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Individual:
[Sargent.FTW]
Alias: of /Scotland/
St. Margaret of Scotland
Following the Norman invasion of England in 1066, she fled with her
mother, brother Edgar, and sister Christina. They were going to Hungary
but their ship was driven north in theFirth of Forth in Scotland. There
they were given shelter by King Malcolm III Caenmore. The King fell in
love with Princess Margaret, and they were married abt 1068. Margaret
was a devout Christian, and reformed the Scots religion and church.
(Mackie says she was "a keen intelect, great force of character;
relentless both to herself and to those dearest to her; not sparing the
rod with her children; fasting till she caused herself bodily hurt;
reproving her confessor if he were slow to reprove her." Margaret, who
had the complete adoration of her husband, directed Scots church reforms
to follow more closely the Church of Rome which she had known in Hungary
and England. She built a new church at Dunfermline; gave gold, silver,
and gems to the Church ofSt. Andrew; and furnished the oratory in
Edinburgh Castle. She was lying ill in the castle at Edinburgh when her
husband and oldest son died at Castle Alnwick--killed by the English.
Margaret died a few days later.
Feastday: November 16th. Canonized following a Papal Inquiry in 1250.
One of the Patron Saints of Scotland
St. Margaret was the grandaughter of King Edmund Ironsideof England
through his son Edward the Aethling. She had been exiled to the eastern
continent with the rest of her family when the Danes overran England. S
was well educated, mostly in Hungary. She returned to England during the
reign of her great-uncle, Edward the Confessor, but, as one of the last
remaining members of the saxon Royal Family, she was forced to flee nor
to theRoyal Scots Court at the time of the Norman Conquest.
Beautiful, intelligent and devout, Margaret brought some of the more
detailed points of current European manners, ceremony and culture to the
Scottish Court and thus highly improved its civilized reputation. She h
a taste for the finer things in life and, in 1069, she won over the Sco
King, Malcolm Canmore, and married him. Their union was exceptionally
happy and fruitful for both themselves and the Scottish nation.
Margaret was one of the principal agents of the reform of the Church of
Scotland which was, at the time, at a low point in its history. Church
councils now promoted Easter communion and abstinence from servile work
on a Sunday. Margaret founded churches, monasteries and pilgrimage
hostels, including the revival of Iona, the building of the tiny chapel
which still bears her name at Edinburgh Castle and establishment of the
Royal Mausoleum of Dunfermline Abbey with monks from Canterbury. She was
especially devoted to Scottish saints and instigated the Queen's Ferry
over the Forth so that pilgrims could more easily reach the Shrine of S
Andrew.
In her private life, Margaret was much given to prayer, reading and
ecclesiastical needlework. She also gave alms lavishly and liberated a
number of Anglo-Saxon captives. Her influence over her husband was
considerable and she brought an English slant toScottish politics for
which has sometimes been criticized. King Malacolm's initial rough
character was certainly softened by the lady.
Margaret bore theKing eight children, all with English names. Alexander
and David followed their father to the throne, whilst her daughter,
Matilda, brought the ancient Anglo-Saxon Royal bloodline into the veins
of the Norman Invaders of England when she marrie and bore children to
King Henry I. Margaret died aged forty-seven, not long after learning of
the deaths of her husband and son in a campaign against William Rufus of
England. She was buried in Dunfermline Abbey and miracles at her tomb
brought her canonization by 1249. The base of her shrinecan still be
seen at the Abbey, but her body,
Margaret of Scotland, Queen (RM)
Born in Hungary in 1045; died in Edinburgh, Scotland, 1093; additional feast day is June 10.
Margaret was the daughter of the exiled Aetheling Prince Edward (of the line of Saxon kings and son of King Edmund Ironsides) and Agatha (kinswoman of Saint Stephen of Hungary--in the line of the Roman emperors). It is believed that she and her siblings--Edgar and Christina--were all born in exile in Hungary. When Margaret was 12, her family was received at the court of her great uncle Saint Edward the Confessor. Her father died soon after their arrival in England. Although the family did not remain there long, Margaret watched the initial erection of Westminster Abbey. When the Normans conquered England in 1066, the three children and their mother escaped to Scotland, where they were received by King Malcolm, who succeeded the usurper Macbeth. Malcolm immediately fell in love with 21-year-old Margaret and asked Edgar for his sister's hand. Margaret wanted, like her sister who later became an abbess, to enter religious life, but after much prayer, she realized that her vocation was for marriage.
Malcolm (a widower) and Margaret married at Dunfermline around 1068 (their daughter Matilda married the Norman Henry I to reinstitute the old royal blood of England into the descendents of William the Conqueror).
Margaret's first task was to civilize Malcolm, an illiterate barbarian. He was jealous of her, but this allowed him to be molded, "like wax in her hands." She prayed for his conversion, taught him how to pray, and how to show mercy to the poor. After his conversion, they often prayed together. "Turgot tells how `there grew up in the King a sort of dread of offending one whose life was so venerable, for he could not but perceive from her conduct the Christ dwelt within her'" (S. P. Delany).
They were married for 16 years, had six sons and two daughters. Margaret gave them their early religious education. She never spoiled her children (see Douay Chronicles). Edward (son) killed in same battle as Malcolm. Ethelred became a lay abbot; Edmund went astray for a time, but later became a monk; Edgar, Alexander and David (David reigned 29 years) became three of Scotland's best kings; Matilda married Henry I of England (known as Good Queen Maud, who washed and kissed the feet of lepers); Mary married Count Eustace of Bologna and was the mother of Matilda of whom was born Stephen, the English king.
Margaret urged Malcolm to reform his kingdom. She ransomed slaves. She also used her influence to reform abuses in the national Church to bring the Scottish Church into harmony with the rest of the Catholic Church. She wrote to Archbishop of Canterbury, who sent Friar Goldwin and two other monks to instruct her. They settled in a Benedictine priory at Dunfermline, Fife, where she built a new and exquisite church in 1072, dedicated to the Blessed Trinity. Then an ecclessiastical council was held with Malcolm acting as interpreter. She restored the monastery at Iona, provided vestments and chalices, etc. for churches, and established a palace workshop to train women in the making of ecclessiastical vestments.
Margaret developed a deep friendship with her confessor, Prior Turgot, who built the superb Norman cathedral at Durham. He had been one of William the Conqueror's prisoners and had escaped to Norway where he had taught sacred music at the royal court. He told the story of her spiritual life in Latin (translated by W. Forbes-Leith, S.J.).
Margaret's faithful prayer brought blessings on her family and nation. She kept herself humble through severe self-discipline. She repeated Breviary daily, attended five or six Masses daily, and waited on 24 poor people before partaking of her frugal meals. Endless days of toil, nights of prayer and self-discipline brought on an early death, which she accurately predicted (Bentley, S. P. Delany).
Returning thanks after meals is known as Saint Margaret's Blessing.
Margaret, despite her appellation, was born a Saxon in 1046 in Wessex 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, against her wishes, to make her Queen of Scotland. They had six sons & two daughters.
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. Her feast day is November 16.
Feast Day: June 10 (celebrated November 16 in Scotland)
Her remains were removed to Escorial, Spain and her head to Douai, France.
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