or '''MacDonald''' was one of the largest Scottish Clans , unique in that 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:
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.
Clan MacDonald were involved in many battles and skirmishes with other clans, mostly against Clan Campbell , with whom they had a long feud.
- Battle of Dingwell, 1411. The Clan MacDonald defeat Clan MacKay .
- Battle Of Harlaw , 1411. The MacDonald Clan fought as Highlanders at the Battle of Harlaw near Inverurie in Aberdeenshire on 24 July 1411 against an Army of Scottish Lowlanders.
- 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 Skibdo 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 Clan MacDonald 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.
- 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 MacDonald 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 , 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 MacDonald, 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.
- In 1692, 78 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 of Clan Campbell fought against the Jacobites of Clan MacDonald 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 of Clan Campbell defeated the Jacobites.
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 .
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