Margaret I of Wessex (Kingdom of Wessex)

Margaret I was the Queen of Wessex from 1703 until her death in 1742. She was the first female in Wessex history to became monarch in her own right, after her father, Arthur III, passed the Equal Succession Act five years prior to her becoming Queen.

Her reign was marked by a period of peace and stability after the turbulent times endured by both her father and grandfather. The difficult relationship with neighbouring England became ever closer as Margaret, and her foreign counterpart, Queen Anne, ruled as the 'Queen's of Britain'. The naturally kind nature of Margaret meant that she proved popular with both the Royal Court and the people of Wessex, and ultimately the Court of St. James.

The later years of her life were marked by a gradual deterioration in her health following the early death of her husband, the Earl of Portland. Her eldest daughter, and heir, began to perform many of her mother's responsibilities as she slowly began to withdraw from public life. Margaret died in early 1742 after contracting a serious bout of illness in the months prior to her death. Her funeral took place at Winchester Cathedral where her body was interred into Royal Crypt.