Margaret was born in Klis Fortress in the Kingdom of Croatia, the eighth and last daughter (9th of 10 children) of the royal couple.

She spent the rest of her life there,[2] dedicating herself to religion and opposing all attempts of her father to arrange a political marriage for her with King Ottokar II of Bohemia.

[3] In marked contrast to the customs of her Order, she received[citation needed] the Consecration of Virgins along with some other royals to prevent further attempts on the part of her father to have her vows dispensed by the pope for marriage.

According to the legend, Margaret chastised herself from early childhood, wore an iron girdle, hairshirts and shoes spiked with nails and performed the most menial work in the convent.

She was finally canonized by Pope Pius XII on November 19, 1943,[4] at that time the feast day of her aunt, Saint Elizabeth of Hungary.

In art Margaret is usually depicted in a Dominican nun's religious habit, holding a white lily and a book.