Wonder Woman of the Week: Margaret of Scotland

The history of Britain includes a long chapter of Danish influence- beginning with late 8th Century Viking raids and ending in the 11th Century with the Norman Conquest. Among several famous women of this period of Britain's history was Margaret- English Princess and Scottish Queen. Margaret was born in exile in Hungary to an exiled English prince and claimant to the throne of England as a result of the Danish invasive King Cnut the Great. After the death of the Danish king and the demise of an heirless English restored monarch, Margaret's father became one of three possible heirs to the throne of the kingdom.

When the child Margaret arrived in England with her father to see him become king, the princess's father died under mysterious circumstances (likely assassination). Margaret and her brother remained in London with her brother replacing her father as a possible successor to the throne. Norman invaders however arrived in 1066 and rapidly swept through the kingdom and conquered England. In response, Margaret fled to Scotland where she took refuge from the ever-expanding Norman England.

Back in exile, Margaret found refuge among the Scottish royal family and eventually married the widowed King Malcolm III. Margaret was one of the last living Anglo-Saxon royals and her marriage to Malcolm inspired Scottish resistance against the encroaching Norman invaders. Margaret was well known throughout her life as a reverent royal dedicated to her faith and eventually earned canonization as a saint of the Catholic Church. While her husband led armies to defend the kingdom, Margaret led engineers to develop infrastructure across Scotland including building ferries, founding churches, and establishing charitable organizations to improve the standard of living for Scotland's serfs.