Margaret of Bourbon (1211–1256)
| Margaret of Bourbon | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Queen consort of Navarre | |
| Tenure | 1232–53 |
| Born | c. 1217 |
| Died | 12 April 1256 |
| Spouse | Theobald I of Navarre |
| Issue |
Theobald II of Navarre Beatrice of Navarre Henry I of Navarre |
| House | Dampierre |
| Father | Archambaud VIII of Bourbon |
| Mother | Alice of Forez |
Margaret of Bourbon (French: Marguerite; c. 1217 – 12 April 1256) was Queen of Navarre and Countess of Champagne from 1232 until 1253 as the third wife of Theobald I of Navarre. After her husband's death, she ruled both the kingdom and the county as regent for three years in the name of their son, Theobald II of Navarre.
Margaret was born into the House of Dampierre, the eldest daughter of Archambaud VIII, Lord of Bourbon. Her mother was her father's first wife, Alice of Forez, daughter of Guigues III, Count of Forez. Archambaud was the constable of Count Theobald IV of Champagne. Margaret was 15 years old when, on 12 September 1232, she became the third wife of the 32-year-old recently widowed Count Theobald. His first wife, Gertrude of Dagsburg, had been repudiated and already deceased, while the second, Agnes of Beaujeu, died leaving only a daughter, Blanche. Their marriage was one of only two unions of the counts of Champagne with a significant age disparity between spouses, the other one being the marriage of Henry I of Champagne and Marie of France. Margaret brought a large dowry, but an unusual clause in her marriage contract stipulated that only a prorated part of it would be returned to her father in case of her death without issue within the first nine years of the marriage and nothing if she died after nine years had passed. Only if the union ended in annulment, as her parents' and Theobald's first marriage had, was the entire sum to be returned.
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