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Exclave Independence

When a ruler dies, they lose control of territory not connected to their de jure lands.

* De jure lands are the provinces under all of the dying ruler's primary-tier titles. (For counts or titular kings, the capital is used instead.)

* Provinces can be connected through adjacent controlled provinces. You may also allow sea connections as a Game Rule.

Disconnected demesne counties are given to new rulers, who then become independent. However, since the new rulers are only count tier and share your religion and culture, they are likely to accept vassalization if you can become adjacent to them again quickly.

Disconnected vassals also become independent. A vassal who controls both connected and disconnected parts of your realm will remain your vassal. However, when such a vassal dies, make sure their heirs are all still connected!

These rules are intended to reduce bordergore without punishing realms that expand in reasonable ways.

Examples:

* The screenshots above. West Francia loses two disconnected counties on the king's death, and so does Burgundy. Germany appears to have a disconnected county, but retains it because it is part of the de jure Kingdom of Germany.

* Byzantine expansion. The islands of Sardinia remain part of the realm only because they are part of the de jure lands of our vassal King of Italy. Venice remains part of the realm only because the county of Venezia is a de jure part of the Byzantine empire.

* Italy wins a holy war for Tunis. The king is likely to eventually lose control of these provinces. He can make one of his vassals be duke of both Tunis and Tuscany, but this will only hold until the vassal experiences gavelkind. He can give each duke one province in Tunis, but upon their deaths, new counts will be generated as direct vassals of the king. He can conquer more land and create the Kingdom of Africa, but now his entire realm is subject to a gavelkind split.