Why did the northern tribes choose Jeroboam as their king?

The northern tribes chose Jeroboam as their king primarily due to their grievances regarding the oppressive domestic policies and heavy labor demands imposed during Solomon’s reign.12

Following Solomon's death, the 10 northern tribes gathered at Shechem to request that his son and successor, Rehoboam, lighten the heavy yoke of forced labor and taxation established by his father. When Rehoboam rejected these terms and threatened to increase their burden, the northern tribes revolted, declaring, "To your tents, O Israel".12

The tribes turned to Jeroboam, a former overseer of forced labor battalions who had previously fled to Egypt to escape Solomon’s political suspicions. His leadership provided the northern tribes with a viable alternative to the Davidic monarchy, leading to the division of the united kingdom into the northern kingdom of Israel and the southern kingdom of Judah.123