On this day 1290 - death of Margaret, Maid of Norway, Scotland's seven-year-old queen

Margaret, Maid of Norway, was on her way to Scotland to be enthroned as queen when she died. PIC: Creative Commons/www.geograph.org/Colin Smith.

Margaret, Maid of Norway, was the granddaughter of Alexander III, King of Scots and ruler of the House of Dunkeld.

She was his only surviving heir following the sudden deaths of his children with her right to succession fought out against the backdrop of competing bids for the crown from Robert the Bruce and John Balliol.

When Hebrideans were offered a new start in Norway

Erik II teamed up with Edward I of England with negotiations over a potential marriage deal starting in earnest in Spring 1289.

More than 100 'Scotsmen of substance' ratified the marriage in March 1290 and gave Edward I their backing but also swore to preserve Alexander III's kingdom of for his heirs and preserve Scotland as an independent country.

Although both underage, it was agreed that Margaret and Edward of Caernarfon would be considered married on her arrival in Scotland with her suitor to be King of Scotland from then on.

Tragically, she never completed the journey from Norway.

As she set sail in September 1290, preparations were at full throttle at Scone Palace in anticipation of the enthronement.

However, her ship was blown off course by heavy storms with the Queen landing at St Margaret's Hope, South Ronaldsay, on Orkney.

She died on September 26 supposedly from the effects of terrible seasickness with her body returned to Norway where she was identified by her father and buried beside her mother, Margaret, at Christ's Kirk in Bergen.,

Later, in 1301, a woman was burnt at the stake after turning up in Bergen pretending to be young Margaret.

Following Margaret's death, Scotland was plunged into crisis with Edward I now backing John Balliol as the next King . The bloody Wars of Independence were soon to be underway,