Margaret (or Marjrjuerite) of Orleans, duchess of Alen(;c)n and afterwards queen of Navarre, occupies an important place in the history of French Protestant- ism. She was born at Angouleme April 11, 1492, and was brought up at the court of Louis XII. Her brother, afterwards Francis I, after he had ascended the throne, employed her in numerous important affairs, and she went to Madrid to attend to him when he was a prison- er there. In 1509 she was married to duke Charles of Alencon, but he dying in 1525, she in 1527 again mar- ried, tills time Henry d'Albret, king of Navarre, and from this marriage was born Jeanne d'Albret, mother of Henry IV. Henry d'Albret died in 151-t, and Margaret continued to govern the kingdom with great wisdom. She died Dec. 21, 1519. She was very handsome and liighly talented, and her court was the refuge of all per- secuted for the sake of their religious belief; yet verj^ different opinions liave been advanced concerning her personal views. Some consider her a fervent Protes- tant, whilst others look upon her as a very orthodox Koman Catholic, and stiU others as a free-thinker. The fact seems to be that she observed Roman Catholic practices, although firmly believing in the doctrine of justification by faith in Christ only; she protected the Protestants, without herself leaving the Roman Church; she loved poetry and even pleasure, although strictly moral and truly pious. All these apparent contradic- tious find a natural explanation in her inclination to- M-ards mysticism, verging even on quietism, and result- ing in indifference towards the mere externals of relig- ion— a tendency common also to a number of the most distinguished theologians of that time, and one that helps us to understand many otherwise obscure points in the early history of the Reformation in France. Her private character was the object of many attacks, yet none of these accusations have been substantiated ; they were all made by her enemies. jMargaret of Orleans wrote Miroir de Vdine pecheresse (1533), which was con- demned by the Sorbonne, as it made no mention either of the saints or of purgatory : — U Heptameron des nou- vdles, a collection of tales after the manner of Boccaccio, but intended as moral lessons; they have since been used as illustrating the supposed immorality of her life. The work was first published under the title Ilistoires des amants fortunes (Paris, 1558 ; afterwards by Gruget, Paris, 1559,' 2 vols. ; Amsterd. 1G98 ; Berne, 1780, 3 vols. ; Leroux de Lericy, Paris, 1853, 3 vols.; Lacroix, Paris, 1857 ; in English dress it is published in Bohn's collec- tion, extra volumes) : — fragments published after her death by Jean de la Ilaye, under the title Marguerites de la marguerite des Princesses (Lyon, 1547 ; Par. 1554). ile.r Correspondance was published by Genin (Par, 1842) ; also Nouvelles lettres de la Reine de Navarre (Par. 1842). The Hist, de M. de Valois, etc., published at Amsterdam (1G9G, 2 vols.), is a mere novel. In the library of Rouen there is to be found a MS. of the 17th centurv, entitled Intrigues secretes de la reyne Marguerite pour etablir les erreurs et les nouveautes de Call-in et de Luther dans son rotjaume de Beam et de Navarre, See Bayle, Diet. Jlht. s. V. ; Polenz, Gesch. des franzosischen Calvinismus, i, 199 sq. ; Haag, La France Protestante, vii, 228 sq. ; Victor Durand, Marguerite de Valois et la Cour de Fran- cis I (1848, 2 vols, 8vo) ; Miss Freer, Life of Margue- rite, Queen of Navarre (1855); ]ieTzoa:,'Pea'l-Encgklop. ix, 55 sq. ; Pierer, Utiiversal-Lexikon, x, 867 ; Foreign Qaur. Rtr. (October, 1842).
Margaret of Scotland, daughter of king Edward
III, fled to Scotland with her brother, Edgar Edelings, when William the Conqueror invaded England, and in 1070 there married king Malcolm, who afterwards died fighting against William II of England, she following him only four days later to the grave (Nov. IG, 1093). She was canonized by Innocent IV in 1251, and in 1G73 Clement X made her the patron saint of Scotland. Ac- cording to the statement of her confessor Theodoric, Margaret of Scotland was very active, generous, and even lavish in helping the poor. She had regularly 300 persons dependent on her charity, and did much towards softening the native rudeness of the Scottish nobility. She founded a number of churches, working herself in adorning them, and gained her place in the iNIartyrolo- gium Romanum by her efforts to unite the Church of Scotland with that of Rome, and to civilize the country. She had worked no miracles, but her children were ac- counted such ; among them was David I, '• sjilendor generis," who Romanized Scotland. In after times her cathedral was destroyed by the Puritans, and her relics were scattered ; such portions as were subsequently col- lected were transferred by Philip II to the Escurial. The " toast of INIargaret" is named after her ; pope Eu- genius IV in 1430 attached to it an indulgence of forty daj'S, but with the express condition that this toast should be the last. IMargaret is commemorated Jime 16' by the Church of Rome. — Herzog, Keal-Encyldop. ix, 54. (J. N. P.)
Margarit (or ]\[arguerit), Juan de, a Spanish car- dinal, ^vas born at Girona about 1415. He belonged to an ancient and illustrious house of Catalonia ; one of his ancestors, Beranger, distinguished himself at the siege of Tyre. Margarit Ijecame doctor of theology at Girona ; in 1453 he was elevated to the episcopal see of Elna. The king of Aragon, Alfred V, employed him in several important diplomatic missions to Naples, and he was so successful that he was made ambassador to pope Pius II. In 1461 Margarit became chancellor at Giro- na, and in this office mediated peace between Sixtus IV and the king of Naples, Ferdinand I. For his services to the holy see he was honored with the cardinal's hat towards the close of 1443. He died at Rome in 1444, See Hoefer, Nouv. Biog. Generale, xxxiii, 543.