What was a medieval queen expected to do?

Answer 1

Of course, the expectations depended greatly on who the queen was (if there was one), what the laws of the land were, and what the culture was. There was a great deal of variation.

There were things that remained uniform throughout the Middle Ages, however. One was the hope, possibly with the expectation, that the queen would have a son, who could be the heir. Another was the expectation was that queens would provide diplomatic support, which was what ultimately underlay royal wedding linking royal families. Some queens gave advice in the form of criticism or support of royal policy.

A king was interested in the continuity of rule after his death. If he died young and had an heir, the queen would have to be involved not only in the upbringing of the young king, but in the government until he came of age. A king could not stay at court at all times, sometimes he had to go off to war, pilgrimage, crusade, or for other reasons, and during such times, the queen had to be his representative. These things meant that the queen had to be able to rule, even if she did not actually do so.

Of course, there were queens who ruled on their own. We have many examples of these. Two who are my favorites were Ethelfleda of Mercia, and Margaret I of Denmark.

There are links below.

Answer 2

Medieval kings were expected to rule wisely and justly, protect their kingdoms and vassals, produce heirs to the throne, and obey the Church.

Of course, not every king lived up to expectations.