Farmer‘s daughter. Her mother died when Margaret was seven years
old, and her stepmother considered the girl a nuisance. Margaret
eloped with a young nobleman from Montepulciano, bore him a son,
and lived as his mistress for nine years. In 1274 he was
murdered by brigands, and his body dumped in a shallow grave.
Margaret saw the incident as a sign from God. She publicly
confessed to the affair, and tried to return to her father‘s
house; he would not accept her. She and her son took shelter
with the Friars Minor at Cortona. Still young and attractive,
Margaret sometimes had trouble resisting temptation, but each
incident was followed by periods of deep self-loathing. To make
herself unappealing to local young men, she once tried to
mutilate herself, but was stopped by a Friar named Giunta. She
earned her keep by tending to sick women. She later began caring
for the sick poor, living on alms, asking nothing for her
services. She became a Franciscan tertiary in 1277. Margaret
developed an deep and intense prayer