Margaret of Provence

Margaret of Provence (; 1221 – 20 December 1295) was Queen of France by marriage to King Louis IX. Early life Margaret was born in the spring of 1221 in Forcalquier. She was the eldest of four daughters of Ramon Berenguer IV, Count of Provence, and Beatrice of Savoy. Her younger sisters were Queen Eleanor of England, Queen Sanchia of Germany, and Queen Beatrice of Sicily. She was especially close to Eleanor, to whom she was close in age, and with whom she sustained friendly relationships until they grew old. Queen In 1233, Blanche of Castile, mother of King Louis IX of France, sent one of her knights to Provence, partly to offset the troublesome Count Raymond VII of Toulouse and partly to meet Margaret, whose grace and beauty were widely reported. Margaret and her father entertained the knight well, and soon Blanche was negotiating with the count of Provence about the marriage of a daughter of his and Blanche's son. Margaret was chosen as a good match for the king more for her religious devotion and courtly manner than her beauty. She was escorted to Lyon by her parents for the marriage treaty to be signed. From there, she was escorted to her wedding in Sens by her uncles William and Thomas of Savoy. On 27 May 1234, at the age of thirteen, Margaret married Louis. She was crowned queen of France the following day. Both the wedding and the coronation were celebrated at the cathedral of Sens.