Lachlan Cattanach Maclean, 11th Chief
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Lachlan Catanach Maclean (circa 1465 – 10 November 1523) was the 11th
Clan Chief The Scottish Gaelic word means children. In early times, and possibly even today, Scottish clan members believed themselves to descend from a common ancestor, the founder of the clan, after whom the clan is named. The clan chief (''ceannard ci ...
of
Clan MacLean Clan Maclean (; Scottish Gaelic: ' ) is a Scottish Highlands, Highlands Scottish clan. They are one of the oldest clans in the Scottish Highlands, Highlands and owned large tracts of land in Argyll as well as the Inner Hebrides. Many early Macle ...
from 1515 until his murder in 1523.


Biography

"Like several of his contemporaries he is a larger-than-life figure about whom several traditional stories, unusually unflattering caricatures, survive." It is possible that Maclean was a legitimate son of Lachlan Maclean, 10th Clan Chief, or an illegitimate son of
Hector Odhar Maclean Hector Odhar Maclean (?–1496), or Eachann Odhar Maclean in Scottish Gaelic, or Hector Maclean the Swarthy, was the 9th Chief of Maclean. He succeeded his father Lachlan Og Maclean upon his death c. 1472. He died in 1496. Biography He was the s ...
. On the assumption that he was the son of Hector, he may have received the appellation Catanach from his mother's people, Clan Chattan, with whom he was fostered. However the word catanach not only means "one of the Clan Chattan," but also hairy, rough, shaggy; hence he was called Lachlan the Shaggy. Maclean was clan chieftain of the Macleans of Duart and clan chief of the Macleans at a time when the Scottish Kings were asserting their kingship over the Scottish Isles. In 1493
John of Islay, Earl of Ross John of Islay (or John MacDonald) (1434–1503), Earl of Ross, fourth (and last) Lord of the Isles, and ''Mac Domhnaill'' (chief of Clan Donald), was a pivotal figure in late medieval Scotland: specifically in the struggle for power with Jam ...
forfeited his title and was to die in prison. So the Macleans who had risen to prominence as stewards of the Lords of the Isles and had been given lands in Mull, Morvern, Tiree, Islay, Jura, and Lochaber, now owed their position directly to
James IV of Scotland James IV (17 March 1473 – 9 September 1513) was List of Scottish monarchs, 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 I ...
. Maclean had royal support to become clan chief as is shown by the royal charter he received in 1496. However he resisted the efforts of
James IV of Scotland James IV (17 March 1473 – 9 September 1513) was List of Scottish monarchs, 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 I ...
to bring the Scottish Isles more firmly under his control. By the end of 1503 Maclean was in open revolt and after attacking and devastating Badenoch, and supporting Donald Dubh MacDonald, an illegitimate grandson of John of Islay, claim to be
Lord of the Isles Lord of the Isles or King of the Isles ( or ; ) is a title of nobility in the Baronage of Scotland with historical roots that go back beyond the Kingdom of Scotland. It began with Somerled in the 12th century and thereafter the title was ...
. For these acts
James IV of Scotland James IV (17 March 1473 – 9 September 1513) was List of Scottish monarchs, 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 I ...
declared him a traitor and sent a fleet to the isles which captured Maclean's castle of Cairn-na-Burgh on the islet of Cairn na Burgh Mòr in the
Treshnish Isles The Treshnish Isles are an archipelago of small islands and skerries, lying west of the Isle of Mull, in Scotland. They are part of the Inner Hebrides. Trips to the Treshnish Isles operate from Ulva Ferry, Tobermory, Ardnamurchan and Tiree. Ge ...
west of Mull. James gave the castle to
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 ...
. After this defeat Maclean recognised the authority of the King and the charge of treason was dropped. The death of
Lachlan Maclean Lachlan Maclean may refer to: * Lachlan Lubanach Maclean (c.1350–c.1405), 5th Clan Chief of Clan Maclean * Lachlan Bronneach Maclean (fl. 1470s), 7th Clan Chief of Clan Maclean * Lachlan Og Maclean (c. 1432–1484), 8th Clan Chief of Clan Maclean ...
at the
Battle of Flodden The Battle of Flodden, Flodden Field, or occasionally Branxton or Brainston Moor was fought on 9 September 1513 during the War of the League of Cambrai between the Kingdom of England and the Kingdom of Scotland and resulted in an English victory ...
on 9 September 1513 placed Lachlan Catanach as chief of the Maclean clan. In 1515 Maclean again rebelled, and the rebellion was also suppressed, after which he became a follower of the
Earl of Argyll Earl () is a rank of the nobility in the United Kingdom. In modern Britain, an earl is a member of the peerage, ranking below a marquess and above a viscount. A feminine form of ''earl'' never developed; instead, ''countess'' is used. The titl ...
, a policy that his successors followed up until the start of the
Wars of the Three Kingdoms The Wars of the Three Kingdoms were a series of conflicts fought between 1639 and 1653 in the kingdoms of Kingdom of England, England, Kingdom of Scotland, Scotland and Kingdom of Ireland, Ireland, then separate entities in a personal union un ...
.


Marriage and children

Maclean is said to have had at least six wives or mistresses. To cement his alliance, with the Argylls he married Catherine Campbell (she may have been the inspiration for the poem ''Glenara'' by Thomas Campbell), daughter of
Archibald Campbell, 2nd Earl of Argyll Gillespie Archibald Campbell, 2nd Earl of Argyll ( – 9 September 1513) was a Scottish nobleman and politician who was killed at the Battle of Flodden. Biography Archibald was the eldest son of Colin Campbell, 1st Earl of Argyll and Isabel S ...
.Her name is variously recorded as Janet and Katherine (Maclean-Bristol) Although politically convenient, the marriage was not a success, as she tried to poison him and he arranged to have her drowned by placing her on a rock in the sound of Mull. She was rescued just before the high tide drowned her. His children include: * Eachann Mor Maclean, his heir and successor * Ailean Maclean, second son of Lachlan Catanach, but better known as ''Ailean nan Sop'', or ''Allan o' the Wisp'', because he set fire to buildings with straw, was a very noted character. Many legends have been told concerning him, some of which can not be true, although they may contain a grain of truth.


Death

Sir John Campbell of Cawdor (nobleman) arranged the murder of Lachlan Cattanach Maclean as revenge for the attempted drowning of his wife Catherine, Campbell's sister. Lachlan was killed in
Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...
on 10 November 1523.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Maclean, Lachlan Catanach 1523 deaths Lachlan Catanach 1460s births 16th-century Irish people