Editing Margaret, Maid of Norway (section)

== Lady and queen ==
Following the unexpected death of King Alexander, Scottish magnates gathered to discuss the kingdom's future. They swore to preserve the throne for the right heir and chose six [[regent]]s, known as [[guardians of Scotland]], to govern the country. Although the succession had been laid out by the time King Alexander III died, Margaret's accession was not yet assured: her stepgrandmother, Queen Yolanda, was pregnant and the child was expected to succeed to the throne.{{sfn|Duncan|2002|p=175}} 

There was a dispute in parliament in April involving [[Robert Bruce, 5th Lord of Annandale]], and [[John Balliol]], [[Lord of Galloway]]. Bruce may have opposed the Maid's succession,{{sfn|Duncan|2002|p=178}} or the two men may have both claimed to be next in line to the throne after Yolanda's child and Margaret.{{sfn|Reid|1982|p=76}} 

Queen Yolanda delivered a stillborn child in November,{{sfn|Duncan|2002|p=178}} and within a few months King Eric's most prominent councillor, [[:no:Bjarne Erlingsson|Bjarne Erlingsson]], arrived in Scotland to claim the kingdom for Margaret.{{sfn|Helle|1990|p=149}} Bruce raised a rebellion with his son, [[Robert de Brus, 6th Lord of Annandale|Robert, Earl of Carrick]], but was defeated in early 1287.{{sfn|Duncan|2002|p=179}} The precariousness of the situation made King Eric reluctant to see his three-year-old daughter leave Norway for Scotland.{{sfn|Prestwich|1988|p=360}}

=== Marriage negotiations ===
[[File:Government2.jpg|thumb|The [[Great Seal of Scotland]] used by the government of the realm after the death of King Alexander III]]

In May 1289, Eric II sent envoys to Edward I as part of the kings' unfolding discussion about the future of Margaret, whom they called "lady and queen". The Scots could only observe the negotiations between the two kings as Margaret was still with her father.{{sfn|Duncan|2002|p=179}} 

Eric was indebted to Edward, and Edward was determined to make the most of the situation. The guardians, accompanied by Bruce, finally met with English and Norwegian envoys at [[Salisbury]] in October. The [[Treaty of Salisbury]] was drawn up on 6 November 1289, stating that Eric and Margaret, "queen and heir of the kingdom", asked Edward to intervene on behalf of his grandniece so "that she could ordain and enjoy therein as other kings do in their kingdoms".{{sfn|Duncan|2002|p=180}} 

Margaret was to be sent, by 1 November 1290, to England directly or via Scotland. Once the Scots could assure Edward that Scotland was peaceful and safe, he would send her to them. Edward was allowed to choose her husband, though her father retained the right to veto the choice. At Edward's request, a [[papal dispensation]] permitting Margaret to marry her granduncle's son, [[Edward of Caernarfon]], was issued on 16 November 1289.{{sfn|Duncan|2002|p=182}} 

The guardians and other prelates and magnates wrote that they were firmly in favour of the English match for "the lady Margaret queen of Scotland, our lady". It was strongly implied that Margaret's husband would be king, and Edward insisted on referring to Margaret as queen to speed up the accession of his own son, although the Scots themselves normally described her only as their lady.{{sfn|Duncan|2002|pp=181–183}}

Negotiations about Margaret's marriage, [[dower]], succession, and the nature of the intended [[personal union]] between England and Scotland continued into 1290. A lavishly provisioned ship failed to fetch the Maid in May because of diplomatic difficulties.{{sfn|Prestwich|1988|p=361}} The [[Treaty of Birgham]], agreed on 18 July, provided that Scotland was to remain fully independent despite the personal union{{sfn|Reid|1982|p=79}} and that Margaret alone would be [[Scottish coronation|inaugurated]] as monarch at [[Scone, Scotland|Scone]].{{sfn|Barrow|1990|p=135}}

=== Fatal journey ===
By late August 1290, Margaret was preparing to sail from Bergen to the island of [[Great Britain]] or was already at sea. The ship was her father's but he did not accompany her;{{sfn|Duncan|2002|p=194}} the most prominent men in her entourage were Bishop Narve and Baron Tore Håkonsson.{{sfn|Helle|1990|p=151}} She presumably embarked in good health but became ill during her journey. The ship landed in [[Orkney]], a Norwegian [[archipelago]] off the coast of Scotland, on about 23 September.{{sfn|Duncan|2002|p=195}} 

Having suffered on Orkney for up to a week from either [[food poisoning]] or, less likely, [[motion sickness]], Margaret died between 26 and 29 September 1290{{sfn|Duncan|2002|p=195}} in the arms of Bishop Narve.{{sfn|Helle|1990|p=151}} The Scottish magnates, who had assembled at Scone for the child queen's inauguration, learned about her death in October.{{sfn|Barrow|1965|p=39}} Her body was returned to Bergen, where King Eric insisted on having the coffin opened to confirm his daughter's identity. He then had it buried in the north wall of the chancel of [[Christ Church, Bergen|Christ Church]], now destroyed.{{sfn|Helle|1990|p=156}}