| Margaret (Oldenburg) Queen of Scots was a member of Scottish Nobility. Join: Scotland Project Discuss: Scotland |
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Margaret was the only daughter of Christian I, King of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden; Duke of Schleswig-Holstein; Count of Oldenburg and Delmenhorst; and Dorothea, Margravine of Brandenburg.[1][2][3] Although not much is known of Margaret's childhood it is likely that her mother, Queen Dorothea, was a role model for her young daughter. Dorothea quietly and efficiently handled many of the kingdom's financial matters which her husband preferred not to be bothered with, as well as being in complete control of the management of her own estates. The queen was also instrumental in founding the University of Copenhagan.[4][5] Because intermittent discussions between Denmark and Scotland concerning a marriage between Margaret and the young Scottish king began as early as 1458 (when Margaret was only a few years old), [6] it is highly probable that Dorothea herself oversaw the early education of a daughter who was most likely to become a future queen.
Margaret of Denmark was married 13 July 1469 at Holyrood to James III, King of Scots.[1][2] She was thirteen years old, and the groom had just celebrated his eighteenth birthday. Under the terms of the marriage contract 1) Scotland's debt owing on the Western Isles was completely written off; 2) King Christian agreed to pay 60,000 florin (£20,000) for Margaret's dowry, of which 50,000 was to be written off in return for Norway pledging its rights in Orkney to Scotland (as the king was unable to raise the remaining 10,000 florin, that amount was also written off in exchange for Norway pledging its rights in the Shetlands to Scotland); 3) James was to provide the Palace of Linlithgow and the Castle of Doune for Margaret's jointure; and 4) a third of the royal revenue was to be settled on Margaret if she survived her husband.[7]
There were three children from this marriage:
Although one biographer, Giovanni Sabadino, writing four years after Margaret's death, claimed that she was more loved and revered by the people than the king himself "because she possessed more aptitude than he for ruling the kingdom"[13] there is no evidence to suggest that the king and queen worked together to govern Scotland, or that Margaret was included in any political decisions.[14] Her name appeared on only one grant issued in the king's name, rewarding John Dundas for his actions taken to liberate James III in 1482 from Edinburgh Castle, where he was being held prisoner.[14]
Sabadino also suggested that Margaret and her brother-in-law, Alexander, duke of Albany, acted together to have the king imprisoned "for the good of the kingdom."[13] These allegations cannot be proven. What is certain is that in 1478 the king appointed Margaret as guardian of their young son James, who was heir to the throne. In that position, she was later able to exert a great deal of influence in arranging the king's release (in 1482) from Edinburgh Castle.[14] Albany was required to seek her advice (as the heir's guardian) before taking any actions himself, and she was able to communicate with her husband through Lord Darnley, whom she paid as the keeper of Edinburgh.[15] Margaret insisted that during the period of the king's imprisonment the government continue to funtion in his name, and later historians have credited her actions with the relatively prompt and bloodless way the crisis was resolved and the king released.[15] It is possible, however, that there were rumors of collusion between Albany and the queen and that those rumors caused James III to distrust his wife.[6] On his release, the king chose to continue living at Edinburgh while the queen remained in her dower castle at Stirling with their three children. There is no evidence that they ever saw each other again after the events of 1482.[6]
Queen Margaret died at Stirling Castle on 14 July 1486, and was buried at Cambuskenneth Abbey later that same month.[2][16][17] The following year the king made an attempt to secure her canonization, although his efforts may have been motivated by a desire to quell (possibly unfounded) rumors that she had been poisoned by one of his own closest advisors.[6][15]
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Margaret is 24 degrees from Herbert Adair, 19 degrees from Richard Adams, 20 degrees from Mel Blanc, 23 degrees from Dick Bruna, 21 degrees from Bunny DeBarge, 32 degrees from Peter Dinklage, 20 degrees from Sam Edwards, 20 degrees from Ginnifer Goodwin, 22 degrees from Marty Krofft, 18 degrees from Junius Matthews, 18 degrees from Rachel Mellon and 23 degrees from Harold Warstler on our single family tree. Login to find your connection.
O > Oldenburg | Q > Queen of Scots > Margaret (Oldenburg) Queen of Scots
Categories: Scotland Project Managed Nobility Profiles
Jen
Jen
Thanks, Jen for the Scotland Project
James the III King of Scots, and his wife Princess Margaret of Denmark are buried together, the inscription on their tomb (which is shown inside an Iron fense and locked w/chain and lock shows James death as 2 June 1438 - Pause the linked video at 8:11 to read the inscription, just before this spot, the person touring the Bell tower and the Cemetery talks just a bit about them both being buried here, then zooms in on the enscription quickly. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X49vu7V3tG8 - pause a 8:11