Margaret, the Maid of Norway
| Margaret | |
|---|---|
Lerwick Town Hall stained glass window depicting "Margaret, queen of Scotland and daughter of Norway"
|
|
| Queen of Scots | |
| Disputed reign | 25 November 1286 – 26 September 1290 |
| Predecessor | Alexander III |
| Successor | John |
| Born |
9 April 1283 Tønsberg, Norway |
| Died | 26 September 1290 (aged 7) St Margaret's Hope, Orkney |
| Burial | Old Cathedral, Bergen |
| House | Sverre |
| Father | Eric II of Norway |
| Mother | Margaret of Scotland |
Margaret, Maid of Norway (9 April 1283 – 26 September 1290) was a Norwegian princess who reigned as Queen of Scots from 1286 until her death. Her death while travelling to Scotland sparked off the disputed succession which led to the Wars of Scottish Independence.
She was the daughter of King Eric II of Norway and Margaret, daughter of King Alexander III of Scotland. Margaret was born in Tønsberg. Her mother died in childbirth.
When the treaty arranging the marriage of Margaret and Eric was signed at Roxburgh on 25 July 1281, Alexander III's younger son David had already died, in June 1281, leaving the King of Scots with only one legitimate son, Alexander. Consequently, the treaty included a provision for the children of Margaret and Eric to succeed to the kingdom of the Scots:
If it happens that the king of Scotland dies without a lawful son, and any of his sons does not leave lawful issue [not sons] and Margaret has children [not sons] by the king of Norway, she and her children shall succeed to the king of Scotland ... or she, even if she is without children, according to Scottish law and custom.
Alexander III made similar provisions when arranging the marriage of his son Alexander to Margaret, daughter of Guy de Dampierre, Count of Flanders, probably also in 1281. The treaty arranging the marriage, signed in December 1281, included a lengthy and complex document setting out the customs and usages which determined the succession. As well as general statement of principles, the annex includes specific examples of the rights of "A and M" and their children in particular cases. The document, while confusing in places, appears to favour primogeniture for male heirs, or their descendants, and proximity of blood for female heirs and their descendants.
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