Saint Margaret of Scotland

The daughter of the English prince Edward the Exile, son of Edmund Ironside, Margaret was probably born in Hungary. In 1067 the Hungarian widow and the children of Edward fled from Northumberland with a large number of followers and sought the protection of the Scottish king Malcolm Canmore. The marriage of Malcolm and Margaret soon took place and was followed by 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.

Far more important were the effects of this alliance upon the history of Scotland. A considerable portion of the old Northumbrian kingdom had been reduced by the Scottish kings in the previous century, but up to this time the English population had little influence upon the ruling element of the kingdom. Malcolm's marriage undoubtedly improved the condition of the English to a great extent, and under Margaret's sons, Edgar, Alexander I and David I, the Scottish court practically became anglicized.

Margaret died on 16 November 1093, four days after her husband and her eldest son Edward, who were slain in an invasion of Northumberland. She rebuilt the monastery of Iona, and was canonised in 1251 on account of her great benefactions to the Church.

The Roman Catholic church marks the feast of Saint Margaret of Scotland on 10 June.

See Chronicles of the Picts and Scots (Edinburgh, 1867) edited 1876, by W. F. Skene; and W. F. Skene, Celtic Scotland (Edinburgh).

Original text from 1911 Encyclopaedia Britannica.