The Great MacDonald's

At Princess Mary's recent wedding to Prince Frederik of Denmark her father pointed out in his speech that his ancestors, the MacDonald's drove the Vikings out of Scotland. He stated that it was only fitting that the descendents should now re-unite!

The MacDonald clan, the greatest Scottish clan, once ruled Argyll and much of Western Scotland. These great warriors were called 'Lords of the Isles' and have a very romantic history, filled with legend and mythology. Their motto is "By Sea and by Land"; their badge is the Scottish heather and they have many septs or divisions.

Famous MacDonald's have included Flora MacDonald who bravely helped 'Bonnie Prince Charlie' make his escape to France from the marauding British soldiers, and Ramsay MacDonald, the Labour politician and Prime Minister.

The MacDonald's are descended from the Gaelic-Norse warrior king, Somerled, whose name means 'summer wanderer'. He drove the Vikings out of the Western Isles and took over their lands.

Reginald, his son, became the King of the Isles, while his brother, Donald of Islay, gave the clan it's name.

One of the most interesting aspects of the MacDonald clan's history is their feud with the Campbell's, nicknamed 'the great feud'.

THE GREAT FEUD

The feud dates back to the infamous massacre of the MacDonald's at Glencoe in 1692. The MacDonald's supported the exiled King James VII and 11, the rightful Stewart King, who was in exile in France while the Campbell's supported William of Orange, the Protestant King. The Highland clans who had sworn oaths of allegiance to James, such as the MacDonald's were granted amnesty if they took the oath to William of Orange instead by a certain deadline.

The leader of the MacDonald's, Commander Alexander MacDonald, finally agreed to this and his oath was accepted. The King signed the order but the Sheriff Clerk who hated the MacDonald's rubbed the name off the certificate and sent it to the Scottish Secretary, Sir John Dalrymple. Dalymple sent a letter demanding action to Sir Thomas Livingston, the Commander in Chief of the King's forces in Scotland, ordering that: "I hope the soldiers will not trouble the government with prisoners." This was signed by the King.

120 troops under the leadership of Captain Robert Campbell, who held a grudge against the MacDonald's after they had once blazed a trail of destruction through his lands, were sent to Glencoe to await further orders. The order arrived to:

"...fall upon the M'Donalds of Glencoe

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