Margaret of Scotland, Countess of Kent
Encyclopedia
Margaret of Scotland was the first child born to William I of Scotland
and his Queen consort
Ermengarde de Beaumont
. She was an older sister of Alexander II of Scotland
.
On 19 June 1221, Margaret married Hubert de Burgh
. At the time of their marriage Hubert was effectively the Regent
of the Kingdom of England
since Henry III
was an underage King. Henry III finally came of age in 1227 and Hubert retired from his duties as Regent. He was awarded the title of Earl of Kent
and remained one of the most influential people at court.
They had only one known daughter:
She survived her husband by sixteen years and died in 1259. She was buried at the Church of the Black Friars
of London
.
From her birth to her death was Margaret was arguably either first or second heir to the throne of the Kingdom of Scotland
as one of the few living, legitimate descendants of William I. However, cognatic primogeniture was not yet the norm in Great Britain and more distant relatives could well claim the throne, as they in fact did in the Succession Crisis
of 1290 to 1292.
William I of Scotland
William the Lion , sometimes styled William I, also known by the nickname Garbh, "the Rough", reigned as King of the Scots from 1165 to 1214...
and his Queen consort
Queen consort
A queen consort is the wife of a reigning king. A queen consort usually shares her husband's rank and holds the feminine equivalent of the king's monarchical titles. Historically, queens consort do not share the king regnant's political and military powers. Most queens in history were queens consort...
Ermengarde de Beaumont
Ermengarde de Beaumont
Ermengarde de Beaumont , was a Queen Consort of the Kingdom of Scotland.-Life:Ermengarde was born c. 1170 to Richard I, Viscount de Beaumont-le-Vicomte, de Fresnay et de Ste-Suzanne , and wife Lucie de l'Aigle , daughter of Richard II de l'Aigle...
. She was an older sister of Alexander II of Scotland
Alexander II of Scotland
Alexander II was King of Scots from1214 to his death.-Early life:...
.
On 19 June 1221, Margaret married Hubert de Burgh
Hubert de Burgh, 1st Earl of Kent
Hubert de Burgh, 1st Earl of Kent was Earl of Kent, Justiciar of England and Ireland, and one of the most influential men in England during the reigns of John and Henry III.-Birth and family:...
. At the time of their marriage Hubert was effectively the Regent
Regent
A regent, from the Latin regens "one who reigns", is a person selected to act as head of state because the ruler is a minor, not present, or debilitated. Currently there are only two ruling Regencies in the world, sovereign Liechtenstein and the Malaysian constitutive state of Terengganu...
of the Kingdom of England
Kingdom of England
The Kingdom of England was, from 927 to 1707, a sovereign state to the northwest of continental Europe. At its height, the Kingdom of England spanned the southern two-thirds of the island of Great Britain and several smaller outlying islands; what today comprises the legal jurisdiction of England...
since Henry III
Henry III of England
Henry III was the son and successor of John as King of England, reigning for 56 years from 1216 until his death. His contemporaries knew him as Henry of Winchester. He was the first child king in England since the reign of Æthelred the Unready...
was an underage King. Henry III finally came of age in 1227 and Hubert retired from his duties as Regent. He was awarded the title of Earl of Kent
Earl of Kent
The peerage title Earl of Kent has been created eight times in the Peerage of England and once in the Peerage of the United Kingdom.See also Kingdom of Kent, Duke of Kent.-Earls of Kent, first creation :*Godwin, Earl of Wessex...
and remained one of the most influential people at court.
They had only one known daughter:
- Margaret de Burgh (c. 1227 – 1237). Also known as "Megotta", she married Richard de Clare, 6th Earl of HertfordRichard de Clare, 6th Earl of HertfordRichard de Clare, 5th Earl of Hertford, 6th Earl of Gloucester was son of Gilbert de Clare, 4th Earl of Hertford and Isabel Marshal. On his father's death, when he became Earl of Gloucester , he was entrusted first to the guardianship of Hubert de Burgh. On Hubert's fall, his guardianship was...
, but left no issue. Margaret of Scotland's line thus went extinct in 1237.
She survived her husband by sixteen years and died in 1259. She was buried at the Church of the Black Friars
Dominican Order
The Order of Preachers , after the 15th century more commonly known as the Dominican Order or Dominicans, is a Catholic religious order founded by Saint Dominic and approved by Pope Honorius III on 22 December 1216 in France...
of London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.
From her birth to her death was Margaret was arguably either first or second heir to the throne of the Kingdom of Scotland
Kingdom of Scotland
The Kingdom of Scotland was a Sovereign state in North-West Europe that existed from 843 until 1707. It occupied the northern third of the island of Great Britain and shared a land border to the south with the Kingdom of England...
as one of the few living, legitimate descendants of William I. However, cognatic primogeniture was not yet the norm in Great Britain and more distant relatives could well claim the throne, as they in fact did in the Succession Crisis
Competitors for the Crown of Scotland
With the death of Alexander III of Scotland in 1286 without a male heir, the throne of Scotland had become the possession of the three-year old Margaret, Maid of Norway, the granddaughter of the King...
of 1290 to 1292.