Board Thread:TV Show Discussion/@comment-1399600-20160629121258/@comment-5308269-20170315161549

Kai200995 wrote: I understand why using real life sources may seem plausible but we're talking about the Game of Thrones universe. As I said before, Robb was King of the Trident (Riverlands) and ruled from the ruling seat of the Riverlands, Riverrun, but that did not make him Lord of Riverrun*, that title belonged to Edmure Tully. Which parallel to the following; Jon is the King in the North, and rules from the ruling seat of the North, Winterfell, but he is not the Lord of Winterfell*, that's currently Sansa Stark. Sansa was passed over for being the monarch of the entire North, but that did not disinherit her from her seat as LoW.

I understand that using real life sources of Medieval society for the Game of Thrones universe is a plausible means of understanding Westerosi society, precisely because JRR Martin has used it as his inspiration for his story. To pretend otherwise and come up with excuses to explain away plot inconsistencies is simply wrong.
 * Even though Robb [the grandson of Hoster Tully and Jon [the bastard and last living son of Ned Stark] both were Kings of the respective regions they weren't next in line for those individual lordships. Despite the fact they can and did rule from their seats. You can be the King of the entire region but that doesnt mean you can inherit your half sister or uncle house; the rules of inheritance still apply to land.
 * Even though Robb [the grandson of Hoster Tully and Jon [the bastard and last living son of Ned Stark] both were Kings of the respective regions they weren't next in line for those individual lordships. Despite the fact they can and did rule from their seats. You can be the King of the entire region but that doesnt mean you can inherit your half sister or uncle house; the rules of inheritance still apply to land.

Robb Stark being King of the Trident as well as the North is analogous to King Edward I Plantagenet being Lord Paramount of Scotland, while Robert Balliol sat on the Scottish throne, or being Lord of Ireland while only having direct rule over the Pale of Dublin with the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland governing in his name. Even the Baratheon's and Targaryens was the direct sovereign of each of the Seven Kingdoms without owning estates in any of them. But they still had the Crownlands as their personal fiefdom. The lands of Winterfell are the bedrock of the Kingdom of the North, and Jon needed to capture Winterfell before he could rally the Northern houses to his cause. A cause his sister started.