Saint Margaret of Scotland

Saint Margaret of Scotland, also known as Margaret of Wessex, was born around the year 1045 in the Kingdom of Hungary. A member of the House of Wessex, she was the daughter of Edward the Exile, an expatriate English prince. In 1057, her family returned to England, and after the tumultuous events following the Battle of Hastings in 1066, they fled north to Scotland.

In 1070, Margaret married Malcolm III of Scotland, becoming Queen of Alba. Her reign lasted until her death in 1093, and she was often referred to as 'The Pearl of Scotland' due to her pious nature and charitable works. Among her many contributions, she established a ferry across the Firth of Forth, facilitating pilgrimages to St Andrews and giving rise to the towns of South Queensferry and North Queensferry.

Margaret was a devoted mother, giving birth to three kings of Scotland, and possibly four if Edmund of Scotland is included. She also had a daughter, Matilda, who became queen consort of England. Tragically, she passed away at Edinburgh Castle shortly after learning of the deaths of her husband and son in battle.

In 1250, Pope Innocent IV canonized her, and her remains were reinterred in a shrine at Dunfermline Abbey in Fife. However, her relics were lost during the Scottish Reformation, with some remnants, including her head, preserved by Jesuits in France, only to be lost again during the French Revolution.