Saint Margaret of Scotland
Queen
“Apostle of Scotland”
(Around 1045 – 1093)

Saint’s Life Story

Her Early Life

Margaret, also known as Margaret of Wessex, was born around 1045 in Hungary. She was the daughter of the English Prince Edward the Exile, a member of the English royal family, and his wife Agatha, a German princess. In addition, Margaret was also the granddaughter of Edmund Ironside, King of England and the great-niece of Saint Stephen of Hungary. She had two other siblings – Christina and Edgar Ætheling.

She spent her early years in exile in Hungary after her father’s family was ousted from England due to the Danish invasion of England. Margaret grew up in a very religious environment in the Hungarian court.

Returned to England

Margaret came to England with the rest of her family when her father, Edward the Exile, was recalled in 1057 as a possible successor to her great-uncle, the childless King Edward the Confessor. Whether from natural or sinister causes, her father died immediately after landing. Margaret, still a child, continued to reside at the English court where her brother, Edgar Ætheling, was considered a possible successor to the English throne.

Conflict in England

In 1066, when King Edward the Confessor died, a conflict arose as to who had the right of succession. Harold Godwinson was selected as king, possibly because Margaret’s brother, Edgar, was considered too young. Shortly after Harold II was crowned as king, William the Conqueror, attacked England. At that time, Harold II was killed in battle. The nobles supported Edgar Ætheling, Margaret’s brother, as the next king. However, when William the Conqueror rode into London, the nobility surrendered. Edgar relinquished his claim to the throne, never having been crowned.

Shipwrecked in Scotland

Fearing for her children’s lives, Agatha, along with her children , Margaret, Edgar, and Cristina, fled north to Northumbria, England. Margaret’s mother, Agatha, was now a widow and decided to leave Northumbria with her children and to possibly return to the safety of her home, probably Hungary. However, in 1068, a storm drove their ship north to Scotland, where they were shipwrecked.

In 1069, after the death of her father, Margaret and her family were invited to return to England by her cousin, King Edward the Confessor. However, their ship was blown off course, and they landed in Scotland, where they were received by King Malcolm III of Scotland.

Another Mary of Bethany

Since childhood, Margaret had grown in a profound love of God. She lived a very strict and ordered life, studied the Sacred Scriptures and other pious books, and grew in a keen understanding of the things of God. Her earliest biographer described her as another Mary of Bethany, who sat at the feet of Jesus, listening to His Word and pondering it in her heart.

Queen of Scotland

When Margaret and her family arrived in Scotland, the young King Malcom, a widower with two sons, immediately noticed Margaret’s beauty. Her physical beauty was greatly enhanced by the beauty of her soul, manifested in her piety, virtue, and intelligence. It didn’t take long before the two fell in love and were married, making Margaret Queen of Scotland.

Margaret and Malcolm had eight children – six sons and two daughters, including Edgar, Alexander I, and Saint David I, who would later become kings of Scotland. As a result, Margaret became known as the “patron of large families.”

“Apostle of Scotland”

Queen Margaret convened synods to address the different practices of the Celts from the rest of the Roman Catholic Church, such as the time in which Lent and Easter were observed, the way Mass was celebrated, observance of the Lord’s Day, and the laws on marriage. In doing this, she strengthened ties to the pope in Rome, freeing the Scottish from their lengthy isolation. In addition to synods, Queen Margaret refurbished dilapidated churches, built new ones, and introduced Benedictine monks to Scotland by building the renowned Dunfermline Abbey, in which several Scottish monarchs were later buried.

Margaret gave up sleep in order to have time for devotions. Often, she meditated on the words of Scripture. During Advent and Lent, Margaret would get up in the middle of the night in order to attend Mass at midnight every night. On the walk home, she would stop to care for the poor beggars, washing their feet and giving them money. The destitute sought her out for aid, and Margaret never refused them. Pious legend claims that Margaret never sat down to eat herself without first feeding nine orphans and two dozen beggars.

Her Death

Margaret’s husband, Malcolm, and their eldest son, Edward, were killed in the Battle of Alnwick against Robert de Mowbray, the Norman Earl of Northumbria, on November 13, 1093. Her son, Edgar, was left with the task of informing Margaret of their deaths. Three days after the deaths of her husband and eldest son not yet 50 years old, Margaret died of grief on November 16, 1093 at the Edinburgh Castle in Edinburgh, Scotland.

Margaret was buried in front of the high altar at Dunfermline, Scotland. Her relics were later removed to a nearby shrine. However, the bulk of her relics were destroyed in stages during the Protestant Reformation and the French Revolution.

Born:                  Around 1045 in Hungary

Died:                  November 16, 1093 at the Edinburgh Castle in Edinburgh, Scotland

Beatified:          Unknown

Canonized:       1250 by Pope Innocent IV

Feast Day:         November 16, formerly June 10

Patron Saint:    Dunfermline, Scotland; Parents of Large Families; Queens; Scotland; Widows

Source:

• • St. Margaret of Scotland – Queen and Saint | All Saint Stories
  • CatholicSaints.Info » Saint Margaret of Scotland
  • Saint Margaret of Scotland – Saint of the Day from “My Catholic Life!”
  • Saint Margaret of Scotland – Saint for a Minute: Saints & Blesseds
  • Saint Margaret of Scotland – Wikipedia

Prayers

Video Link

Saint of the Day for November 16. Saint Margaret of Scotland – YouTube (Ezer)