Early Life and Background
Margaret of Beverly was born around 1150 into the minor nobility of England’s northern counties, a region where loyalties and landholdings were complex and often contested. The surname "Beverly" likely originates from the market town of Beverly in Yorkshire, a region noted in the 12th century for its religious houses and noble families tied to the Plantagenet kings.
Little is definitively known about Margaret’s childhood, but as was typical for noblewomen of the era, her upbringing would have included instruction in managing estates, basic literacy, religious devotion, and the customs of chivalric culture. The mid-12th century was a period marked by the aftermath of the Second Crusade (1147–1149) and the growing call for renewed campaigns in the Holy Land.
The Context of the Crusades in Margaret’s Lifetime
Margaret’s lifetime coincided with significant phases of the Crusades. The Third Crusade (1189–1192), led by Richard the Lionheart, Frederick Barbarossa, and Philip II of France, aimed to reclaim Jerusalem after its fall to Saladin in 1187. This period witnessed not only fierce battles but also the establishment of the Crusader states as political entities struggling to survive amidst hostile neighbors.
Women of noble birth like Margaret often played multifaceted roles during these times. They were caretakers of estates and families left behind, patrons of religious and military orders, and occasionally, as chronicled in some cases, direct participants in military defense. shutdown123