Clan MacDonald was one of the largest Scottish
clans, unique in that it had several branches in multiple territories.
Most other clans had only a single territory, with few having a second
branch. The MacDonalds had at least nine separate branches:
Background
Like the MacDougall
clan, the MacDonalds trace their ancestry to King
Somerled of the Isles. The MacDougalls descend from Somerled's eldest
son Dugall, and the eponymous
Donald was a grandson of Somerled through his second son, Ranald.
Scottish Wars of Independence
The MacDonalds fought with Robert the Bruce at the Battle
of Bannockburn in 1314.
Clan Wars
- Battle of Dingwall, 1411. The Clan Donald defeat the Clan
MacKay.
- Battle of Harlaw,
1411. MacDonalds fought as Highlanders at the Battle of Harlaw near
Inverurie in Aberdeenshire on 24 July 1411 against an Army of Scottish
Lowlanders.
- The Battle of Split Allegiances 1429, This conflict was between forces
led by Alexander MacDonald, 3rd Lord
of the Isles, who was in pursuance of his claim to the Earldom of
Ross and the Royalist army of King James I. It is believed is that Donald
Dubh, XI Captain and Chief of Clan
Cameron, rose in support of the Lord of the Isles, and that Cameron
clansmen joined a "large force" (recorded as being 10,000 men) in sacking
the town of Inverness and surrounding crown lands. On the return of
their army to Lochaber they were intercepted by King James I with his
large army. Donald Dubh, finding himself opposed to his Sovereign, led
his men in deserting the Lord of the Isles and joined forces with the
King. The Clan
MacKintosh is also said to have done likewise and the Lord of the
Isles army was defeated/sued for peace, with Alexander submitting to
the King and being imprisoned afterwards.
- Battle of Blar-na-Pairc, 1477. The Lord of the Isles had resigned
the Earldom of Ross into the Kings hands. After this the province was
continually molested with incursions by the Islanders into the Clan
MacKenzie territory. A MacDonald cousin called Gillespick MacDonald
invaded the MacKenzie country with great hostility. The MacKenzies assembled
their army and met the invading Islanders by the River of Conon, about
two miles from Brayle, where there ensued a sharp and cruel skirmish.
The Clan MacKenzie fought so hard and pressed the enemy so, that in
the end the outnumbered Gillespick MacDonald was overthrown and most
of his men slain or drowned in the river of Conon.
- The Battle of Bloddy Bay 1480, When William Dubh MacLeod
was killed (or taken prisoner) supporting John MacDonald against his
bastard son Angus Og Macdonald the flag was also said to have been unfurled
in the Battle of Badh na Fola - the Battle of Bloody Bay. According
to MacDonald cronicles William was taken prisoner by Angus Og and Allan
Moidertach but had been so severely wounded that he died on his way
back to Dunvegan. It is said by the Seanachie of Sleat that Ronald Bain,
son of Allan the laird of Moidart seized MacLeods galley but an Irishman
prevented it from being steered away by thrusting the blade of an oar
below the stern post of the galley between it and the rudder. As already
mentioned the flag was guarded by a dozen warriors and one after another
of them was slain. There is a special account of one of them - Murchadh
Breac (Murdo the pock-marked) who was struck by a spear and collapsed
on deck of the galley but kept holding the flag up by sticking its pole
into the gaping hole of his body until he was relieved of his charge
by a comrade. On account of the Seanachie of MacDonald William Dubh
was taken prisoner by Allan Moidertach and Angus Og. After the Battle
of Bloody Bay the MacDonalds raided Skye on behalf of Clan Leod's part
supporting John MacDonald against Angus Og. William Dubh must have been
prisoner then as his son Alasdair was not yet chief of the clan when
he withstood the raging MacDonalds and was severely wounded between
the shoulders by a battleaxe from which he never really recovered. Thence
he was hunchbacked and so comes his name Alasdair Crotach.
- The Battle of Skibo and Strathfleet around 1480. MacDonald of the Isles,
accompanied by about five or six hundred of his clan, came into Sutherland
and camped by the Castle of Skibo, whereupon
Neil Murray (son or grandson
to Angus Murray, slain at Druimnacoub) was sent by John, Earl of Sutherland,
to resist them, in case they harmed the inhabitants. Neil Murray, believing
that the MacDonalds would go about spoiling the country, attacked the MacDonalds
by Skibo and killed one of their chieftains, Donald Dow MacDonald, along with
fifty others. MacDonald, with the rest of his company, escaped back into their
own country. Shortly thereafter another company of MacDonald's came to Strathfleet
in Sutherland and spoiled that part of the country in revenge for the death
of their chieftain. However Robert Sutherland (John, Earl of Sutherland's
brother), assembled an army and attacked them upon the sands of Strathfleet.
After a sharp and cruel skirmish, MacDonald's men were defeated.
- Drumchatt 1497. In 1495 King James assembled an army at Glasgow. Then
on May 18th many of the Highland Chiefs made their submissions to him,
including the Clan
MacKenzie and the Clan
Munro Chiefs. Soon after this Alexander MacDonald of Lochalsh and
his clan rebelled against the King. He invaded the fertile lands of
Ross-shire where he was defeated in battle and driven away by the Munros
and MacKenzies at a place called Drumchatt. He escaped southward amongst
the Isles but was caught on the island of Oransay by MacIan of Ardnamurchan
and put to death.
- In 1544 the MacDonalds of Moidart fought against the Clan
Fraser at the Battle
of the Shirts on the shores of Loch Lochy. Legend has it that only
five Frasers and eight MacDonalds survived.
- The son of Alexander MacDonald of Lochalsh led MacDonalds against
the English at the Battle
of Flodden Field in 1513.
- Battle of the Spoiling Dyke 1578. The MacDonalds of Uist barred the
doors of Trumpan Church, or Kilconan Church as it was once known, east
of the shores of Ardmore Bay. They then set fire to the church full
of worshipers. No one escaped alive except one girl who, although mortally
wounded, managed to give the alarm. On hearing the news, the Chief of
Clan MacLeod
and his men set off for Ardmore bay where a battle ensued. The MacDonalds
were killed almost to a man. The corpses of the MacDonalds were dragged
and then buried in a turf dyke, and the incident remembered as the "Battle
of the Spoiling Dyke". The atrocity by the MacDonalds was to exact vegeance
on the MacLeods for their atrocity of the massacre of MacDonalds in
cave on the island of Eigg a couple of years earlier. This again was
a tit-for-tat revenge between the two feuding clans.
- The Battle of the Western Isles 1586 was fought between Clan Donald
and the Clan MacLean.
Donald Gorme MacDonald of Sleat was travelling from the Isle of Skye
to visit his cousin, Angus MacDonald of Kintyre. He landed with his
company on an island called Jura or Duray, which partly belonged to
MacLean and partly to Angus MacDonald, and by chance he landed in a
part of the island belonging to MacLean. Two outlaws, MacDonald Herrach
and Hutcheon Madgillespick, who had fallen out with Donald Gorme MacDonald,
arrived also with a company of men. Understanding that Donald Gorme
was there, they secretly took away, by night, a number of cattle out
of that part of the island which appertaineth to MacLean. So they retire
again to the sea, thereby thinking to raise a tumult against Donald
Gorme by making the Clan MacLean believe that this was done by Donald
Gorme MacDonald's men, who, lying at a place called Inver-knock-bhric,
were suddenly invaded unawares under silence of the night neither suspecting
or expecting any such matter by Sir Lauchlan MacLean and the entire
Clan MacLean.
The MacLeans killed more than 60 of the Clan MacDonalds that night.
Donald Gorme MacDonald escaped in a ship that lay in the harbour. Angus
MacDonald of Kintyre, hearing of accident and falling out between his
brother-in-law, MacLean (whose sister he had married) and his cousin,
Donald Gorme MacDonald, travelled Skye to visit Donald Gorme MacDonald
and to see by what means he could work a reconciliation between him
and MacLean for the slaughter of Donald Gorme MacDonald's men at Inverknock-bhric.
After a lot of political arguing, the two sides were made to make peace
by the King.
- The Battle of the Isle of Isla 1598. Sir Lauchlan MacLean
laid claim to the whole Isle of Isla. However it had always been the
ancient inheritance of the Clan Donald, at this time under Sir James
MacDonald. Sir Lauchlan MacLean, actually James MacDonald's uncle, assembled
his whole force and invaded the Isle of Isla. James being resonable
peacfully offered his uncle half of the Island for the MacLeans to own
for Lauchlan's lifetime only. However Lauchlan MacLean refused all offers
of peace unless his nephew gave him the entire Island. A cruel battle
took place. James MacDonald's men were far inferior in number but had
been trained well. The MacDonalds retreated so as to fight with the
sun on their backs. The MacDonalds were eventually victorious and the
MacLeans were defeated. Sir Lauchlan MacLean and about 280 of his men
were killed, the rest chased to their boats. James MacDonald was seriously
wounded after being shot through the body with an arrow; he was found
after the battle amongst 30 dead MacDonalds. This brought an end to
the feud between the MacDonalds and Clan
MacLean. However afterwards the King, not liking the MacDonalds,
gave much of the land to Clan
Campbell, later leading to a further feud.
- The Battle of Siol Tormoit in 1601. Donald Gorm MacDonald of the Sleat
had married the sister of Sir Rory MacLeod
of the Harris. For some reason Donald Gorm MacDonald did not like his
wife. Sir Rory MacLeod sent a message to Donald Gorm MacDonald, asking
him to return his sister. Donald Gorm not only refused to obey this
request, but also divorced her, marrying instead the sister of Kenneth
MacKenzie, Laird of
Kintail. Sir Rory MacLeod took this disgrace (as he thought it) so highly
that he assembled his men and invaded part of Donald Gorm MacDonald's
lands in the Isle of Skye, which lands Sir Rory MacLeod claimed to be
his. Donald Gorm MacDonald then assembled his forces and invaded MacLeod's
lands of Harris, which he wasted and spoiled, carrying away their store
and bestial and killing some of the inhabitants. Rory MacLeod and his
men traveled to the Siol Tormoit, Isle of Uist (then Donald Gorm MacDonald's),
sent his cousin, Donald Glas MacLeod, with some 40 men to spoil the
island, and took much goods preserved in a church. John Macian-MacJames
(a kinsman of Donald Gorm MacDonald), accompanied by 20 others, encountered
Donald Glas MacLeod. After a sharp skirmish, they killed Donald Glas
MacLeod and most of his company, rescuing the goods. Sir Rory, seeing
the bad success of his men, retired home. Both sides continued to steal
and slaughter. In end, Donald Gorm MacDonald assembled his whole force
in the year of 1601 and invaded Sir Rory MacLeod's lands, drawing them
into a fight. Sir Rory MacLeod was then in Argyle looking for advice
from the Earl of Argyll against the Clan MacDonald. Alexander MacLeod
(Sir Rory's brother) resolved to fight Donald Gorm MacDonald, even though
his brother was absent. The battle lasted most of the day, both contending
for victory with great obstinacy. The Clan MacDonald, in the end, defeated
their enemies, taking Alexander MacLeod. The two side later made peace,
and Alexander MacLeod was released.
- Variance 1602. A feud between Lord Kintail MacKenzie
and the MacDonald's Laird of Glengarry led to the MacDonalds being attacked
by the MacKenzies. A few MacDonalds were killed at Variance. The MacKenzies
wanted the MacDonald Laird of Glengarry to appear before the Justice
court at Edinburgh for previous crimes against them. Meanwhile two more
MacDonalds were killed. Glengarry MacDonald did not appear in court
on the arranged date but went about his own hand to revenge the slaughter
of his clansmen. As he did not appear in court the MacKenzies wasted
the MacDonald country of Morar. The two sides met and a battle took
place with great slaughter on both sides. After this they came to an
agreement to obtain peace where Glengarry MacDonald was glad to requite
and renounce to the Lord MacKenzie of Kintail, and give him the inheritance
of the lands of Strome.
- The Battle of Mulroy 1668, Clan
Cameron and Clan
MacKintosh were at peace and Cameron Chief Sir Ewen was responsable
for keeping the peace between his men and their former enemies. However
when the Chief Sir Ewen Cameron was away in London a feud broker out
between Clan Donald and their enemies Clan MacKintosh and Clan
MacKenzie. As the Cameron Chief was away he was not able to hold
back his clan and the combined forces of Cameron and MacDonald defeated
the MacKintoshes and MacKenzies.
- In 1692, 38 unarmed MacDonalds were murdered in the Massacre
of Glencoe when an initiative to suppress Jacobitism
was entangled in the long running feud between Clan MacDonald and Clan
Campbell. The slaughter of the host MacDonalds at the hands of their
Campbell guests was a major affront to Scottish Law and Highland tradition.
- Battle
of Sheriffmuir 1715. Here the British Army forces, including some
units drawn from Clan
Campbell fought against the Jacobite rebels, made up, amongst others,
of the men of Clan Donald who were under MacDonald of Keppoch. However
there were in fact some Campbells who took the Jacobites's side, led
by the son of Campbell of Glenlyon whose father had commanded the government
troops at the Massacre of Glencoe 22 years earlier. The two young men
buried the hatchet and swore to be brothers in arms, fighting side by
side in the Battle of Sheriffmuir. The British forces defeated the Jacobites.
Jacobite Uprisings
The Clan Donald fought on the side of the Jacobites during the 1745-1746
uprisings, with several of the MacDonald branches fighting at the Battle
of Culloden.
Crest
The Donald Clan Crest. Motto: 'By Sea and By Land' (Scottish
Gaelic: Air Muir 's Air Tir; Latin:
Per Mare Per Terras).
Most of Wikipedia's text and many of its images are licensed under the
Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License (CC BY-SA)
Return to Main Index
.jpg)
.jpg)