Saint Margaret of Scotland

Saint Margaret of Scotland, also known as Margaret of Wessex, was an English princess and a Scottish queen. Born in the Kingdom of Hungary to Edward the Exile, she returned to England with her family in 1057. After the Norman conquest, Margaret married Malcolm III of Scotland by the end of 1070. She established a ferry for pilgrims and was known for her charitable works and religious reform. Margaret was the mother of three kings of Scotland and one queen consort of England. She died in Edinburgh Castle in 1093 shortly after learning of her husband and son’s deaths.

Margaret’s canonization as a saint occurred in 1250 by Pope Innocent IV. Her remains were initially enshrined in Dunfermline Abbey but were later dispersed due to the Scottish Reformation. She had a significant influence on the ecclesiastical history of Scotland, promoting Roman church practices and initiating religious reforms. Margaret’s piety and charitable acts were widely recognized, and she remains venerated in the Roman Catholic Church, Anglican Communion, Scottish Episcopal Church, and Episcopal Church in the United States.