Saint Margaret

Queen of Scotland
(1045–1093)

Saint Margaret of Scotland was born around 1045 in Hungary, where her father Edward the Exile, son of Edmund Ironside of England, had taken refuge from the Danish occupation. She was a descendant of King Alfred the Great and of the royal house of England. When Edward the Confessor recalled her father to England, Margaret came to the English court, where she received an excellent education and developed a deep interior life and love for prayer and sacred reading.

After the Norman Conquest of 1066, Margaret and her family fled to Scotland, where King Malcolm III received them. Malcolm fell deeply in love with Margaret and, despite her inclination to the religious life, she accepted his proposal in obedience to what she discerned as God's will. Their marriage in 1070 was a model of mutual love and Christian fidelity. Together they had eight children, all of whom Margaret raised with great care in virtue and piety.

Margaret's influence on Scottish religion and culture was profound. She worked to reform the Church in Scotland, bringing it into closer conformity with Roman practice, establishing synods, reforming monasteries, and encouraging the reception of the sacraments. She founded the priory of Dunfermline. Her private life was one of great austerity: she fasted strictly, rose at night for prayer, washed the feet of the poor, and personally served orphans and beggars at her table.

She died on November 16, 1093, four days after learning of her husband's death in battle. She was canonized by Pope Innocent IV in 1250. Her feast in Scotland is June 10.