Lordship of the Isles 1307–1424

In 1266, by the Treaty of Perth, the king of Norway renounced his claims on the Scottish islands. A minor beneficiary through the now dominant Scottish Crown was Angus MacDonald, who retained his fiefdom on Islay. His successors were, initially at least, either lucky or astute in their political alliances. Angus Og offered shelter to Robert the Bruce, who had taken part in William Wallace’s rebellion against Edward I, then fought with him against the English at Bannockburn (1314). The unexpected Bruce victory gained Angus the territories of Morvern and Lochaber as reward for his loyalty. Angus’s grandson, John of Islay, supported Edward Baliol’s campaigns for the Scottish throne, and picked up a necklace of islands in gratitude – plus the formal title Lord of the Isles (1336). Their good fortune peaked in 1424, when James I executed the entire family of the Earl of Ross for the suspected murder of his brother, and passed their lands to the Lordship of the Isles.