History - The Rough Guide to Scottish Highlands and Islands - page 407

THE HIGHLAND CLANS
The term “ clan ”, as it is commonly used to refer to the quasi-tribal associations found in the
Highlands of Scotland, only appears in its modern usage in the sixteenth century. In theory,
the clan bound together blood relatives who shared a common ancestor, a concept clearly
derived from the ancient Gaelic notion of kinship. But in practice many of the clans were of
non-Gaelic origin - such as the Frasers, Sinclairs and Stewarts, all of Anglo-Norman descent
- and it was the mythology of a common ancestor, rather than the actuality, that cemented
the clans together. Furthermore, clans were often made up of people with a variety of
surnames, and there are documented cases of individuals changing their names when they
swapped allegiances. At the upper end of Highland society was the clan chief (who might
have been a minor figure, like MacDonald of Glencoe, or a great lord, like the Duke of Argyll,
head of the Campbells), who provided protection for his followers: they would, in turn, fight
for him when called upon to do so. Below the clan chief were the chieftains of the septs, or
subunits of the clan, and then came the tacksmen, major tenants of the chief to whom they
were frequently related. The tacksmen sublet their land to tenants, who were at the bottom
of the social scale. The Highlanders wore a simple belted plaid wrapped around the body
- rather than the kilt - and not until the late seventeenth century were certain tartans roughly
associated with particular clans. The detailed codification of the tartan was produced by the
Victorians, whose romantic vision of Highland life originated with George IV's visit to Scotland
in 1822, when he appeared in an elaborate version of Highland dress, complete with
flesh-coloured tights (see box, p.203).

The Stewarts
In the years following Bruce's death in 1329, the Scottish monarchy gradually declined
in influence. The last of the Bruce dynasty died in 1371, to be succeeded by the
“Stewards”, hence Stewarts . The reign of James IV (1488-1513), the most talented of
the early Stewarts, ended in a terrible defeat for the Scots - and his own death - at the
Battle of Flodden Field .
Meanwhile, the shape of modern-day Scotland was completed when the Northern
Isles were gradually wrested from Norway. In 1469, a marriage was arranged between
Margaret, daughter of the Danish king, Christian I, and the future King James III
(1460-88) of Scotland. Short of cash for her dowry, Christian mortgaged Orkney to
Scotland in 1468, followed by Shetland in 1469; neither pledge was ever successfully
redeemed. The laws, religion and administration of the Northern Isles became Scottish,
though their Norse heritage is still very evident in place names, dialect and culture.
Meanwhile, the MacDonald Lords of the Isles had become too unruly for the more
unified vision of James IV, and in 1493 the title reverted to the Crown. It still remains
there: the current Lord of the Isles is Prince Charles.

The religious wars
In many respects the Reformation in Scotland was driven as much by the political
intrigue of the reign of Mary , Queen of Scots (1542-67), as it was by religious
conviction. Although in later years the hard-line Presbyterianism of the Highlands
and Hebrides would triumph over political expediency, the revolutionary thinking
of John Knox and his Protestant die-hards initially made little impact in the north.

1371 1468 1488

Robert II becomes the first of
the Stewart (Stuart) kings to
rule Scotland

James III marries Margaret of
Denmark and receives Orkney and
Shetland as part of her dowry

The Western Isles come
under the rule of the
Scottish Crown