Who was St Margaret of Scotland and why is she essential?

16 November is the day when people remember St Margaret of Scotland. She was born in Hungary and have become Queen of Scotland, where she restored the religious lifetime of the country. This is her story …

Family History

Margaret was from the old English Saxon royal family that ruled Wessex, which had fled into exile — first from the Danes and Vikings, after which from the Normans. She was descended from King Alfred the Great and related to Edward the Confessor.

Exile in Hungary

How St Margaret got here to be born in Hungary in 1045 is rooted within the complicated politics of the so-called English Dark Ages. Margaret’s grandfather, Edmund Ironside, was the son of King Ethelred II, referred to as “the Unready.” Edmund Ironside was briefly King of England in 1016. After battles with the Danes, Edmund died — some say he was murdered — and King Canute (Cnut), the Danish king, became King of England. King Edmund’s two sons, Edward and Edmund, were sent into exile and ended up in Hungary.

In Hungary, Edmund died, and Edward, referred to as “the Exile,” married Agatha, said to be the daughter of the King of Hungary and related to the saintly King Stephen of Hungary. Edward the Exile and Agatha had three children born in Hungary: Edgar, Margaret, and Cristina. These children grew up speaking English, using Latin, and possibly knew Hungarian (Magyar).

Return to England

Meanwhile, Danish dominance in England resulted in 1042, and Edward the Confessor, half-brother of Edmund Ironside, became king. In 1057, during his reign, it was considered protected for his nephew Edward “the Exile” to return to England and convey his Hungarian-born children Edgar, Margaret, and Cristina. As a nephew of the childless Edward the Confessor, Edward the Exile was seen because the heir. However, he died before Edward the Confessor, leaving his son Edgar Atheling as heir.

When Edward the Confessor died in 1066, England needed a powerful king within the face of Norse and Norman threats, and the Witan (Saxon Parliament) elected Edward’s brother-in-law, Harold Godwinson, as king. King Harold II immediately defeated a Norse invasion at Stamford Bridge, then headed south with a depleted and drained army to face a Norman invasion near Hastings.

Exile to Scotland

When King Harold II was killed on the Battle of Hastings in 1066, the Witan elected Edgar Atheling as King of England. He is usually called Edgar II and was technically the last titular king of England. He was on account of be crowned at Westminster Abbey but never formally ruled. He submitted to William at Berkhamsted Castle in Hertfordshire, after which William the Conqueror headed to London and had himself crowned as a substitute.

Edgar’s life was then in peril, as many English considered him the true king, making him a possible threat in William’s eyes. In 1068 Edgar, his mother Agatha, and his sisters Cristina and Margaret fled England for safety. Some say they were heading to Europe on the method to Hungary when their ship was blown off track. In any case, they ended up in Scotland, where they were welcomed by King Malcolm III of Alba on the royal court at Dunfermline.

Margaret and her sister Cristina were strong Christians and were known for his or her prayer and devotion. Margaret stayed in Scotland, but Cristina returned to England to turn out to be abbess of the convent at Romsey in Hampshire.

Queen of Scotland

In 1070 Edgar Atheling married King Malcolm’s sister Margaret Canmore, and King Malcolm III married Margaret of Wessex, who became Queen Margaret of Scotland. Malcolm III tried to assist Edgar reclaim the throne of England, but to no avail. Meanwhile, King Malcolm and Queen Margaret had eight children, and she or he grew to like her adopted country. It is alleged that she and Malcolm spoke English and that she never became fluent in Gaelic. Their six sons were Edward, Edmund, Ethelred, Edgar, Alexander, and David; their two daughters, Edith and Mary, were sent to be taught by Cristina at Romsey.

Church Reforms

Queen Margaret despaired on the state of the Church in Scotland on the time and instituted many reforms. She found a corrupt Church whose rites aligned more with ancient Celtic traditions than with the Catholic traditions she knew from Hungary and England. She called Church Councils to deal with reforms and standardise practices. As a result, the observance of Lent became common, and the Christian day of rest was modified to Sunday as a substitute of Saturday.

Queen Margaret founded churches, monasteries, and hostels; notably, she restored the Abbey at Iona and established the abbey at Dunfermline. She cared for the needy through charitable works and founded schools, hospitals, and orphanages. She also used her influence with King Malcolm III to enhance life among the many Scottish clans. She redeemed English slaves by buying their freedom.

She sought to make travel easier for pilgrims in Scotland and opened the historic “Queen’s Ferry” route across the Firth of Forth to assist pilgrims visiting the supposed relics of St Andrew at St Andrews in Fife. She became referred to as the “Pearl of Scotland” and an archetype of the “just ruler.”

Death

King Malcolm III died in 1093, and Queen Margaret died in Edinburgh shortly afterwards on 16 November 1093, aged 48. It was said that she died of grief. She was buried at Dunfermline Abbey, which she had founded.

Legacy

In 1100 Queen Margaret’s daughter Edith married King Henry I of England, son of William the Conqueror, at Westminster Abbey, taking the regnal name of Queen Matilda. The marriage was popular with the English since the royal family, as descendants of Henry I and Matilda, could then claim descent from each William the Conqueror and King Alfred the Great.

Canonisation

Queen Margaret was canonised in 1250 by Pope Innocent IV, after being petitioned by her descendant King Alexander II of Scotland and his bishops. She was made a saint in recognition of her holiness, loyalty to the Church, religious reform, and charity. She is referred to as St Margaret of Scotland.

In 1250, following her canonisation, her stays were disinterred and placed in a reliquary on the high altar. Dunfermline Abbey became a spot of pilgrimage in her honour. St Margaret is taken into account the patron saint of huge families, widows, queens, the death of kids, and widowed people. She is usually also considered a patron saint of Scotland alongside St Andrew.

Dedications

Many churches are dedicated to St Margaret of Scotland. Most are in Scotland, but a number of are present in England, the USA, and Australia. The most notable is St Margaret’s Chapel in Edinburgh Castle, which dates back to the twelfth century and is the oldest surviving constructing in Edinburgh.

Day of Remembrance

16 November, the anniversary of her death, became her feast day. She is remembered within the Scottish Episcopal Church, the Catholic Church, and across the Anglican Communion.

Collect

The collect prayer for Margaret of Scotland is:

“God, the ruler of all, who called your servant Margaret to an earthly throne and gave her zeal on your Church and love on your those that she might advance your heavenly kingdom: mercifully grant that we who commemorate her example could also be fruitful in good works and attain to the fantastic crown of your saints; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who’s alive and reigns with you, within the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.”