Donald, Lord of the Isles ( gd, Dómhnall; died 1423), was the son and successor of
John of Islay, Lord of the Isles
:''This article refers to John I, Lord of the Isles; for John II, see John of Islay, Earl of Ross''
John of Islay (or John MacDonald) ( gd, Eòin Mac Dòmhnuill or gd, Iain mac Aonghais Mac Dhòmhnuill) (died 1386) was the Lord of the Isles (1 ...
and chief of
Clan Donald. The
Lordship of the Isles
The Lord of the Isles or King of the Isles
( gd, Triath nan Eilean or ) is a title of Scottish nobility with historical roots that go back beyond the Kingdom of Scotland. It began with Somerled in the 12th century and thereafter the title ...
was based in and around the Scottish west-coast island of
Islay, but under Donald's father had come to include most of isles and the lands of Somerled, the King of the Isles in the 12th century, Donald's predecessor, including
Morvern
Morvern, historically also spelt Morven, is a peninsula and traditional district in the Highlands, on the west coast of Scotland. It lies south of the districts of Ardgour and Sunart, and is bounded on the north by Loch Sunart and Glen Tarbert, ...
,
Garmoran
Garmoran is an area of western Scotland. It lies at the south-western edge of the present Highland Region. It includes Knoydart, Morar, Moidart, Ardnamurchan, and the Small Isles.
History
The medieval lordship of Garmoran was ruled by the MacRua ...
,
Lochaber
Lochaber ( ; gd, Loch Abar) is a name applied to a part of the Scottish Highlands. Historically, it was a provincial lordship consisting of the parishes of Kilmallie and Kilmonivaig, as they were before being reduced in extent by the creatio ...
,
Kintyre
Kintyre ( gd, Cinn Tìre, ) is a peninsula in western Scotland, in the southwest of Argyll and Bute. The peninsula stretches about , from the Mull of Kintyre in the south to East and West Loch Tarbert in the north. The region immediately nor ...
and
Knapdale
Knapdale ( gd, Cnapadal, IPA: kraʰpət̪əɫ̪ forms a rural district of Argyll and Bute in the Scottish Highlands, adjoining Kintyre to the south, and divided from the rest of Argyll to the north by the Crinan Canal. It includes two parishes, ...
on the mainland.
Donald was the grandson of King
Robert II of Scotland
Robert II (2 March 1316 – 19 April 1390) was King of Scots from 1371 to his death in 1390. The son of Walter Stewart, 6th High Steward of Scotland, and Marjorie, daughter of King Robert the Bruce, he was the first monarch of the House of St ...
and first cousin of King
Robert III; he took pride in his royal blood, even adopting the royal
tressure
In heraldry, an orle is a subordinary consisting of a narrow band occupying the inward half of where a bordure would be, following the exact outline of the shield but within it, showing the field between the outer edge of the orle and the edge o ...
to surround his coat of arms.
While it is customary to portray the Lords of the Isles as divorced from the mainstream of Scottish political life, and as representatives of a brand of lordship distinct from the rest of Scotland, this view obscures the fact that Donald was only one of many magnates who held large lordships with little interference from the crown in late 14th and early 15th century Scotland. The
Douglas kindred of southern Scotland and the
Albany Stewarts had similar roles as Donald.
Early rule
Donald spent some of his first years as Lord of the Isles suppressing a revolt by his brother
John Mór. John was Donald's younger brother, and resented his meagre inheritance. Although he was recognised as heir-apparent (''
tànaiste'') until Donald produced a son, he only received patches of land in Kintyre and Islay. The rebellion initiated by the MacKinnons, including their chief, Niall and the "Green Abbot" of Iona, started in 1387 and went on into the 1390s. The MacKinnons and John obtained the support of the
MacLean
MacLean, also spelt Maclean and McLean, is a Gaelic surname Mac Gille Eathain, or, Mac Giolla Eóin in Irish Gaelic), Eóin being a Gaelic form of Johannes (John). The clan surname is an Anglicisation of the Scottish Gaelic "Mac Gille Eathai ...
and MacLeod kindreds. However, John and the MacKinnons were defeated. The MacKinnon chief was hanged, the MacKinnon abbot imprisoned for life on Iona. Eventually, John submitted to Donald, who forgave him. John Mór had fled to Ulster where he married Margery Bisset and became the Lord of Dunyvaig and the Glens. Like Donald, he was allied with the English kings,
Richard II of England and Henry IV.
Conflict with the Stewarts
Suppression of the revolt enabled Donald to turn his attention northwards and eastwards. Most of the area to the north and east of the Lordship, that is
Skye,
Ross Ross or ROSS may refer to:
People
* Clan Ross, a Highland Scottish clan
* Ross (name), including a list of people with the surname or given name Ross, as well as the meaning
* Earl of Ross, a peerage of Scotland
Places
* RoSS, the Republic of Sou ...
,
Badenoch
Badenoch (from gd, Bàideanach, meaning "drowned land") is a traditional district which today forms part of Badenoch and Strathspey, an area of Highland Council, in Scotland, bounded on the north by the Monadhliath Mountains, on the east by t ...
and
Urquhart, was under the control of
Alexander Stewart, Earl of Buchan, famously known as the "Wolf of Badenoch". The Stewarts had been building up their power in the central Highlands and north of Scotland since the death of
John Randolph, 3rd Earl of Moray
John Randolph, 3rd Earl of Moray (died 17 October 1346) was an important figure in the reign of David II of Scotland, and was for a time joint Regent of Scotland.
Family
He was son of the famous Thomas Randolph, 1st Earl of Moray, a companion-i ...
in 1346. Alexander had acquired control of the
lordship of Badenoch
A lordship is a territory held by a lord. It was a landed estate that served as the lowest administrative and judicial unit in rural areas. It originated as a unit under the feudal system during the Middle Ages. In a lordship, the functions of econ ...
, the
earldom of Buchan and the
Justiciarship of Scotia. He had been appointed "Lieutenant of the North", giving him the flexibility to exercise total control over most of Scotland north of the
mounth
The Mounth ( ) is the broad upland in northeast Scotland between the Highland Boundary and the River Dee, at the eastern end of the Grampians.
Name and etymology
The name ''Mounth'' is ultimately of Pictish origin. The name is derived from ...
. Alexander was at once the ''de facto'' ruler of northern Scotland as well as the means by which the crown itself exercised control.
However, there had been complaints over the activities of his
cateran
The term cateran (from the Gaelic ''ceathairne'', a collective word meaning "peasantry") historically referred to a band of fighting men of a Scotland Highland clan; hence the term applied to the Highland, and later to any, marauders or cattle ...
s (war bands). More importantly, Alexander's position had become threatening not only to the crown, but also to
Euphemia I, Countess of Ross
Euphemia I (d. 1394 x 1398), also called Euphemia of Ross and Euphemia Ross, and sometimes incorrectly styled ''Euphemia Leslie'' and ''Euphemia Stewart'' (Scottish women in this period did not abandon natal names for married names), was a Countes ...
, her son
Alexander
Alexander is a male given name. The most prominent bearer of the name is Alexander the Great, the king of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia who created one of the largest empires in ancient history.
Variants listed here are Aleksandar, Al ...
and the titular Dunbar Earl of Moray. Late in 1388, soon after becoming Guardian of the Kingdom,
Robert Stewart, Earl of Fife (created
Duke of Albany
Duke of Albany is a peerage title that has occasionally been bestowed on the younger sons in the Scottish and later the British royal family, particularly in the Houses of Stuart and Hanover.
History
The Dukedom of Albany was first granted ...
in 1398) deprived Alexander of the Justiciarship. The assault of Alexander's position continued into the 1390s. Donald and his brother Alexander of Lochaber were in a perfect position to benefit. In 1394, the latter entered a 17-year agreement with the Earl of Moray, taking over Alexander Stewart's role as "protector" of the wealthy
comital
Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...
and
episcopal lands in the Moray lowlands. The MacDonalds were in possession of
Urquhart Castle
Urquhart Castle (; gd, Caisteal na Sròine) is a ruined castle that sits beside Loch Ness in the Highlands of Scotland. The castle is on the A82 road, south-west of Inverness and east of the village of Drumnadrochit.
The present ruins dat ...
by the end of 1395, and had given control of the
Duart Castle
Duart Castle, or ''Caisteal Dhubhairt'' in Scottish Gaelic, is a castle on the Isle of Mull, beside the Sound of Mull off the west coast of Scotland, within the council area of Argyll and Bute. The castle dates back to the 13th century and ...
to
Maclean of Duart.
The Guardian soon turned his hostility against Donald and his family. Alexander of Lochaber had been using his role as "protector" to further his own lordship, including granting episcopal lands to his military followers. In 1398, Robert Stewart (now Duke of Albany) was called upon to take action, but the well-prepared expedition in the end came to nothing. Lochaber continued his activities, and in a raid of 1402 burned the
burgh of
Elgin along with the manses of the canons belonging to
Elgin Cathedral
Elgin Cathedral is a historic ruin in Elgin, Moray, north-east Scotland. The cathedral—dedicated to the Holy Trinity—was established in 1224 on land granted by King Alexander II outside the burgh of Elgin and close to the River Lossie. ...
. For this he was excommunicated by
William Spynie,
bishop of Moray. Later in the year Alexander visited Spynie to seek forgiveness and was thereafter absolved.
The Earldom of Ross
In the same year, following the death of
Alexander Leslie, Earl of Ross
Alexander Leslie, Earl of Ross (died 1402) was a Scottish nobleman. Born between 1367 and 1382, he was the son of Walter Leslie, Lord of Ross and Euphemia I, Countess of Ross. In around 1394 he became Earl of Ross and sometime before 1398 he mar ...
, Donald pressed the claims of
Mariota, Alexander Leslie's sister and Donald's wife, to the possession of Ross. Donald attempted to gain control of the earldom. Sometime after 1405 but before 1411, Donald gained control of
Dingwall
Dingwall ( sco, Dingwal, gd, Inbhir Pheofharain ) is a town and a royal burgh in the Highland council area of Scotland. It has a population of 5,491. It was an east-coast harbour that now lies inland. Dingwall Castle was once the biggest cas ...
Castle, the chief seat of the earldom and was welcomed to Ross by the people. In the year after the death of the nominal king, Robert III, Donald sent emissaries to England, to make contact with the heir of the Scottish throne, the captive and, as yet, uncrowned
James Stewart. King
Henry IV of England sent his own emissaries to Donald in the following year to negotiate an alliance against Albany.
With control over the principal seat of the earldom of Ross and support of the exiled heir to the Scottish throne, in 1411 Donald felt strong enough that he was in pursuit of a noble cause, so that he marched an army of 10,000 Islesmen and Ross vassals against Albany's main northern ally,
Alexander Stewart, Earl of Mar. At the
Battle of Harlaw
The Battle of Harlaw ( gd, Cath Gairbheach) was a Scottish clan battle fought on 24 July 1411 just north of Inverurie in Aberdeenshire. It was one of a series of battles fought during the Middle Ages between the barons of northeast Scotland a ...
, Donald won a decisive victory, and thereafter returned to the western Highlands and Isles.
[MacDonald, Iain G., Donald of the Isles and the Earldom of Ross: West-Highland Perspectives on the Battle of Harlaw (‘Macdonald had the victory but the governor had the printer’) June, 2011, published for Harlaw Remembered, commemorating the 600th anniversary of the Battle of Harlaw by The Elphinstone Institute, University of Aberdeen. See also, Irish Annals of Connacht, where under the year 1411 it states, "Mac Domnaill of Scotland won a great victory over the Galls of Scotland. Mac Gilla Eoin ]ector MacLean Ector can refer to:
* A variation of the name Hector
* Ector, a city in Fannin County, Texas
* Ector County, Texas
* Sir Ector, King Arthur
King Arthur ( cy, Brenin Arthur, kw, Arthur Gernow, br, Roue Arzhur) is a legendary king of B ...
one of Mac Domnaill’s followers, was killed in the resistance of the vanquished."
In the aftermath, Albany was able to retake Dingwall and seize control of
Easter Ross
Easter Ross ( gd, Ros an Ear) is a loosely defined area in the east of Ross, Highland, Scotland.
The name is used in the constituency name Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross, which is the name of both a British House of Commons constitue ...
. In 1415, the heir of Alexander Leslie,
Euphemia II, resigned the earldom to Albany. Donald prepared for war and proclaimed himself "Lord of Ross". Although Albany appointed his own son
John Stewart to the earldom, Donald's wife continued to regard herself as the rightful Countess.
Donald died in 1423 in Islay. He was succeeded by his son
Alexander
Alexander is a male given name. The most prominent bearer of the name is Alexander the Great, the king of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia who created one of the largest empires in ancient history.
Variants listed here are Aleksandar, Al ...
.who became Lord of the Isles and Earl of Ross.
Marriage and children
He married Mariota Leslie of Ross, who ultimately gained the title
Countess of Ross
The Earl or Mormaer of Ross was the ruler of the province of Ross in northern Scotland.
Origins and transfers
In the early Middle Ages, Ross was part of the vast earldom of Moray. It seems to have been made a separate earldom in the mid 12 ...
. They had at least three children:
*
Alexander Macdonald, 10th Earl of Ross who died on 7 May 1449
* Angus Macdonaldrtr
*
Anna Macdonald who married
Robert Maclagmayn Lamont
The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory, honou ...
Inventory of Lamont Papers page 11 https://archive.org/details/scottishrecordso54scotuoft/page/10/mode/2up?ref=ol&view=theater&q=macdonald
Notes
References
*
Boardman, Stephen, ''The Early Stewart Kings: Robert II and Robert III, 1371–1406'', (East Linton, 1996)
*
Brown, Michael, ''James I'', (East Linton, 1994)
*
*
Oram, Richard, "The Lordship of the Isles, 1336–1545", in Donald Omand (ed.) ''The Argyll Book'', (Edinburgh, 2005), pp. 123–39
*
External links
Thepeerage.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Isles, Donald, Lord of
Donald
Donald is a masculine given name derived from the Gaelic name ''Dòmhnall''.. This comes from the Proto-Celtic *''Dumno-ualos'' ("world-ruler" or "world-wielder"). The final -''d'' in ''Donald'' is partly derived from a misinterpretation of the ...
People from Argyll and Bute
14th-century births
1423 deaths
14th-century Scottish people
15th-century Scottish people