| Notes |
- Margaret, despite her appellation, was born a Saxon in 1046 and raised
in Hungary. She came to England in 1066 when her uncle, King Edward
the Confessor, died and Margaret's brother, Edgar Atheling, decided to
make a claim to the English throne. The English nobles preferred
Harold of Wessex over Edgar, but later that year Duke William of
Normandy made it all rather a moot point by invading England and
establishing himself as King. Many members of the English nobility
sought refuge in the court of King Malcolm III Canmore of Scotland,
who had himself been an exile in England during the reign of Macbeth.
Among the English refugees were Margaret and Edgar. While King Malcom
was hospitable to all his new guests, he was rather more hospitable to
Margaret, marrying her in 1070 to make her Queen of Scotland.
Margaret impressed not only Malcolm but many other members of the
Scottish Court both for her knowledge of continental customs gained in
the court of Hungary, and also for her piety. She became highly
influential, both indirectly by her influence on Malcolm as well as
through direct activities on her part. Prominent among these
activities was religious reform. Margaret instigated reforms within
the Scottish church, as well as development of closer ties to the
larger Roman Church in order to avoid a schism between the Celtic
Church and Rome. Further, Margaret was a patroness both of the célidé,
Scottish Christian hermits, and also the Benedictine Order. Although
Benedictine monks were prominent throughout western continental
Europe, there were previously no Benedictine monasteries known to
exist in Scotland. Margaret therefore invited English Benedictine
monks to establish monasteries in her kingdom.
On the more secular side, Margaret introduced continental fashions,
manners, and ceremony to the Scottish court. The popularization of
continental fashions had the side-effect of introducing foreign
merchants to Scotland, increasing economic ties and communication
between Scotland and the continent. Margaret was also a patroness of
the arts and education. Further, Malcolm sought Maragret's advice on
matters of state, and together with other English exiles Margaret was
influential in introducing English-style feudalism and parliament to
Scotland.
Margaret was also active in works of charity. Margaret frequently
visited and cared for the sick, and on a larger scale had hostels
constructed for the poor. She was also in the habit, particularly
during Advent and Lent, of holding feasts for as many as 300 commoners
in the royal castle.
King Malcolm, meanwhile, was engaged in a contest with William the
Conqueror over Northumbria and Cambria. After an unsuccessful 1070
invasion by Malcom into Northumbria followed by an unsuccessful 1072
invasion by William into Scotland, Malcom paid William homage,
resulting in temporary peace. William further made assurance of this
peace by demanding Malcolm's eldest son Donald (by Malcolm's previous
wife Ingibjorg) as a hostage. Time passed, William the Conqueror died,
and The Conqueror's son William Rufus took the throne of England.
Hostilities again arose between Scotland and England, and in the
ensuing unpleasantness Malcolm was killed along with Edward, the
eldest son of Malcom and Margaret.
Margaret had already been ill when Malcolm and Edward went off to
battle. Her surviving children tried to hide the fact of their deaths,
for fear of worsening her condition. But Margaret learnt the truth,
and whether due to her illness or a broken heart, Margaret died four
days after her husband and son, on November 16, 1093.
The death of both King and Queen led, unfortunately, to yet another
unpleasant disagreement, this time over who should take their places
on the throne. The most likely candidate was Malcom's eldest son
Donald, the one who had been taken hostage by William the Conqueror.
This was also the favorite candidate of William Rufus, for during his
stay in England Donald had developed a favorable view of the Normans.
However, Donald's claim to the throne was contested by Malcom's
brother, Donald Bán, together with Malcom and Margaret's son Edmund.
Donald Bán was opposed to having a Norman sympathizer on the throne of
Scotland, and claimed the throne for himself. Both Donald MacMalcom
and Donald Bán held the throne briefly, and lost it violently, before
Edgar, son of Malcom and Margaret, came to the throne. He was
succeeded by his brothers, Alexander and David. Alexander smoothed
over relations with England by marrying the daughter of King Henry I
and arranging for Henry to marry Alexander's sister Matilda. Edgar and
David carried on their mother's reputation for sanctity, both in their
service to the poor and their patronage of religious orders, and David
was later canonized. Quite a celebrated family when you consider that
Margaret's uncle is also known as Saint Edward the Confessor.
Margaret herself was declared a saint in 1250, particularly for her
work for religious reform and her charitable works. She herself was
considered to be an exemplar of the just ruler, and also influenced
her husband and children to be just and holy rulers. She was further
declared Patroness of Scotland in 1673.
In her position as queen, all Margaret's great influence was thrown
into the cause of religion and piety. A synod was held, and among the
special reforms instituted the most important were the regulation of
the Lenten fast, observance of the Easter communion, and the removal
of certain abuses concerning marriage within the prohibited degrees.
Her private life was given up to constant prayer and practices of
piety. She founded several churches, including the Abbey of
Dunfermline, built to enshrine her greatest treasure, a relic of the
true Cross. Her book of the Gospels, richly adorned with jewels, which
one day dropped into a river and was according to legend miraculously
recovered, is now in the Bodleian library at Oxford. She foretold the
day of her death, which took place at Edinburgh on 16 Nov., 1093, her
body being buried before the high altar at Dunfermline.
In 1250 Margaret was canonized by Innocent IV, and her relics were
translated on 19 June, 1259, to a new shrine, the base of which is
still visible beyond the modern east wall of the restored church. At
the Reformation her head passed into the possession of Mary Queen of
Scots, and later was secured by the Jesuits at Douai, where it is
believed to have perished during the French Revolution. According to
George Conn, "De duplici statu religionis apud Scots" (Rome, 1628),
the rest of the relics, together with those of Malcolm, were acquired
by Philip II of Spain, and placed in two urns in the Escorial. When,
however, Bishop Gillies of Edinburgh applied through Pius IX for their
restoration to Scotland, they could not be found.
The chief authority for Margaret's life is the contemporary biography
printed in "Acta SS.", II, June, 320. Its authorship has been ascribed
to Turgot, the saint's confessor, a monk of Durham and later
Archbishop of St. Andrews, and also to Theodoric, a somewhat obscure
monk; but in spite of much controversy the point remains quite
unsettled. The feast of St. Margaret is now observed by the whole
Church on 10 June.
Feast Day: June 10 (celebrated November 16 in Scotland)
|
1045 - 1093 (48 years)