Margaret (Eriksdatter) Queen of Scots
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Margrete (Eriksdatter) Queen of Scots (bef. 1283 - bef. 1290)

Margrete (Margaret) "Maid of Norway" Queen of Scots formerly Eriksdatter
Born before in Bergen, Hordaland, Norwaymap
Ancestors ancestors
Sister of [half]
[spouse(s) unknown]
Died before at about age 7 in Norwegian Jarldom of Orkneymap
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Profile last modified | Created 20 May 2011
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Scottish Nobility
Margaret (Eriksdatter) Queen of Scots was a member of Scottish Nobility.
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Preceded by
Alexander III
Queen of Scots
19 March 1285/6 - abt. 26 September 1290
Succeeded by
The First Interregnum

Contents

Biography

European Aristocracy
Margaret Eriksdatter was a member of the aristocracy in Europe.
”Maid of Norway,” ”Jomfruen av Norge,” ”Prinsesse of Norway,” ”Heiress of Scotland,” ”Heiress of Albany,” ”Queen of Scotland,” ”Dame Margarete reyne de Ecosse,” ”Lady of Scotland”
House of Dunkeld

Birth

Margrete Eriksdatter was born before 12 Apr 1283, the only daughter of Erik II, King of Norway, aged 15 years, and his first wife, Margaret, Queen consort of Norway, daughter of Alexander III (Dunkeld) King of Scots, who died 9 Apr 1283, possibly in childbirth. [1][2][3]

Presumed and Acknowledged as Heir to Scotland (aged less than 1 year)

As an infant, Margrete Eriksdatter became Heir-Presumptive on 28 Jan 1283 upon the the death of her mother’s brother, Alexander, prince of Scotland. [2]

On 5 Feb 1283, still an infant, and with her grandfather, Alexander III (Dunkeld) King of Scots, “failing issue,” she was acknowledged as heir to the Kingdom of Scots by parliament at Scone. [2][4][5]

Thus the heirs of Alexander III, three children, and his first wife had all predeceased him. Although he remarried on 14 Oct 1285 to Yolande (Dreux) de Bretagne with hopes of producing a new child, less than 5 months later on 19 Mar 1286, he was tragically killed, aged only 44 years, as his horse stumbled over a cliff in the nighttime. [6][7]

Succeeded as Queen of Scots (aged 3 years)

As the only living heir to Alexander III (Dunkeld) King of Scots, the 3 year old child, Margrete Eriksdatter, "became Queen of Scots.” [2][8][6][9]

There was a contingent delay brought about by the claim of pregnancy by Alexander’s widow, Yolande (Dreux) de Bretagne. However, as a child did not appear, Margrete Eriksdatter was confirmed as Queen of Scots. [10]

Betrothed by Treaty of Marriage (aged about 7 years)

The kingdoms of Scotland, England, and Norway negotiated the marriage of Margrete Eriksdatter, Queen of Scots, and Edward (later Edward II), aged about 6 years, the eldest son of Edward I, king of England. [2][1]

This was a tortuous matter, requiring:

  1. Papal Dispensation - for third degree consanguinity on 16 Nov 1289 by Girolamo (Pope Nicholas IV) Masci at Santa Maggiore in Rome. "On 16 November 1289 Nicolas IV issued the bull permitting marriage, despite the fact that the young couple were related in the third degree…The bull repeats the arguments that..the marriage was needed because of the various difficulties that had arisen between England and Scotland, and because of the threat to future peace.” [2][11]
  2. Treaty of Birgham (also known as Treaty of Salisbury and Treaty of Northampton) - in 1289 and early 1290, The Guardians of Scotland, and bishops, earls, abbots, priors, and barons of the Kingdom of Scotland assembled in parliament produced “an elaborate and complicated document, for it was not simply the usual marriage alliance, settling details of dowry, jointure and the date of the wedding. Those who drew it up had to try to regulate the future relationship between Scotland and England. It stated that Scotland would remain ‘separated and divided and free in itself, without subjection to the realm of England’, its rights, laws, liberties and customs ‘preserved in every respect and in all time coming,” [12][13][2][11]

The driving forces for this extraordinary marriage were the succession crisis in the Kingdom of Scotland, but moreso the looming ambitions of Edward I, king of England to “impose his will on the Scots.” Multiple political intrigues spiraling in the three kingdoms provided a precarious and menacing environment for this young innocent. [14][15][16] A. A. M. Duncan describes her as a “pathetic child victim.” [17]

Death (aged about 7 years)

In September 1290, she sailed from Norway attended by Bishop Narve of Bergen,[18] Baron Tore Håkonsson, and his wife Ingebjørg (Erlingsdottir) Tornberg. As the Scots prepared to inaugurate her at Scone, she fell ill on the voyage and died about 26 Sep 1290, “between the hands of Bishop Narve,” in the Norwegian Jarldom of Orkney.[2][3][1] The exact cause of her death is unknown,“the ship was her father’s, whose suppliers may have poisoned her with decaying food. With her died the line of King William and Alexander III.” [19][20]

Wrapt in mystery great;
And she dropped a tear for Scotland's son,
Who ever must fruitlessly wait
On Scotland's shore bewailing his bride,
For her passage was nearly o'er,
And on the wild sea her spirit flew free,
For her life had been claimed by Thor.
...Ne'er a sadder scene I ever ween,
Was witnessed on Orkney's strand." - R. Erskine [21]

When her body was returned to Norway, her father, Erik II Magnusson, king of Norway, had the coffin opened, examined her, and confirmed that it was his daughter.[2] She was buried beside her mother in the choir of Christ's Kirk, Bergen.[3][1]

Significance of Her Untimely Death

Powerful interests directed the life and death of this young girl. Her grandfather, Alexander III, King of Scots, designated this “illustrious girl Margaret” as his only possibility to preserve the Dunkeld Dynasty. Her great-uncle, Edward I, King of England obtained Papal dispensation to marry her to his son and heir to secure control of Scotland. Her father, Erik II, King of Norway, and his advisors saw her as an opportunity to regain control of the Western Isles. The Bruces, Comyns, and Balliols fiercely competed to marry their own heirs to her. [22] Had she survived, the kingdoms of England and Scotland may have united, if not amicably, at least without bloodshed, “The Scots in their hour of need were prepared to accept a union of the crowns but were determined…to avoid the fate of the Welsh and remain politically independent.” [23][24] However, her death nullified the Treaty of Birgham (Northampton) and ended the rule of the House of Dunkeld that had in begun in 1018 with Duncan I “Donnchad mac Crínáin,” King of Scots and his son, Malcolm III Canmore. Consequently, Scotland plunged into a succession crisis that led to the Great Causes [25] Competition for the Crown of Scotland with John Balliol becoming King of Scots in 1292. The First War of Scottish Independence [26] followed soon after in 1296. "Although the marriage treaty had specified that Scotland was to maintain its independence of England, Edward I, king of England....proclaimed himself overlord of Scotland; the Scots resisted, and for more than 20 years Scotland suffered foreign domination and civil war." [27]

Research Notes

  1. A Pretended Queen of Scots - "In the year 1300....there came from Lubbock a German woman who said she was...Margrete Eriksdatter...This 'False Margaret' was tried, convicted, and burned as an imposter at Nordness, Bergen, and her husband was beheaded in 1301." [2][28]
  2. (Norwegian Biography) Biografi: Margrete eller Margareta, også kjent som Jomfruen av Norge (engelsk: Maid of Norway). Hun var født 9. mai 1283 i Bergen, datter av den 16 år gamle Eirik II Magnusson av Norge och Margaret av Skottland. I en alder av tre var hun den eneste arving til den skotske tronen, hun var dronning av Skottland fra 1286 til sin død i 1290. Margrete blev forlovet med prinsen av Wales, den kommende Edvard II. I september 1290 reiste unge Margrete over Nordsjøen på et norsk fartøy. Reisen ble besværlig, s kipet seilte rett inn i en heftig storm og ble ført langt ut av kurs inntil det klarte å kjempe seg inn til Kirkwall på Orknøyene. Margretes helse hadde aldri vært robust og anstrengelsene under sjøfarten ble for mye for henne. Hun ble «grepet av sykdom til sjøs», ifølge biskop Narve, og hun døde i armene hans kort tid etter at de var kommet i land på Kirkwall, knappe syv år gammel. Margretes legeme ble ført tilbake til Norge hvor liket ble «nøye undersøkt» av hennes mistenksomme far, kong Eirik av Norge. Den lille piken ble deretter gravlagt i murveggen på nordsiden av koret i Kristkirken i Bergen ved siden av graven til sin mor. (English Translation - Margrete or Margareta, also known as the Maid of Norway. She was born on 9 May 1283 in Bergen, daughter of the 16-year-old Eirik II Magnusson of Norway and Margaret of Scotland. At the age of three, she was the sole heir to the Scottish throne, she was Queen of Scotland from 1286 until her death in 1290. Margrete became engaged to the Prince of Wales, the future Edvard II. In September 1290, young Margrete traveled across the North Sea on a Norwegian vessel. The journey became difficult, as the ship sailed straight into a fierce storm and was driven far off course until it managed to fight its way to Kirkwall in the Orkney Islands. Margrete's health had never been robust and the exertions during the sea voyage became too much for her. She was "seized by sickness at sea", according to Bishop Narve, and she died in his arms shortly after they had landed at Kirkwall, barely seven years old. Margrete's body was taken back to Norway where the body was "carefully examined" by her suspicious father, King Eirik of Norway. The little girl was then buried in the brick wall on the north side of the choir in Christ Church in Bergen next to the grave of her mother.)

Sources

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Richardson, Douglas, Royal Ancestry: A Study in Colonial and Medieval Families, 5 vols., ed. Kimball G. Everingham (Salt Lake City: the author, 2013), vol. 4, 595.
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 2.8 2.9 Dunbar, Sir Archibald H., Scottish Kings: A Revised Chronology of Scottish History 1005-1625, (Edinburgh: D. Douglas, 1899), 103-109.
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 Duncan, A. A. M., Margaret called the Maid of Norway, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (United Kingdom: Oxford University Press, 2004), Maid of Norway.
  4. Helle, Knut, Norwegian Foreign Policy and the Maid of Norway, Fordun, John of, Felix James Henry Skene, and W. F. (William Forbes) Skene., John of Fordun's Chronicle of the Scottish nation. (Edinburgh: Edmonston and Douglas, 1872), bk. v., chap. xxiv, The Scottish Historical Review 69, no. 188 (1990): 142–56. http://www.jstor.org/stable/25530460.
  5. Reid, N., Margaret "Maid of Norway'" and Scottish queenship, in Reading Medieval Studies (Reading, UK: University of Reading , 1982). Vol. 8, 1982, 75-94, https://centaur.reading.ac.uk/85009/.
  6. 6.0 6.1 Nicholson, Ranald, Scotland. The Later Middle Ages, (Edinburgh: Oliver & Boyd, 1974), vol. 2, 2., citing, “The stormy night that saw the death of King Alexander left the infant Maid as the sole surviving descendant in the direct line of the ancient royal dynasty.”
  7. Fordun, John of, Felix James Henry Skene, and W. F. (William Forbes) Skene. John of Fordun's Chronicle of the Scottish nation. Edinburgh: Edmonston and Douglas (1872), bk. v., chap. xxiv, citing, “When, however, the noble prince was dead, as well as all the children begotten of his body, and all his lawful heirs and kinsman…except one little girl named Margaret…," 305.
  8. Hodgson, John. A history of Northumberland, in three parts. Newcastle-upon-Tyne: E. Walker (1840), 8.
  9. Anderson, Alan Orr, Early Sources of Scottish History, (Edinburgh, London: Oliver and Boyd, 1922/1990), Vol. 2, 694-696.
  10. Maxwell, Herbert, Sir, The Chronicle of Lanercost, 1272-1346: Translated, with notes. (Glasgow: J. Maclehose, 1913), 43-44.
  11. 11.0 11.1 Prestwich, Michael., Edward I and the Maid of Norway, The Scottish Historical Review 69, number 188 (1990,157–74. http://www.jstor.org/stable/25530461.
  12. Marshall, Rosalind K., Scottish Queens, 1034–1714: The Queens and Consorts Who Shaped a Nation, (Edinburgh: Birlinn, 2003), 31-32.
  13. Records of the parliaments of Scotland. Letters: confirmation of the Treaty of Salisbury. St. Andrews, Scotland: University of St. Andrews (2022), https://www.rps.ac.uk/trans/1290/3/1.
  14. Barrow, G. W. S., A Kingdom in Crisis: Scotland and the Maid of Norway, The Scottish Historical Review 69 (1990). no. 188, 120-141, http://www.jstor.org/stable/25530459.
  15. Paterson, W., The historians of Scotland, (Edinburgh: Edmonston and Douglas, 1871), bk. 8, vol. II, 267-269.
  16. Lynch, Michael, editor, The Oxford Companion to Scottish History, Scandinavia. (Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press, 2011), 558.
  17. Dunbar, Sir Archibald H. Scottish Kings: A Revised Chronology of Scottish History 1005-1625. Edinburgh: D. Douglas (1899), citing, "Before this, and after her death, Margaret was ‘Lady of Scotland’ to the Scots; to see her as queen is misleading, and effectively connives at the manipulative insensitivity of those men, led by the English king, of whose ambition for political power she was the pathetic child victim."103-109.
  18. Narve – Biskop. Store norske leksikon (2022). citing "Narve, Norwegian bishop and royal adviser. Narve was bishop in Bergen from 1278, and apparently belonged to the royal council that emerged more clearly as an institution from the 1280s. He led the delegation that in 1290 brought the king's daughter Margrete, "the Maid of Norway,” across the sea to take over the throne of Scotland and marry the heir to the English throne." https://snl.no/Narve_-_biskop.
  19. Duncan, A. A. M, Kingship of the Scots, 842-1292: Succession and Independence. (Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2002), 283].
  20. Brown, Michael, The Wars of Scotland 1214-1371, The New Edinburgh History of Scotland, Volume 4 (Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2004), 165-6.
  21. Wemyss, Erskine, The Maid of Norway and Other Poems.], (HathiTrust, 2022), 39, 42. Maid of Norway.
  22. Oram, Richard, The Canmores: Kings & Queens of the Scots, 1040-1290, (Stroud, Gloucestershire: Tempus, 2002), 107-110.
  23. Stevenson, Wendy B. The Treaty of Northampton (1290): A Scottish Charter of Liberties? The Scottish Historical Review 86, no. 221 (2007): 1–15. http://www.jstor.org/stable/25529949.
  24. Oram, Richard. The Kings & Queens of Scotland. Gloucestershire,UK: The History Press (2001,2004), 140. citing, "But it is clear that it was her great-uncle, Edward I of England, who really began to push the key matter of who would be Margaret’s husband and thus king of Scots. In doing so Edward may have acted on Alexander III’s hint of 1284 that his granddaughter might wed the English king’s son and heir, Edward (born April 1284), leading to a peaceful union of the English and Scottish crowns.”
  25. Lynch, Michael, editor. The Oxford Companion to Scottish History. Great Cause. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press (2011), 280-281.
  26. Lynch, Michael, editor. The Oxford Companion to Scottish History. Wars of Independence. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press (2011), 333-336.
  27. Britannica, T. Editors of Encyclopaedia. Margaret. Encyclopedia Britannica (2022), Margaret.
  28. Mitchell, Steven, A. Margrete of Nordnes in Cult. Chronicle, and Ballad. Religionsvidenskabeligt Tidsskrift, 74, (2022), 262–86.

See also:

  • Anderson, Marjorie O[gilvie], Kings and Kingship in Early Scotland, (Edinburgh: Berlinn, 1973), 58, 74.
  • Brown, Michael, The Wars of Scotland 1214-1371, The New Edinburgh History of Scotland, Volume 4 (Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2004), 67, 140, 158-64, 177, 257, 275, 344.
  • Goodey, Emma. Margaret (r. 1286-1290). The Royal Family. London: The Royal Household (2016). Margaret (r. 1286-1290.
  • Koht, Halvdan. Margrete Eiriksdotter. Norsk biografisk leksikon (NBL1). Vol. 9 (1940), https://nbl.snl.no/Margrete_Eiriksdotter.
  • Marshall, Rosalind K. Scottish Queens, 1034–1714: The Queens and Consorts Who Shaped a Nation. Edinburgh: Birlinn, Ltd. (2003), 26–7, 30–3, 126, 196–7, 201.
  • Norseng, Per G. Margrete – Prinsesse. Store norske leksikon. Universitetet i Sørøst-Norge. (2022), https://snl.no/Margrete_-_prinsesse.
  • Wikipedia contributors, House of Dunkeld, (Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 2023), House of Dunkeld.
  • Wikipedia contributors, House of Sverre, (Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 2023), House of Sverre.
  • Wikipedia contributors, Margaret, Maid of Norway, (Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 2023), Margaret, Maid of Norway.




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Comments: 5

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Reviewed family relationships, formatted, and added biography, sources, and images.

Clyde, for the Scotland Project

posted by Clyde Perkins
I have completed updating this profile. If anyone spots a typo, please correct or message me.

Thanks,

Clyde

posted by Clyde Perkins
Great work, as always, Clyde. Thanks so much for the time you've given to this.

Jen

posted by Jen (Stevens) Hutton
Great job, Clyde. It's an interesting story!
posted by Bobbie (Madison) Hall
I will be updating this profile on behalf of the Scotland Project using Scotland - Profile Standards, https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Space:Scotland_-_Profile_Standards.

Please be patient while this is being done, and if anyone has new sources they would like to share please message me or post here.

Thank you,

Clyde, for the Scotland Project

posted by Clyde Perkins

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