Barbara’s family
Margaret of Wessex "Queen of Scots"
Queen of Scots
8 SEP 1045 – 16 NOV 1093 · 24th great-grandmotherMargaret of Wessex, known as Queen of Scots, was the daughter of Edward Ætheling of England and Agatha. She married King Malcolm III of Scotland at Dunfermline Abbey in 1070 and was the mother of eight children. She died at Edinburgh Castle on 16 November 1093 and was canonised in 1250.
The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle records that Margaret left England with her mother in the summer of 1067 and found refuge at the court of King Malcolm of Scotland. Florence of Worcester likewise records that Edgar, Agatha, and Margaret and Christina went to Scotland, in an account concerning events in the middle of 1068.
In 1070, Margaret married King Malcolm III of Scotland at Dunfermline Abbey. She was his second wife. Malcolm III and Margaret had eight children.
Margaret died at Edinburgh Castle on 16 November 1093. Florence of Worcester records that she died of grief after learning of the deaths of her husband and eldest son. The Annals of Ulster similarly state that Queen Margaret died of sorrow within nine days of her husband's death in battle.
She was buried at Dunfermline Abbey, Fife. A later tradition states that her remains were transferred to the Escorial in Madrid and that her head was buried at the Jesuit College in Douai. Margaret was canonised in 1250. Her feast day in Scotland is observed on 16 November.
Historical context
Margaret's life fell during the period following the Norman conquest of England, when members of the English royal family sought safety elsewhere. The surviving accounts place her family in Scotland by 1067 or 1068, where she became the wife of King Malcolm III. Her later canonisation reflects her enduring religious importance in Scotland.
Sources & research
[257] Birth-date discussion in the original family tree maker notes; Margaret's birth is often placed in 1045 or 1046, while a date as late as 1053 is considered possible.
[258] Anglo-Saxon Chronicle: Margaret left England with her mother in summer 1067 and found refuge at the court of King Malcolm of Scotland.
[259] Florence of Worcester: “clitone Eadgaro et matre sua Agatha duabusque sororibus suis Margareta et Christina” left for Scotland, in a passage concerning events in mid-1068.
[260] Florence of Worcester: “regina Scottorum Margareta” died after learning of the deaths of her husband and eldest son.
[261] Annals of Ulster: Queen Margaret “died of sorrow for him within nine days” after her husband was killed in battle.
[262] Canonisation and feast-day statement: Margaret was canonised in 1250; her feast day in Scotland is 16 November.
[287] King Malcolm III and his second wife had eight children.