John of Islay, Lord of the Isles

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This article is about John I. For John II, see John of Islay, Earl of Ross.

John of Islay, Lord of the Isles
Domhnall of Islay, Lord of the Isles
John Mór Tanister
Alastair Carrach
ParentsAonghus Óg of Islay
Áine Ní Chatháin

John of Islay (or John MacDonald) (

Raghnall Mac Somhairle in the mid-12th century.[3] 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.[4] Clan Donald considers the title "Lord of the Isles" to have been in use at least since Angus Mor Macdonald, who died in 1293,[5]
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.

Biography

John was the son of

Amie mac Ruari after the death of her brother Raghnall Mac Ruaidhrí. This meant that John's dominions now included all of the Hebrides except Skye, and all of the western seaboard from Morvern to Loch Hourn.[7][8]

John continued to build his power base by allying himself with Robert II of Scotland, another West Highland magnate who was the designated heir of King David. After David went into English custody in 1346, Robert acted as the de facto ruler of Scotland north of the River Forth. In 1350, John was given Robert's daughter Margaret Stewart in marriage, and received Knapdale and Kintyre as dowry. However, Robert was the senior partner, and John had to divorce his first wife Amie; his sons Godfrey, John and Ranald by Amie were to be passed over in the succession in favour of any children by the marriage with Margaret. After the capture of the king and death of John Randolph at the Battle of Neville's Cross in 1346, John and Robert worked together taking control of the huge earldom of Moray, bringing MacDonald power into Lochaber and Stewart power into Badenoch.[9][10]

David returned to Scotland in 1357, and resented these incursions into an earldom which David regarded as within his rights of disposal; the terms of the original grant of Moray to Thomas Randolph in 1312 stipulated that the earldom would revert to the Crown upon lack of issue. By 1368, King David had decided that an aggressive policy was needed in the north. In 1369, he marched to Inverness, where John submitted to his authority. John's submission, though, was followed swiftly by David's death on 22 February 1371. David was succeeded by John's close ally Robert. David had wished either to retain control of the earldom or to grant the earldom to either John or George Dunbar, the sons of Isabella Randolph, sister of the last earl. However, King Robert made sure that Badenoch remained within his own control and that John kept Lochaber. When the earldom was granted to John Dunbar by a parliament held at Scone in early 1372, the grant consisted only of the lowland part around Inverness. Robert also ensured that John's control of the Mac Ruairidh inheritance was legally recognised by charter, and in 1376 issued charters confirming John's control of Colonsay, Kintyre and Knapdale, and granted Lochaber to John and his Stewart wife together.[11][12]

Soon after 1376, John's heir

Domhnall may have been the de facto ruler. John lived until 1386, when he died at Ardtornish Castle in Morvern. He was buried in Iona.[13] John's power had been built on both the loosening of royal authority in north-western Scotland after the First War of Scottish Independence
and, more importantly, on allying with the right people at the right time. The success of John was so great that his successors could maintain a distance from the Crown that outlived the weak monarchy of the 14th century.

John was also a great cultural and religious patron. Although the

Oronsay, an act unique in the period.[14]

Marriage and issue

By his first wife Amie, he had the following:

By his second wife Princess Margaret, he had the following:

Notes

  1. ^ Macdonald, Angus and Archibald, The Clan Donald, vol. 1, 1896, at. p. 131 (acknowledged in both charters and State documents of earlier periods).
  2. ^ McDonald (1997), p. 2.
  3. ^ Sellar (2005), p. 194.
  4. ^ AU1387.7: Eoin Mac Domnaill, rí Innsi Gall, d'ég. / John Mac Domnaill, king of Insi-Gall, died. Irish text; translation
  5. ^ Clan Donald by Donald J. Macdonald of Castleton, 1978
  6. ^ Oram (2005), pp. 123–124.
  7. ^ Oram (2005), p. 124.
  8. ^ Brown (2004), p. 271.
  9. ^ Boardman (1996), pp. 11–13.
  10. ^ Oram (2005), pp. 124–126.
  11. ^ Boardman (1996), pp. 53–54, 74.
  12. ^ Oram (2005), pp. 126–128.
  13. ^ Oram (2005), p. 128.
  14. ^ Oram (2005), pp. 127–128.
  15. ^ "Richard II and the Wider Gaelic World" by Simon Egan, Journal of British Studies57 (April 2018): 221-252, at p. 231.

References

  • Boardman, Stephen (1996). The Early Stewart Kings: Robert II and Robert III, 1371–1406. East Linton: Tuckwell Press.
    ISBN 1-898410-43-7
    .
  • Brown, Michael (2004). The Wars of Scotland 1214–1371. The New Edinburgh History of Scotland. Vol. 4. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press.
    ISBN 0-7486-1238-6
    .
  • McDonald, R. Andrew (1997). The Kingdom of the Isles: Scotland's Western Seaboard, c. 1100–c. 1336. East Linton: Tuckwell Press.
    ISBN 1-898410-85-2
    .
  • ISBN 1-84158-253-0
    .
  • Sellar, W. D. H. (2000). "Hebridean Sea-Kings: the Successors of Somerled, 1164–1316". In Edward J. Cowan & R. Andrew McDonald (ed.). Alba: Celtic Scotland in the Medieval Era. East Linton: Tuckwell Press. pp. 187–218.
    ISBN 1-86232-151-5
    .

Further reading
Preceded by
Aonghas Óg
 Lord of Islay
1299–1318 		Succeeded by
Domhnall
Preceded by
New Creation
 Lord of the Isles
1336–1386
Preceded by
Raghnall MacRuaridh
 Lord of Garmoran
1346–1386 		Succeeded by
Raghnall MacDonald
Preceded by
Vacant*
*Last held by John Randolph as Earl of Moray
 Lord of Lochaber
1376–1386 		Succeeded by
Alexander MacDonald
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