the effort were never especially great he knew how to utilize his cavalry heavy force and thus gained some prestige and notice above what was warranted given his contribution.

In 1355 the von Meyer family had something of a succession crisis after having lost many of its male family members in battle. Seeing an opportunity he couldn’t pass up, Gunther had the head of the von Meyer family assassinated. He then went to Frederick III and promised to provide greater support in Frederick’s war effort should he recognize and support Gunther’s claims of inheritance on the ailing von Meyer family. At first Frederick seemed to resist the temptation, but after the battle against Rudolf in 1356, in which Gunther fought spectacularly and earned himself the title of “Stalwart”, Frederick caved in. Ultimately Gunther militarily pressed his claims against the von Meyer family, with Frederick’s blessings of course, and obtained an important town and several surrounding villages.

As Austria continued to fracture Gunther came to recognize that Otto IV was in a stronger position than Frederick III. By the mid 1360’s Gunther had thrown his lot in with Otto IV.

[b]Bernhardt II “the Just” von Eisenburg (1370 - )[/b]
Bernhardt II came into power with substantially more holdings than his grandfather, but also inherited something of a financial crisis thanks to his father’s military exploits. Things only got worse as the von Eisenburg family was called to fight against Austria in the early to mid-1370’s. Seeking a quick solution to his family’s financial woes Bernhardt married the daughter of a wealthy Italian merchant and made several business arrangements with this merchant.  These arrangements allowed Bernhardt II to quickly raise the funds he needed to march to war and set him up to reconstruct the fortune his grandfather had built decades ago.

Bernhardt would prove to be decent, if not unremarkable, military leader and administrator during his reign. Despite this he quickly earned the loyalty of his subjects for his “justly and pious” reign. Ironically Bernhardt would prove to be a better philosopher and artist than ruler. As he grew older Bernhardt spent less and less time on the administration of his family’s holdings, instead choosing to pursue other “subjects of interest”. His sons Bernhardt III and Siegfried would prove to be superior military leaders and administrators. Interestingly his only daughter, Octavia, also held some interest and aptitude in these subjects.[/hider]
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Great family back story! Fits in perfectly with the story as well. You will probably going to get some land in the north, by the way.