by Carrie Eckles

Created on: June 20, 2009   Last Updated: June 21, 2009

Queen Margaret of Scotland lived in a time that was on the precipice of change. In her life, she saw the fall of her family's long-lasting Anglo-Saxon dynasty in England and the beginning of a new Britain, which was influenced by their Norman invaders, desperately trying to preserve the old ways.

Margaret was born into exile in Castle Reka, Mecseknadas, Hungary. Her paternal grandfather, Edmund Ironside, had been king of England. With his death, the Danish King Canute took control of the kingdom and Edmund's son, Edward, was forced to flee to the Hungarian court as a small child. The details about Margaret's mother, Agatha, are scant, though it's believed that she was most likely Hungarian.

Margaret was brought up in the religious manner typical of the day. In her early years, she was taught to read Latin, so that she might understand the prayer books. When Margaret was roughly ten years old, her family was recalled to England by her father's uncle, Edward the Confessor, who had reclaimed the English throne after the reign of Canute's sons. It was at the English court that Margaret furthered her education by learning the French language and the art of embroidery.

After Edward the Confessor's death, it was decided that Margaret's brother, Edgar Aetheling, would be his successor. It's been alleged that Edgar was a weak young man, but that probably wasn't the case. Instead, he was viewed as too young to fend off the impending invasion of William the Conqueror in 1066. The Witenagamot appointed Edward the Confessor's brother-in-law, Harold Godwinson, in Edgar's stead. Two years after the Norman invasion, Edgar joined a rebellion against William and was forced to flee to Scotland with his mother and sisters when things didn't go as planned.

In Scotland, Edgar gained the support of King Malcolm III. Malcolm was a widower who was roughly forty years old when he took an interest in Margaret, who couldn't have been more than twenty. Margaret was very resistant to the match and wanted to devote her life to God. However, with the persuading of her family and the persistence of Malcolm, she agreed to marry him.

Malcolm doted on his queen. He felt as though she made both the sun and the moon. Though he was illiterate, he would often pick up her books just to kiss them. Margaret calmed his temper and, exercising her influence over him, she endeavored to make life better for the people of Scotland with the power of being the king's wife bestowed upon her. Margaret

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