Margaret of France, Queen of England and Hungary facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Margaret of France |
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| Junior queen consort of England | |
| Tenure | 27 August 1172 – 11 June 1183 |
| Coronation | 27 August 1172 (Winchester Cathedral) |
| Queen consort of Hungary and Croatia | |
| Tenure | 1186 – 23 April 1196 |
| Born | 1158 |
| Died | 18 September 1197 (aged 38–39) St John of Acre |
| Burial | Cathedral of Tyre |
| Spouse | Henry the Young King Béla III of Hungary |
| Issue | William |
| House | Capet |
| Father | Louis VII of France |
| Mother | Constance of Castile |
Margaret of France (born 1158 – died 18 September 1197) was a queen who lived in the 12th century. She was the daughter of Louis VII of France, who was the King of France. Margaret became a queen twice in her life. First, she was the junior Queen of England because she married Henry the Young King. Later, she became the Queen of Hungary and Croatia when she married Béla III of Hungary.
Contents
Early Life and Family
Margaret was the oldest daughter of King Louis VII of France and his second wife, Constance of Castile. She had two older half-sisters, Marie and Alix. Interestingly, these half-sisters were also older than her future husband, Henry the Young King.
When Margaret was about two years old, in 1160, she was betrothed to Henry the Young King. This means they were promised to be married. Henry was the second son of King Henry II of England and Eleanor of Aquitaine. At the time of their betrothal, Henry was five years old. As part of the marriage agreement, Margaret brought a very important piece of land called Vexin as her dowry. A dowry was a gift of money or property given by the bride's family to the groom or his family.
Becoming Queen of England
Margaret's husband, Henry the Young King, became a co-ruler with his father, King Henry II, in 1170. This meant they both ruled England at the same time. However, Margaret was not crowned with her husband at first. This made her father, the King of France, very upset.
To make the French King happy, Henry II arranged for his son and Margaret to be crowned together. This special event happened in Winchester Cathedral on 27 August 1172.
A Royal Baby
In 1177, Margaret became pregnant. She went to Paris for her confinement, which was a period of rest before childbirth. She gave birth to their only son, William, on 19 June 1177. Sadly, William was born too early and died just three days later, on 22 June. Margaret did not have any more children after this.
Life After Henry the Young King
In 1182, Margaret was sent back to France. This was done to keep her safe during a civil war that was happening between her husband, Young Henry, and his brother, Richard the Lionheart. Her husband, Henry the Young King, died in 1183 while he was on a military campaign in France.
A special crown, called a coronet, that Henry and Margaret would have worn was described around 1218. It was known as the "traditional ring-of-roses coronet of the house of Anjou." It is thought that Margaret might have taken her coronet with her to Hungary in 1186 when she married King Béla III. A similar ring-of-roses coronet was found in a convent grave in Budapest in 1838, and some believe it might be the same one.
Queen of Hungary
After her first husband died, Margaret received a large payment. In return, she gave up her dowry lands of Gisors and the Vexin. In 1186, Margaret married for the second time. She became the second wife of Béla III of Hungary. This made her the Queen of Hungary.
Margaret became a widow for the second time in 1196 when King Béla III died. She then went on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, which was a religious journey. She died at St John of Acre in 1197, only eight days after arriving there. She was buried at the Cathedral of Tyre.
