Mary of Scotland (1082–1116) was the younger daughter of

Malcolm III of Scotland Malcolm III (; ; –13 November 1093) was List of Scottish monarchs, King of Alba from 1058 to 1093. He was later nicknamed "Canmore" (, , understood as "great chief"). Malcolm's long reign of 35 years preceded the beginning of the Scoto-Norma ...

and his second wife, Margaret of Wessex. Mary was a member of the

House of Dunkeld The House of Dunkeld (in or "of the Caledonians") is a historiographical and genealogical construct to illustrate the clear succession of Scottish kings from 1034 to 1040 and from 1058 to 1286. The line is also variously referred to by historian ...

by birth and

Countess of Boulogne Count of Boulogne was a historical title in the Kingdom of France. The city of Boulogne-sur-Mer became the centre of the County of Boulogne during the ninth century. Little is known of the early counts, but the first holder of the title is rec ...

by marriage.

Life

In 1086, Mary and her sister,

Matilda Matilda or Mathilda may refer to: Animals * Matilda (chicken) (1990–2006), World's Oldest Living Chicken record holder * Mathilda (gastropod), ''Mathilda'' (gastropod), a genus of gastropods in the family Mathildidae * Matilda (horse) (1824–1 ...

, were sent by their parents to

Romsey Abbey Romsey Abbey is the name currently given to a parish church of the Church of England in Romsey, a market town in Hampshire, England. Until the Dissolution of the Monasteries it was the church of a Benedictine Order, Benedictine nunnery. The surv ...

. Their maternal aunt, Christina, was abbess there. The girls spent their early years at the monastery, where they also received part of their education. Some time before 1093, they went to

Wilton Abbey Wilton Abbey was a Benedictine convent in Wiltshire, England, three miles west of Salisbury, probably on the site now occupied by Wilton House. It was active from the early tenth century until 1539. History Foundation Wilton Abbey is first re ...

, which also had a reputation as a centre of learning, to finish their education. Matilda received many proposals for marriage but refused them all for the time being. Matilda finally left the monastery in 1100 to marry King

Henry I of England Henry I ( – 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 1087, Henr ...

. The marriage was controversial because it was not clear whether the girls had been veiled as nuns. Mary herself had left the abbey in 1096. Matilda wanted her to marry as well, so Henry I arranged a match with

Eustace III, Count of Boulogne Eustace III (c. 1050 – c. 1125) was the count of Boulogne from 1087 succeeding his father, Eustace II. He joined the First Crusade, being present at Nicaea, Dorylaeum, Antioch, and Jerusalem. After fighting in the battle of Ascalon, he returned ...

. The couple had a daughter,

, who succeeded Eustace and later became Queen of England. Mary died in 1116, nine years before her husband. She was buried at the Cluniac abbey at Bermondsey.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Boulogne, Mary of Scotland, Countess of 1082 births 1116 deaths Anglo-Normans

Mary Mary may refer to: People * Mary (name), a female given name (includes a list of people with the name) Religion * New Testament people named Mary, overview article linking to many of those below * Mary, mother of Jesus, also called the Blesse ...

Countesses of Boulogne Scottish princesses Anglo-Norman women 11th-century Scottish women 11th-century Scottish people 12th-century Scottish women 12th-century Scottish people 11th-century English women 11th-century English people 12th-century English women 12th-century English nobility Daughters of kings