It is known that a Jewish king has to be male, as quoted by an answer to this question.
What halachik powers did the queen (i.e. wife of the king) have within the kingdom?
Also, what historical documentation is there on this topic?
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1Correction, an APPOINTED King has to be male. Technically, there could be a single female heir to the throne who would therefore become a female king. This came up in a shiur recently, so I can't quite recall what the source for this was...– Isaac KotlickyMar 6, 2016 at 1:21
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@IsaacKotlicky So Mashiach can be a women? Moshiach isn't appointed. S/he inherits the position from their great-great....grandfather Zerubavel.– Double AA ♦Mar 6, 2016 at 4:49
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@DoubleAA I have no idea. I just know that technically a female king could occur according to the laws of kingship and inheritance as they are currently understood by Chazal.– Isaac KotlickyMar 7, 2016 at 10:45
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@IsaacKotlicky Possible, but not necessarily so. Minchas Chinuch 497:1 discusses this, but leaves it with וצ"ע.– MeirAug 18, 2020 at 17:22
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1 Answer
The queen had no official power, but they could influence the king. Often the mother of the king was a position of influence, for example:
וַתָּבֹא בַת־שֶׁבַע אֶל־הַמֶּלֶךְ שְׁלֹמֹה לְדַבֶּר־לוֹ עַל־אֲדֹנִיָּהוּ וַיָּקָם הַמֶּלֶךְ לִקְרָאתָהּ וַיִּשְׁתַּחוּ לָהּ וַיֵּשֶׁב עַל־כִּסְאוֹ וַיָּשֶׂם כִּסֵּא לְאֵם הַמֶּלֶךְ וַתֵּשֶׁב לִימִינוֹ׃
So Bathsheba went to King Solomon to speak to him about Adonijah. The king rose to greet her and bowed down to her. He sat on his throne; and he had a throne placed for the queen mother, and she sat on his right.
In addition, the mother of the king is often mentioned by the Bible. Here is a list.
