Margaret, Maid of Norway Facts & Worksheets

• The Treaty of Salisbury was formulated on 6 November 1289, wherein Eric requested Edward I’s intervention on behalf of his grandniece, enabling her to establish and partake in the kingdom’s affairs, similar to other monarchs in their realms. 
• The initial treaty was finalised at Salisbury in November 1289. It pertains to the agreements made by Edward I of England to ensure the safe transportation of the Maid of Norway from her homeland to Edward’s care. This arrangement was arranged until Scotland became secure enough for her to assume her rightful position as queen.
• Eric II strongly desired Margaret to exercise her entitlement in Scotland. However, he was apprehensive about her safety because of the prevailing political instability in Scotland. Edward I successfully facilitated Margaret's transfer from Norway by alleviating Eric’s concerns through his assurances regarding the safety of the infant girl.
• Additionally, Edward I resolved the issue of the unpaid dowry that Alexander III owed to Eric for the marriage of his daughter to the Norwegian king. The treaty, guaranteed by Edward I, aimed to resolve the conflicting claims for the Crown of Scotland between the House of Balliol and the House of Bruce. 
• The second treaty was formulated at Birgham on 18 July 1290 and officially approved in Northampton on 28 August 1290. Provided that Margaret would wed Edward’s son, Scotland was to maintain its autonomy and territorial integrity, independent and unsubjected to England. The treaty stipulated that despite the general rule of a wife’s belongings being her husband’s upon marriage, this particular situation would be an exception. Upon Margaret and Edward of Caernarvon’s marriage, it was declared that the Church of Scotland and Church of England would be formally separated and that the owner of property in Scotland would not be deprived of their inheritance. It ensured the distinctiveness of the Parliament of England and the Parliament of Scotland by prohibiting their jurisdiction from extending outside their own countries.
• By 1 November 1290, Margaret was scheduled to be sent to England. Once the Scots could provide Edward I with assurance that Scotland was tranquil and secure, he would dispatch her to them. Edward I had the privilege of selecting her husband; however, Eric had the authority to reject the chosen candidate. The guardians, prelates, and magnates expressed their unequivocal support for the English alliance regarding “the lady Margaret queen of Scotland, our lady”. There was a clear suggestion that Margaret’s husband would become king, and Edward insisted on calling Margaret queen to expedite the process of his own son’s succession, even though the Scots usually referred to her just as their lady.

TRAGEDY

• The Treaty of Salisbury, which emerged from negotiations, successfully ensured the autonomy of Scotland. In the late summer of 1290, Margaret, a seven-year-old child, was en route to her realm before proceeding to Edward I in England. Eric II chose to stay in Norway and delegated the responsibility of caring for her to his loyal counsellors and Narve, the Bishop of Bergen. A calamity occurred. She succumbed to either food poisoning or severe seasickness in late September when the ship arrived at the island of Orkney. She passed away while being held by Bishop Narve.
• In October, the nobles who were expecting her arrival at Scone Abbey on the mainland were informed that the Maid of Norway had gone missing. Her body was repatriated to Norway, where her father insisted on personally verifying her identity by viewing her remains in a casket. She was interred at Christ Church in Bergen, just like her mother.
• Thirteen Scottish lords, including Brus and Balliol, asserted their claim to the throne in the absence of a designated successor. The determination of the succession was not made until the year 1292. Balliol achieved success and obtained the approval of Edward I of England.
• Eric II outlived Margaret by nine years. He made a weak claim to the Scottish throne and responded with composure when his claim was rejected. Haakon succeeded Eric as the ruler of Norway. In 1296, Edward I changed his attitude and decided to invade Scotland, earning the historical title of the Hammer of the Scots. King Balliol was incarcerated in the Tower of London for some time before being subsequently exiled to France. 
• Amidst the ongoing conflict in Scotland, a woman claiming to be Margaret emerged in Norway in 1301. She was condemned as excessively aged, revealed to be of German origin rather than Norwegian, and bestowed with the title of False Margaret. She was subsequently executed by being burned at the stake. Robert the Bruce, also known as Robert I, (1274-1329) became the next Scottish ruler. 
• Robert I was the descendant of Robert de Brus, 5th Lord of Annandale. Upon the death of Robert I, David II ruled Scotland for forty-two years. Edward made an unsuccessful attempt to oppose David II. Edward II of England wedded Isabella of France in 1308, and he was overthrown in 1327 by Isabella and her lover, Roger Mortimer. Meanwhile, Margaret became a controversial ruler in Scotland. Due to her young age and absence of personal rule or coronation, several historians dismissed her reign. Shortly after her death, she was commonly known as Scotland’s Lady, Lady and Heir, or Maid, and only sometimes referred to as Queen Margaret. 
• Pope Nicholas IV recognised Margaret as the ruler of Scotland and treated her accordingly, including giving her a bull concerning the appointment of Matthew de Crambeth as bishop. In contemporary historical analysis, she is widely seen as a Queen, and contemporary historians generally acknowledge that Margaret, Maid of Norway, ruled over Scotland from 19 March 1286 to late September 1290.