Thinky Thoughts III

The reason that Shaan's people have female princes- an anointed king's children are all sons (by mutual agreement of all the accepted kings) so that they don't have to pay out dowries and thus maintain greater wealth, and so that inheritance can't be sidestepped by having someone marry a king's daughter.  He hasn't got any daughters by the laws of his own people, therefore the property stays in his direct line rather than be swallowed up by someone else who might get ambitious about offing Papa-In-Law. 

These sorts of things have gotten rather vicious in the past, so they squashed it in order to move past the really chaotic barbarian tribe stage (now they just steal sheep instead of daughters).