Noma/sko/lan
Lanercost Chronicle
[Latinsk tekst mangler...]
At this time the King of Norway died [Magnus Håkonsson, d. 9 May 1280], leaving as successor hsi son called Magnus [Eirik Magnusson, b. 1268]; who hearing that the King of Scotland [Alexander III] had an amiable, beauful and attrative daughter [Margaret], a virgin, of suitable age for himself (being a handsome youth of about eighteen years [eg. 12]), could not rest until a formal mission, divines as well as nobles, had been sent twice to obtain her as hsi spouse in marriage and consort on the throne. But before I bring ot an end the narrative of this marriage, let me relate to the priase of God and his servant, what was told by one of the emissaries about his king [to show] to what height human affection may be carried.
The father of this king being deeply attached to the religion of S. Francis, encouraged the [Franciscan] brethren above all others, and interested himself diligently in their schools of sacred theology, where, also, he set up for himself a mausoleum. It happened that the Queen brought forth her first-born on the said saint's day [16 July], to the shame rather than to the joy, of the realm, [for it] resembled more the offspring of a bear than a man, as it were a formless lump of flesh. When this was announced to the king, strong in faith, he said, 'Wrap it in clean linen and place it on the latar of S. Francis at the time of the celebration.'
Which having been fulfilled, when they came at the end of the service to take away what they had placed there, they found a lovely boy crying, and joyfully returned thanks to God and to the saint. This [child] having grown up, spught the damsel in marriage, as aforesaid; and, although the union was very distasteful to the maiden, as also to her relations and friends (seeing that she might wed elsewhere much more easily and honourably), yet it was at the sole instance of her father, the king [Alexander III], that the bargain was made that he should give her a dowry 17,000 merks, primarily fo rthe contract of marriage, but secondarily fo rthe redemption of the right to the Isles.
On the morrow of S. Laurence [11 August 1281] she embarked at .... [blank in ms] with much pomp and many servants, and after imminient peril to life which they ran on the night of the Assumption of the Holy Virgin [15 August], at daybreak on the said festival they lowered their sails at Bergen. Shortly afterwards she was solemnly crowned and proclaimed before all men by a distinguished company of kinsmen. She comported herself so graciously towards the king and his people that she altered their manners for the better, taught them the French and English languages, and set the fashion of more seemly dress and food. He only had one daughter by her, who survived her mother but a short time.
...
In like manner [as prince Alexander] his sister, the Queen of Norway [Margaret], took the way of death in the following month of February [eg. 9 April 1283], only thirty days later, in order that God's long-suffering should by many afflictions soften to a proper [degree of] penitence the heart of the father through whose wrong doing these things came to pass.
(The Chronicle of Lanercost 1272-1346, transl. with notes by Sir Herbert Maxwell, 1913), s. 21-23 og 32)
