Dubh's Rebellion refers to a series of conflicts in which Scottish nobleman

Donald Dubh Domhnall Dubh (died 1545) was a Scottish nobleman. He was the son of Aonghas Óg, chief of Clan Donald (Clann Domhnaill), and claimant to the Lordship of the Isles, which had been held by his grandfather John of Islay, Earl of Ross (Eoin MacD ...

revolted against the rule of various Scottish monarchs. Fought from 1501–1505 and in 1545, the rebellions ended with the Scottish Crown crushing the rebels. The conflicts marked the end of several attempts to restore the independence of the Scottish Isles.

Description

First rebellion

Following his ascension to the throne of Scotland in 1488,

King James IV James IV (17 March 1473 – 9 September 1513) was King of Scotland from 11 June 1488 until his death at the Battle of Flodden in 1513. He inherited the throne at the age of fifteen on the death of his father, James III, at the Battle of Sauchi ...

embarked on a campaign to consolidate his rule over the country. One year after being crowned king, he intervened in a conflict against

Aonghas Óg Aonghas Óg (died 1490) was a Scottish nobleman who was the last independent Lord of the Isles. Aonghas became a rebel against both his father and the Scottish crown, in a civil clan war which would see the end of the independent Lordship of th ...

, a noble of Clan Donald who was revolting against the rule of his father,

John of Islay :''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 ...

. James' support for John came too late, and in 1489 Aonghas defeated his father to become the head of Clan Donald and lord of the Scottish Isles. Though his ally had been defeated, James used the clan dispute as an opportunity to exert its authority over the isles and invaded. Before fighting could begin in earnest, Aonghas was assassinated, allowing for James and his allies to easily gain control over the Scottish Isles. Using the crushed rebellion as a pretext, James asserted personal control over the region by personally claiming the title of

Lord 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 w ...

in 1493. In doing so, James replaced Clan Donald as the major geopolitical force in the region. Aonghas' son young son

was captured during the conflict and imprisoned by

Colin Campbell, 1st Earl of Argyll Colin Campbell, 1st Earl of Argyll (c. 1433 – 10 May 1493) was a medieval Scottish nobleman, peer, and politician. He was the son of Archibald Campbell, Master of Campbell and Elizabeth Somerville, daughter of John Somerville, 3rd Lord ...

. Nearly a decade after James' victory over Clan Donald, Og's son Donald Dubh escaped captivity with the help of

Torquil MacLeod Torquil MacLeod (Scottish Gaelic: Torcall mac Murchaidh, and Torcall MacLeòid) ('' fl.'' 14th century) was a Hebridean lord and is today considered to be the founder of the MacLeods of Lewis, who are known in Gaelic as ''Sìol Torcaill'' ("seed ...

and revolted against the Scottish Crown, seeking to restore his clan's control over the islands and reclaim the title of Lord of the Isles. His initially rebellion lasted from 1501 to 1505, and saw Donald gain some territory before being defeated and recaptured. Dubh would remain imprisoned until 1543, when he was released. During the intervening years, the Scottish Crown officially annexed the Scottish Isles, declaring them personal lands of the Crown and establishing military garrisons in the region. These actions angered many of the Islanders, who viewed this loss of autonomy as an overreach of the Crown's power.

Second rebellion

Upon being released, Dubh sought to assert his control over Clan Donald and the Scottish Isles. Coordinating a network of various clans and Scottish nobles, he and large parts of the Scottish isles revolted against the Scottish Crown, which was controlled by regents for the young

Mary, Queen of Scots Mary, Queen of Scots (8 December 1542 – 8 February 1587), also known as Mary Stuart or Mary I of Scotland, was Queen of Scotland from 14 December 1542 until her forced abdication in 1567. The only surviving legitimate child of James V of Scot ...

. Dubh was promised military and financial support by

Henry VIII of England Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is best known for his six marriages, and for his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His disa ...

, who was hoping to force the Scottish Crown to form a

Political Union A political union is a type of polity, political entity which is composed of, or created from, smaller polities, or the process which achieves this. These administrative subdivision, smaller polities are usually called federated states and federal ...

with England by military action and war now known as the

Rough Wooing The Rough Wooing (December 1543 – March 1551), also known as the Eight Years' War, was part of the Anglo-Scottish Wars of the 16th century. Following its break with the Roman Catholic Church, England attacked Scotland, partly to break the ...

. Domhnall secured his alliance with England on 5 August 1545, swearing allegiance to Henry VIII and acknowledging the

Earl of Lennox The Earl or Mormaer of Lennox was the ruler of the region of the Lennox in western Scotland. It was first created in the 12th century for David of Scotland, Earl of Huntingdon and later held by the Stewart dynasty. Ancient earls The first earl ...

as the true regent of Scotland (rather than

Regent Arran A regent (from Latin : ruling, governing) is a person appointed to govern a state ''pro tempore'' (Latin: 'for the time being') because the monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge the powers and duties of the monarchy, ...

Mary of Guise Mary of Guise (french: Marie de Guise; 22 November 1515 – 11 June 1560), also called Mary of Lorraine, was a French noblewoman of the House of Guise, a cadet branch of the House of Lorraine and one of the most powerful families in France. She ...

).Pamela Ritchie, ''Mary of Guise in Scotland'' (Tuckwell: East Linton, 2002), p. 161. The rebellion was also supported by members of the Irish nobility that were aligned with Henry. Dubh and his allies chose to launch their invasion of Scotland while camped in Ireland, where they were pledged support by the local nobility. With the rebellion having begun, Dubh promised to raise 8,000 men and 180 galleys to fight against the Scottish Crown. His force—which was still camped in Ireland, awaiting the right time to invade the Scottish Isles—was planned to be supplemented by 2,000 men provided by Henry and his Irish allies. Combined, this force outnumbered the Scottish Royal forces. However, the rebel's numbers remained hypothetical; Dubh was unable to gather the full support of the Scottish Isles, and Henry's Irish allies were unprepared to raise the 2,000 men he promised. Disputes over payments also led to divisions opening in the allied army. Instead of the 10,000 man force expected to invade, the army that sailed for Scotland numbered some 2,000 men. This force failed to make any major territorial gains, and Dubh retreated to Ireland in late 1545, where he died of a fever. With the death of the rebellion's leader, the various rebels fighting in the Scottish isles either subsided or lost all coordination. In the period of infighting that followed, the Scottish Crown and its allies were able to restore royal control over the islands. The failure of Dubh's Rebellion marked the end of any attempts to restore the Scottish Isles' independence.

References

{{Reflist 16th-century conflicts 16th century in Scotland