Why there never was a Queen in the North?

[Ludd]

It is MUCH more likely that the North originally followed a matrilineal rule of succession, as existed in Scotland before it was effectively annexed by the Normans. The North seems heavily modelled on Scotland. This probably CHANGED around the time of the kneeling to Aegon.

Now the way that the Scottish rules worked was that the king would be CHOSEN from amongst the brothers and sons of the old king's wife or daughters. The strongest warrior would often be chosen. Nephews would often succeed uncles.

I also have a strong su spicion that the inheritance of the King of Winter title did NOT follow male primogeniture rules. I am guessing that it went VIA the MOTHER. The way this may have worked (and DID in ancient Briton, was that the eldest son of the girl "Queen" would be king of Winter but when he died the next king would be the eldest son of the eldest DAUGHTER.

The other reason that there were no Queens is that when the woman married her husband becomes King.

Finally it must be understood that this was the Middle ages. In this era being a woman was DANGEROUS. Many women died in childbirth and even if they did not die for perhaps 25% of every year they would NOT have been able to ride on horseback, an essential element for a ruler, who needed to constantly travel from site to site to control the kingdom AND to feed the army. Roads were terrible and it was wiser for armies to move from site to site than to import food to a capital.

In an era before birth control married women would be CONSTANTLY pregnant or breast feeding. This was normal and as I was told by a gynecologist years ago, this idea of women EVER having periods (moon blood) is entirely of the very modern era. In most previous generations, girls might have menstruated once or twice, then married and had kids ever after. A woman who gives birth and then breast feeds suppresses her period but if she does NOT breast feed she will immediately become pregnant again.

So any ruling "Queen" would be heavily pregnant (ie last trimester) for 3 months in every 24 (ie not really up to long horseback rides, nor wielding a sword or battle axe) and breast feeding a young baby for another 6 months in every 24.. While it is not impossible to rule in this situation it is bloody difficult. It is hardly surprising therefore that the woman's partner was the ruler.