Thomas Mackenzie of Pluscarden, also known as of Pluscardine (died c. 1676-1687) was a Scottish soldier and member of parliament of the 17th century. He was a member of the

Clan Mackenzie Clan Mackenzie ( gd, Clann Choinnich ) is a Scottish clan, traditionally associated with Kintail and lands in Ross-shire in the Scottish Highlands. Traditional genealogies trace the ancestors of the Mackenzie chiefs to the 12th century. Howev ...

, a

Scottish clan A Scottish clan (from Gaelic , literally 'children', more broadly 'kindred') is a kinship group among the Scottish people. Clans give a sense of shared identity and descent to members, and in modern times have an official structure recognised ...

of the

Scottish Highlands The Highlands ( sco, the Hielands; gd, a’ Ghàidhealtachd , 'the place of the Gaels') is a historical region of Scotland. Culturally, the Highlands and the Lowlands diverged from the Late Middle Ages into the modern period, when Lowland S ...

Early life

Thomas Mackenzie was the second son from the second marriage of Kenneth Mackenzie, 1st Lord Mackenzie of Kintail and his wife, Isobel, daughter of Gilbert Ogilvie of Powrie Castle. His father was the chief of the Clan Mackenzie and his elder brother was

George Mackenzie, 2nd Earl of Seaforth George Mackenzie, 2nd Earl of Seaforth (died 1651) was a Highland clan chief and Scottish nobleman, who played an equivocating role in Scotland in the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. Origins Mackenzie was the son of Kenneth Mackenzie, 1st Lord Macke ...

who had succeeded their elder half-brother Colin Mackenzie, 1st Earl of Seaforth.

Thirty Years' War

During the

Thirty Years' War The Thirty Years' War was one of the longest and most destructive conflicts in European history, lasting from 1618 to 1648. Fought primarily in Central Europe, an estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died as a result of battle ...

on the

The Continent Continental Europe or mainland Europe is the contiguous continent of Europe, excluding its surrounding islands. It can also be referred to ambiguously as the European continent, – which can conversely mean the whole of Europe – and, by ...

, Thomas Mackenzie of Pluscarden served alongside

Robert Monro Robert Monro (died 1680), was a famous Scottish General, from the Clan Munro of Ross-shire, Scotland. He held command in the Swedish army under Gustavus Adolphus during Thirty Years' War. He also fought for the Scottish Covenanters during the ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

in 1625. Mackenzie entered Norwegian and Danish service when

Christian IV of Denmark Christian IV (12 April 1577 – 28 February 1648) was King of Denmark and Norway and Duke of Holstein and Schleswig from 1588 until his death in 1648. His reign of 59 years, 330 days is the longest of Danish monarchs and Scandinavian mon ...

declared war on the

Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire was a political entity in Western, Central, and Southern Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages and continued until its dissolution in 1806 during the Napoleonic Wars. From the accession of Otto I in 962 ...

. He served with

Donald Mackay, 1st Lord Reay Donald Mackay, 1st Lord Reay, 14th of Strathnaver (March 1591 – February 1649) was a Scottish soldier and member of Parliament. He played a prominent role in the Thirty Years' War, raising a regiment of 3,000 men, which served in both the Da ...

in the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

in 1627.

Scottish Civil War

During the Scottish Civil War of the 17th century Thomas Mackenzie of Pluscarden supported the

Royalist A royalist supports a particular monarch as head of state for a particular kingdom, or of a particular dynastic claim. In the abstract, this position is royalism. It is distinct from monarchism, which advocates a monarchical system of governm ...

cause. On 14 May 1639 a 4,000 strong force of Covenanters met near Elgin, Moray and who were led by the Earl of Seaforth, chief of the Mackenzies. Here, Thomas Mackenzie arranged that the Covenanters would return home and that their opponents, the Royalist Gordons should retire to the south of the

River Spey The River Spey (Scottish Gaelic: Uisge Spè) is a river in the northeast of Scotland. At it is the eighth longest river in the United Kingdom, as well as the second longest and fastest-flowing river in Scotland. It is important for salmon fishi ...

Charles I Charles I may refer to: Kings and emperors * Charlemagne (742–814), numbered Charles I in the lists of Holy Roman Emperors and French kings * Charles I of Anjou (1226–1285), also king of Albania, Jerusalem, Naples and Sicily * Charles I of ...

called a

General Assembly of the Church of Scotland The General Assembly of the Church of Scotland is the sovereign and highest court of the Church of Scotland, and is thus the Church's governing body.''An Introduction to Practice and Procedure in the Church of Scotland'' by A. Gordon McGillivray, ...

to be held at

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian on the southern shore of t ...

on August 12, 1639 and Thomas Mackenzie of Pluscarden was made the ruling elder. James Graham, 1st Marquess of Montrose soon after left the Covenanters and joined the Royalist side, and the Earl of Seaforth followed him in this, supported by Thomas Mackenzie. After Montrose's victory at the Battle of Inverlochy in 1645 the Earl of Seaforth and Thomas Mackenzie met with him and Thomas Mackenzie was asked by Parliament to explain his conduct for doing this. After Montrose's defeat in 1646, Thomas Mackenzie was fined £2,000 for having supported him by the Committee of Public Affairs. On 5 February 1649, Charles II had been proclaimed king after his father's execution. It was decided that Charles and his allies who were in exile should again try to recover the kingdom, in connection with the plans of the exiled royalist army leader James Graham, 1st Marquess of Montrose. As a result a rising took place in the north of Scotland under Colonel Hugh Fraser, who was joined by John Munro of Lemlair, Thomas Mackenzie of Pluscarden and Sir Thomas Urquhart of Cromarty. On 22 February, they entered Inverness, where they expelled the garrison of

Inverness Castle Inverness Castle ( gd, Caisteal Inbhir Nis) sits on a cliff overlooking the River Ness in Inverness, Scotland. A succession of castles have stood on this site since 1057, although the present structure dates from 1836. The present structure is ...

and afterwards demolished the walls and fortifications. On 26 February, a council of war was held. Here they framed certain enactments by which they took the customs and excise of the six northern counties of Scotland into their own hands. Soon afterwards General

David Leslie, Lord Newark David Leslie, 1st Lord Newark (c. 1600–1682) was a Scottish cavalry officer. He fought for the Swedish army of Gustavus Adolphus during the Thirty Years' War. He had entered Swedish service in 1630, serving as a captain in the regiment of Ale ...

was sent north to attack them. The clans then retreated from Inverness back into

Ross-shire Ross-shire (; gd, Siorrachd Rois) is a historic county in the Scottish Highlands. The county borders Sutherland to the north and Inverness-shire to the south, as well as having a complex border with Cromartyshire – a county consisting o ...

. Leslie placed a garrison in the

Castle Chanonry of Ross Castle Chanonry of Ross, also known as Seaforth Castle, was located in the town of Fortrose, to the north-east of Inverness, on the peninsula known as the Black Isle, Highland, Scotland. Nothing now remains of the castle. The castle was also known ...

, and terms of surrender were made between him and all of the clans except for the Mackenzies. As soon as Leslie left for the south, the Mackenzies attacked and retook the Castle Chanonry of Ross. In the aftermath of Montrose's final defeat at the Battle of Carbisdale in 1650, Thomas Mackenzie was permitted to speak with him on his journey South in captivity.

Member of Parliament

Thomas Mackenzie was the

member of parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members o ...

for Elgin from 1645 to 1663.

Lands

Charles I had granted the Barony of Pluscarden in Elgin to Thomas Mackenzie on 25 July 1636. Thomas Mackenzie was lay-Prior of Pluscarden Abbey from 1633 to 1649.

Family

Thomas Mackenzie married firstly, Jean Grant, daughter of John Grant of Freuchie (d. 1622) and widow of

William Sutherland, 10th of Duffus William Sutherland, 10th of Duffus (died 1626) was a member of the Scottish nobility and a cadet of the Clan Sutherland. Early life He was the son of William Sutherland, 9th of Duffus who had married firstly, Margaret, daughter of George Sincl ...

. They had the following children: #Colin Mackenzie, 2nd of Pluscarden. #Margaret Mackenzie. #Alexander Mackenzie. #Charles Mackenzie. #Kenneth Mackenzie. Thomas Mackenzie married secondly, Jean Cockburn. He died on 27 November 1676, or before May 1687.

References

{{reflist Mackenzie, Kenneth Clan Mackenzie