Ermengarde de Beaumont (c. 1170 – 11 February 1233/1234) was Queen of Scotland as the wife of King William I. She is reported to have exerted influence over the affairs of state as queen, though the information of her is lacking in detail. Her paternal grandmother is Constance FitzRoy, illegitimate daughter of

Henry I of England Henry I (c. 1068 – 1 December 1135), also known as Henry Beauclerc, was King of England from 1100 to his death in 1135. He was the fourth son of William the Conqueror and was educated in Latin and the liberal arts. On William's death in ...

Life

Ermengarde was born c. 1170 to , Viscount of Beaumont-le-Vicomte, Fresnay and Ste-Suzanne, and (died aft. 1217). She married King

William I of Scotland William the Lion, sometimes styled William I and also known by the nickname Garbh, "the Rough"''Uilleam Garbh''; e.g. Annals of Ulster, s.a. 1214.6; Annals of Loch Cé, s.a. 1213.10. ( 1142 – 4 December 1214), reigned as King of Scots from 11 ...

at the royal chapel at

Woodstock Palace Woodstock Palace was a royal residence in the English town of Woodstock, Oxfordshire. Henry I of England built a hunting lodge here and in 1129 he built of walls to create the first enclosed park, where lions and leopards were kept. The lodge b ...

near Oxford in England on 5 September 1186 by Baldwin, Archbishop of Canterbury. The marriage was arranged by King

Henry II of England Henry II (5 March 1133 – 6 July 1189), also known as Henry Curtmantle (french: link=no, Court-manteau), Henry FitzEmpress, or Henry Plantagenet, was King of England from 1154 until his death in 1189, and as such, was the first Angevin kin ...

, who was at the time the acknowledged overlord of Scotland: William considered her status beneath him, but agreed after Henry offered to pay for the entire wedding, land valued at 100 merks and 40 knight's fees, and to return the castles that he had forfeited, one of them being Edinburgh. The chronicler

Walter Bower Walter Bower (or Bowmaker; 24 December 1449) was a Scottish canon regular and abbot of Inchcolm Abbey in the Firth of Forth, who is noted as a chronicler of his era. He was born about 1385 at Haddington, East Lothian, in the Kingdom of Scot ...

described Ermengarde as 'an extraordinary woman, gifted with a charming and witty eloquence'. Though William had many lovers before his marriage, the aging monarch was reportedly never unfaithful to her after their wedding. The relatives of Ermengarde benefited from her status as queen. She is recorded to have presided with the Bishop of St. Andrews over a complex court case. In 1207, there was a complaint by a canon that a royal chaplain obtained the bishopric of Glasgow by bribing the King and the Queen. Queen Ermengarde is credited with mediating a renegotiation of the 1209 treaty, probably due to her husband's incapacity. Due to the illness of William, Ermengarde took over some of his duties during his later years, and there is evidence that she wielded considerable influence in public affairs. In 1212, she accompanied William with their children to King

John of England John (24 December 1166 – 19 October 1216) was King of England from 1199 until his death in 1216. He lost the Duchy of Normandy and most of his other French lands to King Philip II of France, resulting in the collapse of the Angevin ...

to secure the succession of their son

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 ...

. Ermengarde was described as distraught and lethargic over her husband's death in 1214. As queen dowager, she devoted her time to the foundation of a Cistercian abbey at

Balmerino Balmerino is a small village and former monastic centre in Fife, Scotland. It is the home of Balmerino Abbey and the former abbots of Balmerino who were great regional landlords. It became a secular lordship in 1605 when the abbey's lands wer ...

in Fife. It was completed in 1229, and she often visited it as a guest with her son Alexander. She stayed at the abbey many times.

Children

* Margaret of Scotland (1193–1259). Married

Hubert de Burgh, 1st Earl of Kent Hubert de Burgh, Earl of Kent (; ; ; c.1170 – before 5 May 1243) was an English nobleman who served as Chief Justiciar of England and Ireland during the reigns of King John and of his son and successor King Henry III and, as a consequen ...

. *

Isabella of Scotland Isabella Stewart (autumn of 1426 – 13 October 1494/5 March 1499), was a Scottish princess who became Duchess of Brittany by marriage to Francis I of Brittany. Also known as Isabel, she was the second daughter of James I of Scotland and ...

(1195–1253). Married

Roger Bigod, 4th Earl of Norfolk Roger Bigod (c. 1209–1270) was 4th Earl of Norfolk and Marshal of England. Origins He was the eldest son and heir of Hugh Bigod, 3rd Earl of Norfolk (1182-1225) by his wife Maud, a daughter of William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke (1147-1219) ...

. *

Alexander II of Scotland Alexander II ( Medieval Gaelic: '; Modern Gaelic: '; 24 August 1198 – 6 July 1249) was King of Scotland from 1214 until his death. He concluded the Treaty of York (1237) which defined the boundary between England and Scotland, virtually un ...

(1198–1249). *Marjorie of Scotland (1200–1244). Married

Gilbert Marshal, 4th Earl of Pembroke Gilbert Marshal, 4th Earl of Pembroke (c. 1207 - 27 June 1241) was the third son of William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke and Countess Isabel, the daughter of Richard son of Gilbert, earl of Striguil. Early life By calculating back from the ...

. She died on 12 February 1233/1234, and was buried at St Edward of

Balmerino Abbey Balmerino Abbey, or St Edward's Abbey, in Balmerino, Fife, Scotland, was a Cistercian monastic community which has been ruinous since the 16th century. History It was founded from 1227 to 1229 by monks from Melrose Abbey with the patronage ...

Fife Fife (, ; gd, Fìobha, ; sco, Fife) is a council area, historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area of Scotland. It is situated between the Firth of Tay and the Firth of Forth, with inland boundaries with Perth and Kinross ...

References

Alison Weir Alison Weir ( Matthews; born 1951) is a British author and public historian. She primarily writes about the history of English royal women and families, in the form of biographies that explore their historical setting. She has also written nu ...

, ''Britain's Royal Families: The Complete Genealogy'' * "The Kings and Queens of Scotland" edited by Richard Oram * "Scottish Queens 1034-1714" by Rosalind K. Marshall * "British Kings and Queens" by Mike Ashley

External links

"Ermengarde de Beaumont"
at ''The Peerage'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Ermengarde De Beaumont Scottish royal consorts House of Dunkeld 1170s births 1230s deaths 12th-century Scottish women 13th-century Scottish women 12th-century Scottish people 13th-century Scottish people 12th-century French women 13th-century French women 12th-century French people 13th-century French people Queen mothers