| Saint Margaret | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Queen of Scots | |
| Born | c. 1045, Castle Réka, in the region of Southern Transdanubia, Hungary |
| Died | 16 November 1093 (aged c. 48), St Margaret's Chapel in Edinburgh Castle, Midlothian, Scotland |
| Venerated in | Roman Catholic Church; Anglican Communion |
| Canonized | 1250 by Pope Innocent IV |
| Major shrine | Dunfermline Abbey |
| Feast | November 16; June 10 (Extraordinary form of the Roman Rite) |
| Attributes | reading |
| Patronage | Dunfermline; Scotland; The Queen's Ferry; Anglo-Scottish relations |
Saint Margaret (c. 1045 – 16 November 1093), was the sister of Edgar Ætheling, the short-ruling and uncrowned Anglo-Saxon King of England. She married Malcolm III, King of Scots, becoming his Queen consort.
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Saint Margaret was the daughter of the English prince Edward the Exile, son of Edmund Ironside. She was probably born at Castle Réka, Mecseknádasd, in the region of Southern Transdanubia, Hungary. The provenance of her mother, Agatha, is disputed.
Margaret had one brother Edgar and one sister Christina.
When her uncle, Saint Edward the Confessor, the French-speaking Anglo-Saxon King of England, died in 1066, she was living in England where her brother, Edgar Ætheling, had decided to make a claim to the vacant throne.
According to tradition, after the conquest of the Kingdom of England by the Normans, the widowed Agatha decided to leave Northumberland with her children and return to the Continent. A storm drove their ship to Scotland, where they sought the protection of King Malcolm III. The spot where she is said to have landed is known today as St. Margaret's Hope, near the village of North Queensferry.
Malcolm was probably a widower, and was no doubt attracted by the prospect of marrying one of the few remaining members of the Anglo-Saxon royal family. The marriage of Malcolm and Margaret soon took place. Malcolm followed it with several invasions of Northumberland by the Scottish king, probably in support of the claims of his brother-in-law Edgar. These, however, had little result beyond the devastation of the province.
Margaret and Malcolm had eight children, six sons and two daughters:
Her husband, Malcolm III, and their eldest son, Edward, were killed in a fight against the English at Alnwick Castle on 13 November 1093. Her son Edmund was left with the task of telling his mother of their deaths. Margaret was ill, and she died on 16 November 1093, three days after the deaths of her husband and eldest son.
It is notable that while Malcolm's children by his first wife Ingibjörg all bore Gaelic names, those of Margaret all bore non-Gaelic names.
Later tradition suggests that Margaret was responsible for reducing the importance of Gaelic culture in the lowlands and Scotland in general. She probably intended the forenames of her children to bear her claims to the Anglo-Saxon throne in the period before permanent Norman rule was recognized. Her first group of children were given Anglo-Saxon royal names. But, it is unlikely that Margaret's children were originally seen as successors to the Scottish throne. Malcolm had older (grown) sons by his first marriage, as well as brothers, who were much more likely to succeed him. Furthermore, Margaret freely patronized Gaelic churchmen. The use of the Gaelic language continued to increase in northern Britain.
Nevertheless, Margaret's sons regarded their Anglo-Saxon heritage as important. It was one of the main elements which later Scottish kings used to legitimize their authority in English-speaking Lothian and northern England.
Margaret was known for having invited English Benedictine monks to Scotland, to establish the first holy orders in the nation. She admired their work and learning, and also encouraged Scottish holy men.
Saint Margaret was canonised in the year 1250 by Pope Innocent IV in recognition of her personal holiness, fidelity to the Church, work for religious reform, and charity. She attended to charitable works, and personally served orphans and the poor every day before she ate. She rose at midnight to attend church services every night. She was known for her work for religious reform. She was considered to be an exemplar of the "just ruler", and also influenced her husband and children to be just and holy rulers.
The Roman Catholic Church formerly marked the feast of Saint Margaret of Scotland on June 10, because the feast of "Saint Gertrude, Virgin" was already celebrated on November 16. In Scotland, she was venerated on November 16, the day of her death.
Per the revision of the Roman Catholic calendar of saints in 1969, the Church transferred her feast day to November 16, the actual day of her death.[1] Traditional Roman Catholics continue to celebrate the feast day of "St Margaret, Queen of Scots, Widow" on June 10 as a Semi-Double feast, or a 3rd Class feast.
Queen Margaret University (founded in 1875), Queen Margaret College (Glasgow), Queen Margaret Union, Queen Margaret Hospital (just outside Dunfermline), North Queensferry, South Queensferry, Queen Margaret Academy (Ayr), St Margaret's Academy (Livngston),Queen Margaret College (Wellington) and several streets in Scotland are named after her.
She is also venerated as a saint in the Anglican Church.
| Preceded by Ingibiorg Finnsdottir |
Consort to the King of
Scotland 1070 - 1093 |
Succeeded by unknown next known consort: Sybilla de Normandy |
Saint Margaret of Scotland (c. 1045 - 16 November, 1093) was married to Malcolm Canmore and the mother for David I of Scotland, Alexander I of Scotland and Edgar. She was the daughter of Edward the Exile and the granddaughter of Edmund Ironside. She was probably born in Hungary.
Margaret died four days after her husband.
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   | University of Pittsburgh: Margaret of Scotland - St. Margaret of Scotland |
| | Catholic Encyclopedia: St. Margaret of Scotland - CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA: Saint Margaret of Scotland |
| | here - St Margaret - LoveToKnow 1911 |
| | Queen Margaret of Scotland Girls' School Association - Queen Margaret of Scotland Girls' Schools Association |
| | Article from an individual's page - Courtly Lives - St Margaret of Scotland |
| | here - Margaret Of Scotland - LoveToKnow 1911 |
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