Every November 16 the Church celebrates Saint Margaret of Scotland11th-century saint, sister of the Anglo-Saxon heir to the crown of England, Edgar Atheling, and wife of Malcolm III, king of Scotland.
Margaret supported her husband in consolidating the Catholic faith among the Scots and worked hard on behalf of the poor and abandoned.
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Born in exile
Margaret or Margaret was born in Hungary in 1045, at a time when her family was exiled in that country after the Danish invasion of England (the “Viking raids” under the command of Canute the Great). For this reason, she grew up at the court of King Saint Stephen of Hungary.
His father, Prince Edward the Exiled, was unable to return to his homeland until the fall of the invading Norse Empire.
When Margaret was 11 years old, Saint Edward the Confessor, her father’s half-brother, seized the English throne, thanks to which the family was able to return to the island. Unfortunately, the death of his uncle Edward precipitated his brother Edgar’s claim to the throne.
Added to this was the instability due to the Nordic attempts to return to England. Shortly after, his father, Eduardo, died of natural causes, and his mother, Ágata, decided to return to Hungary. However, after a detour along the way, they arrived in Scotland, where they ended up settling.
Queen Mother of Scotland, protector of the weak
At age 24, Margaret married Malcolm III, King of Scotland, with whom she had eight children. The new queen consort behaved wisely and managed to transform her husband’s court with her example of charity.
Every day the saint fed the poor and helped clean the beggars. He was concerned with expanding the number of people who received education within his town and used part of the royal treasury to finance shelters for the needy and homes for the religious. He ordered the construction of monasteries and churches.
He educated his children carefully in Christian values. He influenced the life of the Church in Scotland by calling a council with the idea of extirpating those pagan rites that involved humiliation or sacrilege against the Eucharist and the priests.
Woman of intense spiritual life
Saint Margaret had an intense spiritual life, she was assiduous in celebrating the Eucharist – it is even said that she attended more than once a day – and lived with austerity. On the other hand, he often rescued prisoners of war and took care of the safety of travelers.
In 1093 her husband Malcolm III and her sons Edward and Edgar were wounded in an attempt to recover a castle. Malcolm and Edward died in battle, while Edgar survived.
The saint fell seriously ill shortly after, but providentially managed to receive her son Edgardo and say goodbye to him, thanking God for having freed her from enduring so many misfortunes together.
Saint Margaret of Scotland died on November 16, 1093.
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If you want to know more about Saint Margaret of Scotland, we recommend this article from the Catholic Encyclopedia: https://ec.aciprensa.com/wiki/Santa_Margarita_de_Escocia.
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