St. Margaret: Queen of Scotland [Paperback]

Alan J. Wilson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 2001 | ISBN-10: 0859765474 | ISBN-13: 978-0859765473

A precious pearl saw the light in Hungary, and lived at the court of the Confessor, a School of Holiness. Torn from homeland, you embrace another. You became Queen and Mother, the glory of Scots. Your Queen's crown, a crown of Charity. Your way, the Royal Way of the Cross...Once, mere men, placed crowns upon your head. But I, Innocent, Peter's successor, Servant of Christ, now place upon your head, the greatest crown of all, sainthood. - The Canonisation Oration of Innocent IV on St Margaret, made in 1250 St Margaret is, after Mary, Queen of Scots, perhaps the most famous woman in Scottish history, and her life is amongst the most extraordinary of any other major Scottish historical figure. Her father was the son of Edmund Ironside, who fled England on the accession of Cnut. As heirs to Edward the Confessor she and her brother returned from exile in Hungary to the England of the Confessor. Passed over as king on the succession of Harold II, Edgar and his sister fled to Scotland, where she married Malcolm Canmore. She was mother to eight children and gained a reputation for sanctity almost unparalleled in history. But this extraordinary woman, who had traversed the realms and courts of 11th-century Europe, was also one of the most formative influences on the medieval kingdom of Scots. To this day she is revered in both Hungary and Scotland.

Editorial Reviews

Review

'... a carefully researched study of a historical personage who did have a profound influence on the future of Scotland... the writer is to be congratulated particularly on elucidating the mysteries surrounding the saint's early life' - Press and Journal 'Mr Wilson writes in an easy, fluent style... a book which will deservedly appeal to many readers' - Scots Independent

About the Author

Alan Wilson used to teach in Edinburgh, where he still lives, and is now a freelance writer and researcher. This book was written in 1993 for the 900th anniversary of the death of Scotland's royal saint.

Product Details

• Paperback: 176 pages
• Publisher: John Donald (November 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0859765474
• ISBN-13: 978-0859765473
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,364,078 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Proliferation of the Margaret Myth, December 4, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: St. Margaret: Queen of Scotland (Paperback)

This book was first published in 1993, in time for the 900th anniversary celebrations of Margaret's death. Herein lies one of the major problems with this book as it accepts the official line of the organisers of the anniversary celebrations and does not seek to question some of the more mythical aspects of Margaret's life.

The book is easy to read but unfortunately trots out the traditional stereotypes about Margaret's life without providing much analysis of the small yet available body of chronicle evidence. Many of the current debates, particularly those dealing with the true extent of her pious works as Queen of Scotland, are largely glossed over and sometimes the author seems to be caught up in the cult of personality that continues to surround Margaret.

Wilson and Selby provide a useful starting point for those who want to know more about this elusive figure, however I would advise caution about accepting some of the myths about Margaret's family origins, birthplace and life which constitutes the proliferation of legends which are now being called into question by some notable academics.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars For Scholars, March 3, 2009

By 

Joseph A. Babicki (Port Hueneme CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: St. Margaret: Queen of Scotland (Paperback)

A very scholastic book. For me the most interesting part was on the religious practices in Scotland. The least interesting was the chapter on St Maggie as I never got a feel for her personality, what it was like to be around her.

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting book for obtaining a background in Saint Margaret's life and times, February 17, 2006

By 

Margaret C. Stout (Virginia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: St. Margaret: Queen of Scotland (Paperback)

Having read another reviewer's dismissive opinion of this book, I was prepared to be underwhelmed. Therefore, I was pleasantly surprised by this book, although my previous understanding was admittedly based on pamphlets and short hagiographic summaries.

I do think it is hilarious that the author proposes that King Malcolm's first wife, Ingibiorg, must have been an undocumented daughter of King Malcolm's dead rival Thorfinn of Orkney (who co-ruled Scotland with MacBeth), rather than exploring the possibility that she was the widow of his rival (and, if so, much older than Malcolm). The author doesn't speculate on what could have provoked Margaret to argue for such a sweeping change to marital customs (banning levirate and other 'inheritance' marriages) - cited as one of the five great works for which she deserved to be sainted. I think waiting two years for an elderly wife to die, or worse, nursing an aged first wife after marrying Malcolm, could have provided such passion. I admit, it could have been the then-almost commonplace practice of murdering relatives to obtain property through marriage to widows, without reference to any interesting factoids about Malcolm's first marriage.

Unless you are thoroughly steeped in cutting edge research into Saint Margaret's life, I think you would find this an interesting and informative book.