Margaret of England

Margaret of England
Queen consort of Scots
Tenure	26 December 1251 – 26 February 1275
Born	29 September 1240 Windsor Castle
Died	26 February 1275 (aged 34) Cupar Castle
Burial	Dunfermline Abbey, Fife
Spouse	Alexander III of Scotland (m. 1251; her death 1275)
Issue more...	Margaret, Queen of Norway Alexander, Prince of Scotland
House	Plantagenet
Father	Henry III of England
Mother	Eleanor of Provence

Margaret of England (29 September 1240 – 26 February 1275) was Queen of Scots as the wife of King Alexander III.

Life

Margaret was the second child of King Henry III of England and his wife, Eleanor of Provence, and was born at Windsor Castle. Margaret’s first appearance in historical record comes when she was three years old.

She was married on 26 December 1251, when she was 11 years old, at York Minster, to King Alexander III of Scotland, who was 10 years of age. The couple had three children:^[1]

• Margaret (28 February 1261 – 9 April 1283), who married King Eric II of Norway.
• Alexander (21 January 1264 Jedburgh – 28 January 1284 Lindores Abbey).
• David (20 March 1272 – June 1281 Stirling Castle); buried in Dunfermline Abbey.

Margaret is said to have been unhappy in Scotland, and created some tensions between England and Scotland by writing to her family in England that she was poorly treated in Scotland.^[2]

It was said that Margaret was responsible for the death of a young courtier, who reputedly had killed her uncle Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester.^[3] While walking along the River Tay, she became annoyed with the young man. She jokingly pushed him into the river, but he was swept to his death by a powerful current before anyone could help.^[4]

Margaret died on 26 February 1275 at Cupar Castle, and was buried at Dunfermline Abbey, Fife.

Family tree

Ancestors of Margaret of England

16. Geoffrey V, Count of Anjou               8. Henry II, King of England                       17. Matilda, Lady of the English               4. John, King of England                             18. William X, Duke of Aquitaine               9. Eleanor of Aquitaine                       19. Aenor de Châtellerault               2. Henry III, King of England                                   20. William VI Taillefer, Count of Angoulême               10. Aymer Taillefer, Count of Angoulême                       21. Marguerite de Turenne               5. Isabella of Angoulême                             22. Peter of Courtenay               11. Alice of Courtenay                       23. Elisabeth de Courtenay               1. Margaret of England                                         24. Alfonso II, King of Aragon               12. Alfonso II, Count of Provence                       25. Sancha of Castile               6. Ramon Berenguer IV, Count of Provence                             26. Rainou, Count of Forcalquier               13. Garsenda, Countess of Forcalquier                       27. Gersend of Forcalquier               3. Eleanor of Provence                                   28. Humbert III, Count of Savoy               14. Thomas I, Count of Savoy                       29. Beatrice of Viennois               7. Beatrice of Savoy                             30. William I, Count of Geneva               15. Marguerite of Geneva                       31. Beatrix of Faucigny

Cited references

1. Ashley, Mike (1999). The mammoth book of British kings and queens. London: Robinson Publishers. p. 408. ISBN 1-84119-096-9.
2. Anne Echols, Marty Williams: An annotated index of medieval women
3. Early Sources of Scottish History
4. Lanercost Chronicle

Written References

• Ashley, Mike (2002). British Kings & Queens. Carroll & Graf. ISBN 0-7867-1104-3. pgs 485 & 492
• Tibballs, Geoff (2005). Royalty's Strangest Characters: Extraordinary But True Tales from 2,000 Years of Mad Monarchs and Raving Rulers. Chrysalis Books.