Ermengarde de Beaumont

Ermengarde de Beaumont
Ermengarde de Beaumont
Queen consort of Scotland
Tenure	1186–1214
Born	c. 1170
Died	12 February 1233; Scotland
Burial	Balmerino Abbey, Fife, Scotland
Spouse	William I of Scotland; (m. 1186; died 1214)
Issue	Margaret, Countess of Kent; Isabella, Countess of Norfolk; Alexander II, King of Scots; Marjorie, Countess of Pembroke
Father	Richard I, Viscount de Beaumont-le-Vicomte, de Fresnay et de Ste-Suzanne
Mother	Lucie de l'Aigle

Ermengarde de Beaumont (c. 1170 – 11 February 1233) was Queen of Scotland as the wife of King William I. She is reported to have exerted influence over the affairs of state as queen, though the information of her is lacking in detail.

Life[edit]

Ermengarde was born c. 1170 to Richard I [fr], Viscount of Beaumont-le-Vicomte, Fresnay and Ste-Suzanne, and Lucie de l'Aigle [fr] (died aft. 1217). Her father was the grandson of King Henry I of England.

She married King William I of Scotland at the royal chapel at Woodstock Palace near Oxford in England on 5 September 1186 by Baldwin, Archbishop of Canterbury. The marriage was arranged by King Henry II of England, who was at the time the acknowledged overlord of Scotland: William considered her status beneath him, but agreed after Henry offered to pay for the entire wedding, land valued at 100 merks and 40 knight’s fees, and to return the castles that he had forfeited, one of them being Edinburgh.

The chronicler Walter Bower described Ermengarde as ‘an extraordinary woman, gifted with a charming and witty eloquence’. Though William had many lovers before his marriage, he was reportedly never unfaithful to her after their wedding. The relatives of Ermengarde benefited from her status as queen. She is recorded to have presided with the Bishop of St. Andrews over a complex court case. In 1207, there was a complaint by a canon that a royal chaplain obtained the bishopric of Glasgow by bribing the King and the Queen. Queen Ermengarde is credited with mediating a renegotiation of the 1209 treaty, probably due to her husband’s incapacity. Due to the illness of William, Ermengarde took over some of his duties during his later years, and there is evidence that she wielded considerable influence in public affairs. In 1212, she accompanied William with their children to King John of England to secure the succession of their son Alexander. Ermengarde was described as distraught and lethargic over her husband’s death in 1214.

As queen dowager, she devoted her time to the foundation of a Cistercian abbey at Balmerino in Fife. It was completed in 1229, and she often visited it as a guest with her son Alexander. She stayed at the abbey many times.