How did queens in the middle ages become queens?

Answer 1

Queen Elizabeth's father was King Henry VIII. King Henry died but Elizabeth's Half brother Edward became king at the age nine! Six years after Kind Edward died and Elizabeth half sister Mary became queen. She didn't last long as queen and Elizabeth was appointed to the throne.

Answer 2

Most queens were consorts, meaning that they were married to monarchs. They became queens because they married men who became or were monarchs.

Some queens were queens regnant, meaning that they were the monarchs themselves. These women inherited their thrones in default of male heirs.

In some European countries, including France, the Holy Roman Empire, and Denmark, the laws on monarchy made it impossible for women to reign. In others, they were allowed to, but since any brothers they might have inherited ahead of them, the women did not become queens often.

England and Scotland permitted women to be monarchs, but none was ever crowned in either place during the Middle Ages; both had women who very nearly were crowned. There were a number of monarchies in Spain, and there were a lot of ruling queens there. There was at least one queen of Poland, and there were a number of Empresses who ruled the Byzantine Empire. There were other queens in other places in Europe.

In Denmark, a remarkable woman who had ruled as regent for her son for eight years before he died, was asked to rule even though it was technically against the law for her to do so. She was Margaret I of Denmark. The nobility regarded her as wise, very competent, and a much better choice than the alternative. The "rightful" heir sent an army to force her off the throne, but she destroyed it. She ruled for over two more decades, and became queen of Sweden, Norway and Iceland in addition, creating the Kalmar Union, which lasted from 1397 to 1523.