Margaret of Scotland (
Old Norse
Old Norse, Old Nordic, or Old Scandinavian, is a stage of development of North Germanic dialects before their final divergence into separate Nordic languages. Old Norse was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and their overseas settlemen ...
: ''Margrét Alexandersdóttir'';
Norwegian
Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to:
*Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe
* Norwegians, both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway
* Demographics of Norway
*The Norwegian language, including ...
: ''Margrete Alexandersdotter'';
Scottish Gaelic
Scottish Gaelic ( gd, Gàidhlig ), also known as Scots Gaelic and Gaelic, is a Goidelic language (in the Celtic branch of the Indo-European language family) native to the Gaels of Scotland. As a Goidelic language, Scottish Gaelic, as well ...
: ''Maighread Nic Rìgh Alasdair''; 28 February 1261 – 9 April 1283) was
Queen of Norway
The list of Norwegian monarchs ( no, kongerekken or ''kongerekka'') begins in 872: the traditional dating of the Battle of Hafrsfjord, after which victorious King Harald Fairhair merged several petty kingdoms into that of his father. Named after ...
as the wife of
King Eric II.
[''Margrete Aleksandersdotter – utdypning'' (Store norske leksikon)]
/ref> She is sometimes known as the Maid of Scotland to distinguish her from her daughter, Margaret, Maid of Norway
Margaret (, ; March or April 1283 – September 1290), known as the Maid of Norway, was the queen-designate of Scotland from 1286 until her death. As she was never inaugurated, her status as monarch is uncertain and has been debated by historian ...
, who succeeded to the throne of Scotland.
Early life
Margaret was born on 28 February 1261 at Windsor Castle
Windsor Castle is a royal residence at Windsor in the English county of Berkshire. It is strongly associated with the English and succeeding British royal family, and embodies almost a millennium of architectural history.
The original c ...
. She was the firstborn child of King Alexander III of Scotland
Alexander III (Medieval ; Modern Gaelic: ; 4 September 1241 – 19 March 1286) was King of Scots from 1249 until his death. He concluded the Treaty of Perth, by which Scotland acquired sovereignty over the Western Isles and the Isle of Man. His ...
and Margaret of England, Alexander's first wife. A committee of five earls, four bishops, and four barons were tasked with ensuring that the King's firstborn child was brought safely to Scotland. She was followed by two brothers, Alexander
Alexander is a male given name. The most prominent bearer of the name is Alexander the Great, the king of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia who created one of the largest empires in ancient history.
Variants listed here are Aleksandar, Al ...
and David. Queen Margaret (of England) died in 1275, but letters written by the younger Margaret point to an affectionate relationship with her uncle King Edward I of England
Edward I (17/18 June 1239 – 7 July 1307), also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 1272 to 1307. Concurrently, he ruled the duchies of Aquitaine and Gascony as a vas ...
.
Marriage
Margaret stayed unmarried until the age of 20, which is remarkably long for a medieval princess. She was finally betrothed to Eric II, king of Norway
The Norwegian monarch is the head of state of Norway, which is a constitutional and hereditary monarchy with a parliamentary system. The Norwegian monarchy can trace its line back to the reign of Harald Fairhair and the previous petty kingd ...
, in 1281. The intent was to ease the tensions that developed between Norway and Scotland in the previous decades. According to chroniclers, Margaret was against the match, but her father insisted.[ The Scottish crown gave her and Eric the estates of ]Rothiemay
Milltown of Rothiemay (Scottish Gaelic: ''Ràth a' Mhuigh'') is a small inland village, built mostly of granite, in the north-east of Scotland and is within the Moray council area bordering neighbouring Aberdeenshire across the river to the s ...
in Banffshire, Belhelvie in Aberdeenshire, Bathgate
Bathgate ( sco, Bathket or , gd, Both Chèit) is a town in West Lothian, Scotland, west of Livingston, Scotland, Livingston and adjacent to the M8 motorway (Scotland), M8 motorway. Nearby towns are Armadale, West Lothian, Armadale, Blackburn, ...
in West Lothian, and Ratho
Ratho ( gd, Ràthach) is a village in the Rural West Edinburgh area of Edinburgh, Scotland. Its population at the 2011 census was 1,634 based on the 2010 definition of the locality. It was formerly in the old county of Midlothian. Ratho Stati ...
in Midlothian as her dowry
A dowry is a payment, such as property or money, paid by the bride's family to the groom or his family at the time of marriage. Dowry contrasts with the related concepts of bride price and dower. While bride price or bride service is a payment ...
. The treaty arranging the marriage specified that Margaret and her children would succeed to the throne of Scotland if King Alexander died leaving no legitimate sons and if no legitimate son of his left legitimate children.
Margaret sailed into the port of Bergen in the early morning of 15 August. Her marriage to the 13-year-old king of Norway was celebrated two or three weeks later, making her queen of Norway
The list of Norwegian monarchs ( no, kongerekken or ''kongerekka'') begins in 872: the traditional dating of the Battle of Hafrsfjord, after which victorious King Harald Fairhair merged several petty kingdoms into that of his father. Named after ...
. She was crowned by Jon Raude
Jon Raude (died 21 December 1282), nicknamed the Steadfast (), was Archbishop of Nidaros from October 1267 until his death in 1282. As Archbishop, Raude championed the rights and privileges of the Church against the temporal authority of the ki ...
, Archbishop of Nidaros, Christ Church, Bergen
Christ Church on Holmen (''Kristkirken på Holmen i Bergen'') was the main medieval era cathedral of Bergen, Norway. Its site was near Haakon's hall (''Håkonshallen'') and Bergenhus Fortress (''Bergenhus festning'').
History
Christ Church ...
.[ A cultured woman, Margaret probably found it difficult to adapt to married life with an adolescent. Scots reported that she tried to "cultivate" Eric by teaching him French and English, table manners, and fashion. Her mother-in-law, Ingeborg of Denmark, undermined her position as queen and dominated the court.][
Between March and 9 April 1283, Queen Margaret gave birth to her only child, Margaret, known as the Maid of Norway, in ]Tønsberg
Tønsberg , historically Tunsberg, is a city and municipality in Vestfold og Telemark county, eastern Norway, located around south-southwest of Oslo on the western coast of the Oslofjord near its mouth onto the Skagerrak. The administrative c ...
. She died during or shortly after childbirth, and was buried in Christ Church in Bergen. As Margaret's brothers both predeceased her father, her daughter succeeded to the Scottish throne in 1286.
References
Sources
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Further reading
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Margaret Of Scotland, Queen Of Norway
1261 births
1283 deaths
Deaths in childbirth
Norwegian royal consorts
Scottish princesses
House of Dunkeld
Heirs to the Scottish throne
Burials at Christ Church, Bergen
Norway–Scotland relations
House of Sverre
13th-century Scottish people
13th-century Scottish women
13th-century Norwegian people
13th-century Norwegian women
Daughters of kings