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'{{short description|Scottish nobleman}} {{Other people|Alexander MacDonald}} {{Use dmy dates|date=August 2020}} {{Use British English|date=May 2012}} {{Infobox noble | name = Alexander de Yle <br><small>(Alasdair MacDomhnaill)</small> | title = Earl of Ross and Lord of the Isles | image= Alexander of Islay.jpg | caption = <small>The [[Seal (device)|seal]] of Alexander. It includes his arms, which contains the arms of the Lordship of the Isles and the Earldom of Ross, surrounded by a royal tressure, indicating Alexander's royal blood as the grandson of King [[Robert II of Scotland]].</small> | reign = 1423/1437-1449 | predecessor = [[Domhnall of Islay, Lord of the Isles|Domhnall of Islay]] | successor = [[John MacDonald II, Lord of the Isles|John of Islay]] <!--| heir = [[John MacDonald II, Lord of the Isles|John of Islay]] (c1400-1434) Alexander, Lord of the Isles, had three sons, John, who succeeded him ; Hugh, Lord of Sleat ; and Celestine, who became Lord of Lochlash.--> | spouse = Elizabeth Seton | issue = [[John MacDonald II, Lord of the Isles|John of Islay]]<br>[[Hugh of Sleat|Hugh MacDonald, Lord of Sleat]]<br> Celestine MacDonald, Lord of Lochlash | issue-link = #Marriage and children | issue-pipe = Among others | noble family = [[Clan Donald|Clann Domhnaill]] ([[Clann Somhairle]]) | father = [[Domhnall of Islay, Lord of the Isles|Domhnall of Islay]] | mother = [[Mariota MacDonald]] | birth_date = | birth_place = | death_date = {{death-date|1449}} | death_place = [[Dingwall]] | place of burial= [[Fortrose Cathedral]], [[Fortrose]] |}} '''Alexander of Islay''' or '''Alexander MacDonald''' (died 1449; {{lang-gd|Alasdair MacDomhnaill, Dòmhnallach or MacDhòmhnaill}}) was a medieval Scottish nobleman who succeeded his father [[Domhnall of Islay, Lord of the Isles|Domhnall of Islay]] as [[Lord of the Isles]] (1423–1449), later rising to the rank of [[Earl of Ross]] (1437–49). His lively career, especially before he attained the earldom of Ross, led Hugh MacDonald, the 17th century author of ''History of the MacDonalds'', to commemorate him as "a man born to much trouble all his lifetime".<ref>Norman MacDougall, "Achilles' Heel? The Earldom of Ross, the Lordship of the Isles, and the Stewart Kings, 1449-1507", in Edward J. Cowan & R. Andrew McDonald (eds.), ''Alba: Celtic Scotland in the Medieval Era'', (Edinburgh, 2000), p. 248.</ref> Alexander allied himself with King [[James I of Scotland]] against the power of the [[Duke of Albany|Albany Stewarts]] in 1425 but, once the Albany Stewarts were out of the way, Alexander quickly found himself at odds with the new king. War with King James would initially prove Alexander's undoing, and would see the King's power in Scotland greatly increased, but at the [[Battle of Inverlochy (1431)|Battle of Inverlochy]] Alexander's army prevailed against the forces of the King. Alexander died in 1449, having greatly extended his family's landed wealth and power. He was buried, not in the Isles of his ancestors, but at [[Fortrose Cathedral]] in his mainland Earldom of Ross. ==Biography== ===Alexander, the Albany Stewarts and King James=== Alexander was the great-grandson of King [[Robert II of Scotland]] and inherited his father Domhnall's alliance with King [[James I of Scotland]] against the power of the [[Duke of Albany|Albany Stewarts]], who by the time James returned to Scotland from English captivity in 1424 ruled more of Scotland than King James could. By 1425 James had decided to destroy the Albany Stewarts once and for all. In May of this year, Alexander attended the Stirling parliament, and sat on the jury of 21 knights and peers which ordered the execution of [[Murdoch Stewart, 2nd Duke of Albany|Murdoch (''Muireadhach''), Duke of Albany]], along with his son Alexander and his ally [[Donnchadh, Earl of Lennox]].<ref>[[George Crawfurd]], [https://books.google.com/books?id=bpnmAAAAMAAJ&dq=Walter+Stewart+Earl+of+Atholl&pg=PA159 p.159, ''A General Description of the Shire of Renfrew'' (1818)] Retrieved November 2010</ref> However, the destruction of the Albany Stewarts removed the main reason for the cooperation between the King and the Lord of the Isles.<ref>Richard Oram, "The Lordship of the Isles, 1336-1545", in Donald Omand (ed.) ''The Argyll Book'', (Edinburgh, 2005), pp. 132–3.</ref> It is possible that, as Michael Brown believes, James acknowledged Alexander's control of the earldom of Ross as a reward for his support against Albany, in 1426. James did recognize Mariota Ross, Alexander's mother, as the heiress of Ross and by this, Alexander became the "Master of the Earldom of Ross".<ref> Paterson, Raymond Campbell, The Lords of the Isles, A History of Clan Donald, 2001, at p. 41; and Michael Brown, ''James I'', (East Linton, 1994), p. 58.</ref> As early as February 1420, his father, Donald, Lord of the Isles, appears as "Lord of the Isles and of Ross" in a papal dispensation granted for the marriage of his daughter to a grandson of Governor Albany.<ref>Calendar of the Scottish Supplications to Rome 1418-1422, ed. by E.R. Lindsay and A.I. Cameron [CSSR 1418-1422], Series: Scottish History Society (Edinburgh: T. and A. Constable, 1934), pp. 172-3.</ref> However, [[Richard Oram]] takes a different view, and sees Alexander's adoption of this title and occupation of much of the earldom as a provocation towards James, since it had passed to the crown after the death of [[John Stewart, 2nd Earl of Buchan|John Stewart, Earl of Buchan and Ross]] in 1424, however, neither the Duke of Albany, nor his son, John had title superior to Donald, Lord of the Isles, and his son, Alexander. Alexander's use of this title, if it was a provocation, would have been compounded in the king's mind by the fact that Alexander's uncle [[John Mór MacDonald]] was harboring and protecting [[James Mór]] (or James the Fat), the son of Duke Murdoch, while James Mór was claiming James' throne.<ref>Richard Oram, "The Lordship of the Isles", p. 133; Michael Brown, ''James I'', pp. 74–5</ref> ===Captivity=== [[File:Invernesscastle.jpg|thumb|250px|[[Inverness Castle]], the location of Alexander's first captivity. Although the modern castle is not medieval, the site is.]] Possibly due to the jealousy of the king's nobles, who had not forgotten [[Donald of Islay, Lord of the Isles]]'s victory at Harlaw, the king adopted a more hostile attitude towards Donald's son, Alexander. In 1428, James traveled into the north of Scotland both to assert his authority and to bring order to the north. James summoned all the Highland clans to a meeting at [[Inverness]]. Alexander and the other clan chiefs traveled in good faith to meet James in August at [[Inverness]], where James was holding court. James however, in a treacherous act typical of his kingship, imprisoned Alexander, his mother Mariota (by whose lineage Alexander claimed Ross) and around fifty of his followers, including his uncle and heir-designate John Mór, in the tower of [[Inverness Castle]]. Included among the other prisoners were Alexander's most important Ross allies; men such as Aonghas Dubh MacKay, the chief of the [[Clan MacKay|MacKays]] of [[Strathnaver]], who was married to Alexander's aunt, Elizabeth Macdonald. MacKay was a man reputed to have an army 4000 strong; a prisoner also was Aonghas' son Niall Óg, the husband of the daughter of the head of the [[Foulis Castle|Foulis]] [[Clan Munro|Munro kindred]] of [[Easter Ross]], one of Ross' most important families. The head of the Munros himself, George Munro, may also have been arrested, but if he was he was quickly released. William Leslie and John de Ross of [[Balnagown]], two important landowners and kinsmen of Mariota, were also imprisoned, as were the heads of the [[Wester Ross]] [[Loch Alsh|Lochalsh]] MacMhathain (Matheson) and the [[Kintail]] MacChoinnich (MacKenzie) kindreds. Most of these men, including John Mór, seem to have been released within a short time, although James took a few back to the south with him.<ref>Michael Brown, ''James I'', pp. 97–9.</ref> According to Michael Brown and the 17th century ''History of the MacDonalds'', James attempted to do a deal with John Mór, probably offering him the Lordship of the Isles, to which he was heir and for which he had revolted against his brother Donald decades before. John, however, refused to negotiate until his nephew, Alexander, was released. King James' plans met disaster when his messenger James Campbell attempted to arrest John Mór ("Johannis de Insulis") and killed him in the attempt. King James tried to distance himself from the killing, though Campbell claimed he acted on the king's orders. James had Campbell hanged. Before the end of 1428, Alexander was released on a promise of good behavior.<ref>Michael Brown, ''James I'', p. 100; Boardman, ''The Campbells, 1250–1513'', (Edinburgh, 2006), p. 128.</ref> ===War against the King=== [[File:King James I of Scotland.jpg|thumb|200px|Oil-painting of [[James I of Scotland|James I]], [[List of monarchs of Scotland|King of Scots]] (1406/24-1437).]] Almost as soon as he was released, Alexander was at war with the king. [[Donald Balloch Macdonald]] ("the Freckled"), son of Alexander's uncle [[John Mór Tanister|John Mór]], may have been seeking revenge for his father's death, and if this was the case, he was supported by his other uncle [[Alistair Carragh Macdonald|Alasdair Carrach]] ("the Curly"), Lord of [[Lochaber]]. Together, these two men, the two most important nobles in the lordship, probably helped pressure Alexander into war. In Spring 1429, Alexander's forces advanced on Inverness. Although Maol Choluim Mac an Tóisich ("Malcolm MacKintosh"), head of [[Clan Chattan]] and [[Castellan|custodian]] of the castle, managed to hold Alexander off, Alexander was still able to burn down the [[burgh]]. Alexander, meanwhile, was planning to support James Mór, son of Duke Murdoch, in his claim to the Scottish throne. James Mór had become a serious threat to King James, not merely because was he likely to have the support of Murdoch's former vassals in [[Lennox (district)|Lennox]], [[Menteith]] and [[Fife]], but also because he had obtained the backing of the King of England, who was angry that King James was ignoring his superior status and the terms of his release from captivity in England several years before. Now James Mór had the support of Alexander too.<ref>Michael Brown, ''James I'', pp. 101–2</ref> At this point, however, King James was saved by the sudden death of his rival. As the ''[[Annals of the Four Masters]]'' reports: <blockquote> {| | Semus Stiuard Mac Rígh Alban, & rioghdhamhna Alban beos iarna indarbadh a h-Albain i n-Erinn do écc, iar t-techt loingis ó fheraibh Alban for a chend dia Ríoghadh.<ref>''Annals of the Four Masters'', s.a. 1429.1, [http://www.ucc.ie/celt/published/G100005D/text006.html here].</ref> | James Stuart, son of the King of Scotland, and Roydamna of Scotland, who had been banished from Scotland to Ireland, died, after the arrival of a fleet from the men of Scotland to convey him home, that he might be made king.<ref>''Annals of the Four Masters'', s.a. 1429.1, [http://www.ucc.ie/celt/published/T100005D/text006.html here].</ref> |} </blockquote> In the summer, King James raised a large army and after a swift march north through [[Atholl]] and [[Badenoch]], the royal army encountered Alexander somewhere around the borders of Lochaber and Badenoch. Although according to [[Walter Bower]] Alexander had 10,000 men, when the royal standard was unfurled the Chattan and [[Clan Cameron|Cameron]] kindreds switched over to the King. In the following engagement, Alexander was defeated. Although Alexander got away, the king capitalized on his victory by marching further north and seizing the castles of [[Urquhart Castle|Urquhart]] and [[Dingwall]]. The king now sought Alexander's capture, and sent an expedition armed with [[artillery]] into the Hebrides. Alexander, who had probably fled to [[Islay]], found himself in a very difficult position, and on 27 August 1429 surrendered to King James at [[Holyrood Abbey]], near the burgh of [[Edinburgh]]. King James was persuaded by his magnates to give Alexander grace, and sent him to [[Tantallon Castle]] under the custody of [[William Douglas, 2nd Earl of Angus]], King James' nephew.<ref>Michael Brown, ''James I'', pp. 100–3.</ref> ===Second captivity=== [[File:Tantallon Castle.jpg|thumb|left|250px|[[Tantallon Castle]], the location of Alexander's second captivity.]] While he had Alexander in custody, King James delegated the northern campaign to [[Alexander Stewart, Earl of Mar]], with more minor roles going to Maol Choluim Mac an Tóisich, Alexander Seton of Gordon, Hugh Fraser and Aonghas de Moravia. James would never again return to Ross or Moray. Mar was given support in his role as Lieutenant when [[Alan Stewart, 4th Earl of Caithness|Alan Stewart]], the second son of [[Walter Stewart, Earl of Atholl]], was made [[Earl of Caithness]] in Spring 1430. The royal earldoms of Buchan and Ross, and the castle of Urquhart were put under Mar's control; by 1431 the lordship of Lochaber, held by Alasdair Carrach, was assigned to Mar's command; and by 1432 Mar had received papal dispensation to marry Margaret Seton, the mother of the heiresses to the [[Earl of Moray|earldom of Moray]], which he would administer on their behalf. James, moreover, arranged a marriage between [[Lachlan Og Maclean, 8th Clan Chief|Lachlan Maclean]], of the MacLeans of Duart, an important vassal kindred of the Lordship of the Isles, to Mar's daughter, bringing Mar's influence into the Lordship of the Isles itself. (This is questionable as Lachlan Og was actually married to Catherine, daughter of Colin Campbell, 1st Earl of Argyll. It was Lachlan his father who married Mar's daughter and that was shortly after the Battle of Harlaw in 1411.)<ref>A History of the Clan Maclean by J.P. Maclean, 1889, at p. 43.</ref> In 1431 Aonghas de Moravia was sent on a campaign against Aonghas Dubh MacAoidh in Strathnaver. However the main campaign was in Lochaber, where Mar hoped to make his status as Lord of Lochaber a reality. In both campaigns, however, the results were defeats for the king's forces. At the [[Battle of Inverlochy (1431)|Battle of Inverlochy]] Mar's forces were met by both Domhnall Ballach and Alasdair Carrach of Lochaber; although Mar managed to make a long escape on foot back to [[Kildrummy Castle]], the Earl of Caithness and 990 men were slain. In 1429, in [[Strathnaver]], at the [[Battle of Drumnacoub]], Aonghas Dubh MacAoidh (Angus MacKay), chief of [[Clan MacKay]] was also victorious over royal forces, this battle however was more of a family related feud. Both defeats were incurred before September 1431. James' first reaction was to raise taxes, which were granted on 16 October, in order to deliver a counter-attack; but this revenue was insufficient and James had other problems to deal with. King James therefore arranged a reconciliation with Alexander, who was pardoned for past offences and released from captivity.<ref>Michael Brown, ''James I'', pp. 103–5, 136-40, 147; Richard Oram, "The Lordship of the Isles", p. 133.</ref>{{clear|left}} ===Alexander, Earl of Ross=== [[File:FortroseCathedral.PNG|250px|thumb|[[Fortrose Cathedral]], burial place of Alexander.]] Alexander would never again be the king's enemy, and remained subdued for the next few years. Luck, however, was on Alexander's side. The earl of Mar was in either his fifties or sixties, and his son and heir Thomas had already died in 1430.<ref>Michael Brown, ''James I'', pp. 147–8.</ref> When the earl himself died in 1435, James' settlement in the north collapsed. James was in [[Marr|Mar]] by June 1436, where he was taking control of the earldom. It was probably at this time that James finally acknowledged Alexander as earl of Ross, the only magnate who could now offer security in the north-eastern Highlands. Alexander not only received control of Dingwall, but Inverness too, which he would hold until at least 1447. Moreover, the Ross earldom came with [[Kincardine, Aberdeenshire|Kincardine]] in [[The Mearns]], [[Kingedward]] in [[Buchan]] and Greenan in [[Ayrshire]]. By January 1437 Alexander was styling himself "Earl of Ross" in his charters, and this style was acknowledged in royal documents by 1439. Finally, by February 1439, Alexander had been appointed [[Justiciar of Scotia]], an office which made Alexander the chief legal official in the [[Kingdom of Scotland]].<ref>Michael Brown, ''James I'', pp. 159-60; Richard Oram, "The Lordship of the Isles", p. 134; Norman MacDougall, "Achilles' Heel?", p. 248.</ref> Having achieved the chief object of his career, Alexander spent the last decade of his life consolidating his position in Ross. His charters seem to indicate that he was chiefly based at the castles of Dingwall and Inverness, and rarely anywhere else. The large number of charters issued by Alexander at Inverness is probably explained by his role as Justiciar of Scotia. Alexander's move east led to less direct lordship in the west, his original political heartland. Alexander's bastard sons Uisdean ([[Hugh of Sleat]]) and Gilleasbaig ("Celestine") were given [[Sleat]] and Lochalsh respectively, [[Domhnall Ballach]] became more independent in Islay and [[Kintyre]], [[Clan MacLeod]] kindred took greater control in [[Isle of Skye|Skye]] and [[Isle of Lewis|Lewis]], [[Clan MacLean]] greater control in [[Isle of Mull|Mull]] and [[Clan MacKintosh]] greater control in [[Lochaber]].<ref>Richard Oram, "The Lordship of the Isles", p. 134-5</ref> ==Marriage and children== Alexander had three consorts with whom he fathered offspring. Christina, the daughter of Neill MacPhee produced a number of natural sons, including [[Celestine MacDonald, Lord of Lochlash]].<ref name=macdonald>{{cite book |title=History of Clan Macdonald |year=1920 | url=https://archive.org/stream/historyofclandon00leeh/historyofclandon00leeh_djvu.txt }}</ref>, born about 1408 or 1410. Elizabeth, the daughter of [[Alexander Seton, Lord Gordon]], whom he married and had with her: *[[John of Islay, Earl of Ross]], who succeeded Alexander at age fifteen. A daughter of Gillepatrick (or Patrick) Roy, son of Rory, son of the lay Abbot of Applecross (aka Patrick O’Bealon) of Wester Ross. She was said to be a great beauty. She was twice brought before King James, as Alexander could not be induced to part with her on occasion of her great beauty.<ref>Alexander Mackenzie, ''History of the Macdonalds'', 1881, p. 180.</ref> She bore Alexander [[Hugh of Sleat|Hugh MacDonald, Lord of Sleat]] from whom the current chiefs of Clan Donald, and of Clan Uisdean (the Macdonalds of Sleat), are descended. She and Alexander had many children together: Norman O’Beolan (Ross); Austin Mor (Hugh) O’Beolan (Ross); Euphemia O’Beolan who married Walter Moravia. Which surname they adopted is unknown, but it may be possible that they used the surname “Ross” as opposed to “Macdonald”. Some of these children might have included Margaret Macdonald and Florence Macdonald.<ref>See ''Hugh MacDonald of Sleat and the O’Beolans of Old Applecross Abbey'', which cites additional sources. https://mccutcheonsfromdonaghadee.wordpress.com/2012/05/09/hugh-macdonald-of-sleat-and-the-obeolans-of-old-applecross-abbey/</ref> ==Death== Alexander MacDonald of Islay died at Dingwall in May 1449. He was buried in [[Fortrose Cathedral]]. == Ancestry == {{ahnentafel |collapsed=yes |align=center |title=Ancestors of Alexander of Islay, Earl of Ross |boxstyle_1=background-color: #fcc; |boxstyle_2=background-color: #fb9; |boxstyle_3=background-color: #ffc; |boxstyle_4=background-color: #bfc; |boxstyle_5=background-color: #9fe; |1= 1. '''Alexander of Islay, Earl of Ross''' |2= 2. [[Domhnall of Islay, Lord of the Isles]] |3= 3. [[Mariota, Countess of Ross]] |4= 4. [[John of Islay, Lord of the Isles]] |5= 5. Margaret Stewart |6= 6. [[Walter Leslie]] |7= 7. [[Euphemia I, Countess of Ross]] |8= 8. [[Aonghas Óg of Islay]] |10= 10. [[Robert II of Scotland]] |11= 11. [[Elizabeth Mure]] |14= 14. [[Uilleam III, Earl of Ross]] |15= 15. Màiri |16= 16. [[Aonghas Mór]] |20= 20. [[Walter Stewart, 6th High Steward of Scotland]] |21= 21. [[Marjorie Bruce]] |28= 28. [[Hugh, Earl of Ross]] |29= 29. Matilda de Brus |30= 30. [[Aonghas Óg of Islay]] }} ==Notes== {{reflist}} ==References== * Boardman, Stephen, ''The Campbells, 1250–1513'', (Edinburgh, 2006) * Brown, Michael, ''James I'', (East Linton, 1994) * MacDougall, Norman, "Achilles' Heel? The Earldom of Ross, the Lordship of the Isles, and the Stewart Kings, 1449-1507", in Edward J. Cowan & R. Andrew McDonald (eds.), ''Alba: Celtic Scotland in the Medieval Era'', (Edinburgh, 2000), pp.&nbsp;248–75 *[[Richard Oram|Oram, Richard]], "The Lordship of the Isles, 1336-1545", in Donald Omand (ed.) ''The Argyll Book'', (Edinburgh, 2005), pp.&nbsp;123–39 *{{cite DNB|wstitle=Macdonald, Alexander (d.1449)|first=Thomas Finlayson|last=Henderson|volume=35}} ==External links== * [http://www.ucc.ie/celt/published/G100005D.html Annals of the Four Masters @ CELT] ([http://www.ucc.ie/celt/published/T100005D.html trans]) {{s-start}} {{s-bef| before = [[Domhnall of Islay, Lord of the Isles|Domhnall of Islay]] }} {{s-ttl| title = [[Lord of the Isles]] | years = 1423–1449 }} {{s-aft| rows = 2 | after = [[John of Islay, Earl of Ross|John of Islay]] }} {{s-bef| before = [[James I of Scotland|King James I]] <br/><small>Last held by [[John Stewart, 2nd Earl of Buchan|John Stewart]]</small> }} {{s-ttl| title = <small>''Lord of the Earldom of Ross'' <br/>x1426–1437 </small> <br/>[[Earl of Ross]] | years = 1437–1449 }} {{s-end}} {{Lords of the Isles}} {{Earls of Ross}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Islay, Alexander Of Earl Of Ross}} [[Category:Year of birth unknown]] [[Category:1449 deaths|Islay, Alexander MacDonald of]] [[Category:Clan Donald|Alexander]] [[Category:Earls of Ross|Islay, Alexander of]] [[Category:Nobility from Argyll and Bute|Islay, Alexander MacDonald of]] [[Category:15th-century Scottish peers]]'