John of Argyll | |
|---|---|
| Lord of Argyll | |
 | |
| Reign | 1310–1316 |
| Predecessor | Alasdair de Argyll |
| Died | 1316 Ospringe, Kent, England |
| Noble family | Clan MacDougall |
| Issue | Many, including Eóghan, Ailean, Somhairle, Alasdair Óg |
John of Argyll, [a] was a Scottish nobleman of the early 14th century. He is often known today as John Bacach, "the Lame", but there is no authority for that as a contemporary or near-contemporary nickname. [1]
The son of Alexander MacDougall (Alasdair MacDubhgall), Lord of Argyll, by a daughter of John I Comyn, Lord of Badenoch, John appears in the records in 1291 swearing fealty to Edward I of England. [1] From his father's and mother's background, he inherited the pro-Balliol sympathies that determined his family's and his own activities during the Great Cause and the First War of Scottish Independence. As the Balliol stalwarts of the west, the Bruce heartland, the MacDougalls and Comyns of Badenoch eventually found themselves up against Bruce-backed MacDonalds, Campbells, the Menteiths, men of Lennox and the Stewarts, in addition to Bruce's own Carrick forces.
After the deposition of King John de Balliol in 1296, John's father Alexander opposed the power of his new overlord Edward I. The failure of Balliol's kingship fuelled conflict between the MacDougalls and other West Highland kindreds. One of John's most famous actions in later Gaelic tradition was killing Cailean Mór (or "Sir Colin Campbell"). It is not clear what the exact source of conflict was at the time. Cailean, Bruce's second cousin, was "Ballie" of Loch Awe and Ardscotnish, a position he was granted either by King John Balliol or Edward I of England. Sometime after September 1296, Cailean was killed by John's forces at the "Red Ford" on the borders of Loch Awe and Lorne in a skirmish. [3] In 1299, Alexander MacDougall killed Alexander Og MacDonald, Lord of the Isles in Ireland. [4]
The MacDougall kindred gradually grew more cooperative with King Edward as their rivals grew less so. In 1305 both John and his father became members of the advisory council of Edward's lieutenant in Scotland, John of Brittany. The following year, Robert de Brus, Earl of Carrick, went into open revolt against the English crown, declaring himself King of Scots. The new King Robert met with an upset against pro-English forces at the Battle of Methven and fled into the west. It was during this time in 1306 that Robert met John's MacDougall forces blocking their way at Tyndrum. At what became known as the Battle of Dail Righ ("King's field"), John defeated Bruce's forces. [1]
In the following year, Edward rewarded MacDougall by appointing him sheriff of Argyll and Inchegall. [6] However, as MacDougall informed Edward by letter in 1308, Robert's power was becoming increasingly difficult to live with, and the position of MacDougalls was becoming critical. After experiencing defeat at the Battle of Pass of Brander in 1308, the main MacDougall seat, Dunstaffnage Castle, was captured by Bruce forces. John fled to England with his father entering King Robert's peace. By 1310, John's father Alexander had joined him in England, both attending a royal council at Westminster. Despite losing his father in 1310, in the following years John remained in English service. He was put in charge of English fleets in 1311 and 1314 as Admiral of the Irish Sea [7] and in 1315 conquered the Isle of Man for the English crown. John began receiving a pension from Edward II of England in 1316. In this year he died at Ospringe in Kent, while making a pilgrimage to Canterbury. He left the Galwegian "Dungal MacDouall" (Dungall MacDubhgall), a fellow political exile from Scotland, in charge of his will. [1]
John left several sons and daughters, though his wife or wives are not known. Among his offspring known by name are:
He had another daughter who married one Patrick de Graham. John's son Eóghan returned to Scotland with Edward Balliol's unsuccessful attempt at the Scottish throne in the 1330s. The MacDougalls re-emerged in Argyll in unknown circumstances later in the century. John's grandson, through Ailean, known as John Gallda ("the Foreigner"), is on record from 1338. Later, John Gallda was styling himself "Lord of Argyll". [1]
The sovereign or feudal lordship of Argyle was the holding of the senior branch of descendants of Somerled (Somhairle), this branch becoming soon known as Clan MacDougall
Clan MacDougall is a Highland Scottish clan, historically based in and around Argyll. The Lord Lyon King of Arms, the Scottish official with responsibility for regulating heraldry in Scotland, issuing new grants of coats of arms, and serving as the judge of the Court of the Lord Lyon, recognizes under Scottish law the Chief of Clan MacDougall. The MacDougall chiefs share a common ancestry with the chiefs of Clan Donald in descent from Somerled of the 12th century. In the 13th century the Clan MacDougall whose chiefs were the original Lords of Argyll and later Lords of Lorne was the most powerful clan in the Western Highlands. During the Wars of Scottish Independence the MacDougalls sided with the Clan Comyn whose chiefs rivaled Robert the Bruce for the Scottish Crown and this resulted in clan battles between the MacDougalls and Bruce. This marked the MacDougall's fall from power and led to the rise of their relatives, the Clan Donald, who had supported Bruce and also the rise to power of the Clan Campbell who were then the habitual enemies of the MacDougalls and later of Clan Donald.
John Comyn II of Badenoch, Lord of Badenoch, nicknamed the Black Comyn, was a Scottish nobleman, a Guardian of Scotland, and one of the six Regents for Margaret, Maid of Norway. His father was John Comyn I of Badenoch.
Clan Bruce is a Lowlands Scottish clan. It was a royal house in the 14th century, producing two kings of Scotland, and a disputed High King of Ireland, Edward Bruce.
Cailean Mór Caimbeul is one of the earliest attested members of Clan Campbell and an important ancestor figure of the later medieval Earls of Argyll.
Sir Niall mac Cailein, also known as Neil Campbell or Nigel Campbell, was a nobleman and warrior who spent his life in the service of King Robert I of Scotland, His Gaelic name means "Niall, Colin's son" since he was the son of Cailean Mór. His services to the King elevated the Campbells into the higher ranks of the Scottish nobility.
The Battle of the Pass of Brander in Scotland forms a small part of the wider struggle known as the Wars of Scottish Independence, and a large part of the civil war between the Bruce and Balliol factions, a parallel and overlapping conflict. It was a victory for King Robert the Bruce over the MacDougalls of Argyll, kinsmen of John Comyn, also known as the Red Comyn, who had been killed by Bruce and his adherents at Dumfries in 1306. The sources do not allow us to determine the date of the battle with any degree of precision: various dates between 1308 and 1309 have been suggested, though the late summer of 1308 would seem to be the most likely. Traquair dates it to August 1308.
The Battle of Dalrigh, also known as the Battle of Dail Righ, Battle of Dalry or Battle of Strathfillan, was fought in 1306 between the army of King Robert the Bruce against Clan MacDougall of Argyll, who were allies of Clan Comyn and the English. It took place at the hamlet of Dalrigh near Tyndrum in Perthshire, Scotland. Bruce's army, reeling westwards after defeat by the English on 19 June at the Battle of Methven, was intercepted and all but destroyed, with Bruce himself narrowly escaping capture. The battle took place sometime between July and early August, but the exact date is unknown.
John of Islay was the lord of the Isles (1336–1386) and chief of Clan Donald. In 1336, he styled himself Dominus Insularum, although this was not the first ever recorded instance of the title in use. Some modern historians nevertheless count John as the first of the later medieval lords of the Isles, although this rather broad Latin style corresponds roughly with the older Gaelic title Rí Innse Gall, in use since the Viking Age. For instance, the even more similar Latin title dominus de Inchegal, applied to Raghnall Mac Somhairle in the mid-12th century. In fact John is actually styled Rí Innsi Gall or King of the Isles shortly after his death in a contemporary entry in the Irish Annals of Ulster. Clan Donald considers the title "Lord of the Isles" to have been in use at least since Angus Mor Macdonald, who died in 1293, and the title "King of the Isles" in use since Somerled, the Norse-Gael who forged the Kingdom of the Isles in the 12th century.
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