Around 1070, King Malcolm III of Scotland married an exiled Saxon princess named Margaret. It was far more than a royal love match. Their marriage opened Scotland to English and European influence, transformed the Scottish church and court, and produced a line of kings – as well as one of the nation's most beloved saints. This is the story of the union that reshaped a kingdom.
Key facts: Malcolm III and Saint Margaret
- Malcolm III: King of Scots 1058–1093, also known as Malcolm Canmore (‘great chief’)
- Margaret: An Anglo-Saxon princess, great-niece of Edward the Confessor, who fled to Scotland after the Norman Conquest
- Married: Around 1070, with their court centred on Dunfermline
- Children: Three future kings of Scots – Edgar, Alexander I and David I – and a daughter, Matilda, who became Queen of England
- Margaret's legacy: Canonised as a saint in 1250; one of Scotland's patron saints
- Malcolm's death: Killed at Alnwick in 1093
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A king and an exiled princess
Malcolm III came to the throne in 1058 after defeating Macbeth and his successor. A hardened warrior-king, he raided into England repeatedly during his long reign. It was one of the upheavals of the age – the Norman Conquest of England in 1066 – that brought his future queen to his court. Margaret, of the old Anglo-Saxon royal house, fled north with her family seeking refuge, and around 1070 she and Malcolm were married.
The influence of Margaret
Margaret was pious, learned and reforming. She encouraged the Scottish church to fall in line with wider European practice, founded churches and supported pilgrims – the Queensferry crossing near Edinburgh is named for the free ferry she provided for those travelling to St Andrews. She brought English and continental manners to a court that had been thoroughly Gaelic, and raised her children in that cultured, devout tradition. Her personal chapel in Edinburgh Castle – St Margaret's Chapel – survives as the oldest building in the city.
A dynasty of kings
The marriage's political consequences were immense. Three of Malcolm and Margaret's sons – Edgar, Alexander I and David I – became kings of Scots in turn, and their daughter Matilda married Henry I of England, linking the Scottish and English royal lines. Through their descendants the blood of the old Scottish and Saxon royal houses flowed down to later monarchs, including, in time, Robert the Bruce.
Malcolm himself died in 1093, killed at Alnwick during yet another campaign into England; Margaret, already ill, died days later on hearing the news. She was canonised as Saint Margaret of Scotland in 1250 and remains one of the country's patron saints.
Frequently asked questions
Who was Malcolm III?
Malcolm III, known as Malcolm Canmore, was King of Scots from 1058 to 1093. He took the throne after the fall of Macbeth and reigned for 35 years.
Why is Margaret a saint?
Margaret was renowned for her piety, charity and reform of the Scottish church. She was canonised in 1250 and is one of Scotland's patron saints.
Why was their marriage important?
It brought Anglo-Saxon and European influence into Scotland, reformed the church, and produced three future kings and a Queen of England, shaping the Scottish monarchy for generations.
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