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Massacre of Glencoe
The Massacre of Glencoe took place in Glen Coe in the Argyll region of the Scottish Highlands on 13 February 1692. An estimated 30 members and associates of Clan MacDonald of Glencoe were killed by Scottish government forces, allegedly for failing to pledge allegiance to the new monarchs, William II/III and his wife Mary II.
Although the Jacobite rising of 1689 had largely been suppressed by May 1690, a continuing need to police the Highlands diverted military resources from the Nine Years' War in Flanders. In late 1690, clan leaders loyal to the exiled House of Stuart agreed to swear allegiance to William and Mary, in return for a cash payment of £12,000. However, disagreements over how to divide this meant by December 1691 none of the clans had taken the oath.
In response, Lord Stair, Scottish Secretary of State, decided to show the consequences of further delay. While others, including the Keppoch MacDonalds, also missed the deadline, the Glencoe MacDonalds appear to have been selected due to a combination of clan politics and a reputation for lawlessness.
While similar events were not unknown in earlier Scottish history, this was no longer the case by 1692, and the brutality of the massacre shocked contemporaries. It became a significant element in the persistence of Jacobitism in the Highlands during the first half of the 18th century, and remains a powerful symbol to this day.
Some historians argue the late 17th-century Scottish Highlands were more peaceful than often suggested, the exception being Lochaber, identified as a refuge for cattle raiders and thieves by government officials, other chiefs and Gaelic poets. Much of this instability was blamed on the questionable legal status of lands ostensibly leased from Clan Mackintosh and occupied by Clan MacDonald of Keppoch, though the later disputed this claim. Four Lochaber clans were consistently identified as prone to lawlessness, the Keppoch and Glencoe MacDonalds, the MacGregors, and Camerons.
Levies from all four served in the Independent Highland Companies used to suppress the Conventicles in 1678–80. They also took part in the raid led by the Marquess of Atholl that followed Argyll's Rising in 1685. Primarily directed against Lowland migrants settled in Cowal and Kintyre, the damage inflicted by Atholl's raid destabilised large parts of the central and southern Highlands. In September 1688, James VII and II outlawed the Keppoch MacDonalds, shortly before he was deposed by the November 1688 Glorious Revolution.
In March 1689, James landed in Ireland in an attempt to regain his kingdoms, with Camerons and Keppoch MacDonalds among those who joined Viscount Dundee for a supporting campaign in Scotland. Victory over a government army at Killiecrankie on 27 July cost the lives of Dundee and 600 Highlanders, while organised Jacobite military resistance largely ended after Cromdale in May 1690. However, the ongoing need to police the Highlands used resources needed for the Nine Years' War in Flanders, while close links between Western Scotland and Ulster meant unrest in one country often spilled into the other. Since peace in the Highlands required control of Lochaber, achieving this had wider strategic importance than might appear.
After Killiecrankie, the Scottish government tried to negotiate a settlement with the Jacobite chiefs, terms varying based on events in Ireland and Scotland. In March 1690, Secretary of State Lord Stair offered to pay £12,000 in return for their agreement to take an oath of allegiance to William and Mary. The chiefs agreed to do so in the June 1691 Declaration of Achallader, with John Campbell, Earl of Breadalbane, signing for the government. Crucially, it did not specify how the money was to be divided, and disputes over this delayed the oath. In addition, Breadalbane argued part of it was owed him as compensation for damage done to his estates by the Glencoe MacDonalds.
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Massacre of Glencoe
The Massacre of Glencoe took place in Glen Coe in the Argyll region of the Scottish Highlands on 13 February 1692. An estimated 30 members and associates of Clan MacDonald of Glencoe were killed by Scottish government forces, allegedly for failing to pledge allegiance to the new monarchs, William II/III and his wife Mary II.
Although the Jacobite rising of 1689 had largely been suppressed by May 1690, a continuing need to police the Highlands diverted military resources from the Nine Years' War in Flanders. In late 1690, clan leaders loyal to the exiled House of Stuart agreed to swear allegiance to William and Mary, in return for a cash payment of £12,000. However, disagreements over how to divide this meant by December 1691 none of the clans had taken the oath.
In response, Lord Stair, Scottish Secretary of State, decided to show the consequences of further delay. While others, including the Keppoch MacDonalds, also missed the deadline, the Glencoe MacDonalds appear to have been selected due to a combination of clan politics and a reputation for lawlessness.
While similar events were not unknown in earlier Scottish history, this was no longer the case by 1692, and the brutality of the massacre shocked contemporaries. It became a significant element in the persistence of Jacobitism in the Highlands during the first half of the 18th century, and remains a powerful symbol to this day.
Some historians argue the late 17th-century Scottish Highlands were more peaceful than often suggested, the exception being Lochaber, identified as a refuge for cattle raiders and thieves by government officials, other chiefs and Gaelic poets. Much of this instability was blamed on the questionable legal status of lands ostensibly leased from Clan Mackintosh and occupied by Clan MacDonald of Keppoch, though the later disputed this claim. Four Lochaber clans were consistently identified as prone to lawlessness, the Keppoch and Glencoe MacDonalds, the MacGregors, and Camerons.
Levies from all four served in the Independent Highland Companies used to suppress the Conventicles in 1678–80. They also took part in the raid led by the Marquess of Atholl that followed Argyll's Rising in 1685. Primarily directed against Lowland migrants settled in Cowal and Kintyre, the damage inflicted by Atholl's raid destabilised large parts of the central and southern Highlands. In September 1688, James VII and II outlawed the Keppoch MacDonalds, shortly before he was deposed by the November 1688 Glorious Revolution.
In March 1689, James landed in Ireland in an attempt to regain his kingdoms, with Camerons and Keppoch MacDonalds among those who joined Viscount Dundee for a supporting campaign in Scotland. Victory over a government army at Killiecrankie on 27 July cost the lives of Dundee and 600 Highlanders, while organised Jacobite military resistance largely ended after Cromdale in May 1690. However, the ongoing need to police the Highlands used resources needed for the Nine Years' War in Flanders, while close links between Western Scotland and Ulster meant unrest in one country often spilled into the other. Since peace in the Highlands required control of Lochaber, achieving this had wider strategic importance than might appear.
After Killiecrankie, the Scottish government tried to negotiate a settlement with the Jacobite chiefs, terms varying based on events in Ireland and Scotland. In March 1690, Secretary of State Lord Stair offered to pay £12,000 in return for their agreement to take an oath of allegiance to William and Mary. The chiefs agreed to do so in the June 1691 Declaration of Achallader, with John Campbell, Earl of Breadalbane, signing for the government. Crucially, it did not specify how the money was to be divided, and disputes over this delayed the oath. In addition, Breadalbane argued part of it was owed him as compensation for damage done to his estates by the Glencoe MacDonalds.