The MacAlisters and Robert the Bruce
Vance McAlister 678 Sequoia, Imperial, CA 92251

Ever since Braveheart, I have had numerous questions at the Games regarding the MacAlister Clan’s involvement with Robert the Bruce and his War of Independence. Did the Clan exist at the time? Did we fight for the Bruce or for England? Was there any connection with William Wallace? Were there any MacAlisters present at the battle of Bannockburn? As it turns out, this is one of the most elusive and intriguing areas of our clan’s history. The evidence is limited and seems to be contradictory, leaving much room for logical deduction and even speculation. We must be careful, however, not to let our personal preferences influence our conclusions. Another thing to keep in mind is that there was no "MacAlister Clan" at this time, this name was later attached to the descendants of the Alisdair Mor and Donald who were active during this period. Another point of confusion can be the names. Then, as now, sons were often named after fathers and grandfathers. During the time of this story, there were two Alisdairs in the family (ours and his nephew), a father and son named Angus and two Donalds (our Alisdair’s son and his father). One helpful custom used by the Celts to solve this problem is to call the older of the two "Mor" and the younger "Og". I have included the genealogy chart at the end to keep it from being too confusing. You might want to glance at it before diving in. Also, I will refer to Alisdair Mor as Alisdair and his nephew, Alisdair Og as Alexander (the English version) for convenience.

THE STATE OF THE ISLES AS THE WARS GET STARTED

The Wars of Independence, in which the Scottish people sought to free themselves from English domination, have their roots in the 1290's. As it happens, this is also the time when the family later known as the MacAlister Clan, or Clan Alisdair, was being founded. We have discussed in previous articles the origins of the family, and will only look at it briefly here. The Alisdair Mor after which the family was named was the descendent of the great Somerled, who drove the Norse out of the Western Isles. Somerled’s descendants came to dominate the entire west coast of Scotland and considered themselves a land and people unto themselves. They maintained the Celtic traditions and lifestyles as the lowlands were becoming more "Anglicized". The main branch of the family took the title Lord of the Isles and saw the Scottish King as its main threat, siding with the English if necessary to maintain independence. Alisdair’s father, Donald, was Lord of the Isles, and this title passed to Alisdair’s older brother, Angus Mor, whose family became known as the great Clan Donald. Alisdair, being a younger brother of the Clan leader, would have been a man of some consequence and responsibility in the Western Isles and Northeast Ireland. By the 1290's, both Angus Mor and Alisdair were old men and their sons were very active in the clan’s activities. Angus had an older son named Alexander (Alisdair Og) and a younger son, Angus Og. Alisdair Mor’s oldest son was named Donald, after his esteemed grandfather.

One of the major issues for the family "of the Isles," as Donald and his progeny were known, was their ongoing feud with their cousins, the MacDougalls of Lorne. This family also descended from Somerled and the two clans were laying claim to the same strategic islands. An effort to patch up relations was made when Alexander, the heir apparent as Lord of the Isles, was married to the MacDougalls heiress. The effort was futile, however, and the feud raged on. This marriage did have a major impact, however, on the Bruce and his struggle for independence.

In 1288, Angus Mor and his son Alexander entered into an agreement to support the claim of the Bruce family to the throne of Scotland. While there is no evidence on the point, later events would seem to indicate that Alisdair Mor and his son Donald followed their clan leader.

THE EVIDENCE

1. The oath of allegiance

The first piece of evidence we have regarding the actions of Alisdair Mor and his son Donald in relation to the Bruce is the oath of allegiance they took to King Edward of England in 1291. While this seems conclusive at first glance, it is actually irrelevant since all of the leading "barons" in Scotland were forced to sign this document, including the Bruce. When King Alexander of Scotland died, there was a major dispute over the succession. The two major claimants were the Bruce family and the Balliols. Rather than a civil war, they asked Edward I of England to mediate and decide who had the better claim. In exchange for this service, he required all the barons to sign the oath of fealty, which most later repudiated. Edward was definitely taking advantage of their weakness to extract an unreasonable condition. It was this oath which he later used assert a claim to the Scottish throne.

While the oath provides no true evidence regarding Alisdair and Donald’s support of the Bruce, it is interesting that they were considered important enough personages to be forced to sign the document.

2. The death of Alisdair Mor

During the late 1290's, the war was heating up. Edward had chosen Balliol, who became his puppet and while William Wallace was opposing English oppression, Robert the Bruce was wavering and indecisive. In the Isles, England had acquired a solid ally in the MacDougalls of Lorne, who acted as Edward’s agents in the area. Alexander MacDougall was ordered to summon Angus Mor to do homage to Balliol within 15 days, but Angus refused. This leads us to our next piece of evidence. In 1299, Alisdair Mor was killed, along with many of his people, in a battle with their rival cousins, the MacDougalls.

The fact that Alisdair Mor was killed by the MacDougalls is some evidence, although circumstantial, that he and his son were not supporting the English at that time. This is even more likely when Alisdair’s older brother and clan superior was still resisting the English. Still, it is unclear whether the battle (probably more like a raid) was part of the resistance or simply part of the ongoing feud. It is possible that the dual motivations had, by this point, become intertwined. One reason is as good as another to fight.

3. Angus calls upon Donald to protect Robert the Bruce

By 1306, some major changes had occurred in the battle for Scotland and in the Western Isles. Angus Mor, Lord of the Isles, died in 1300, one year after his younger brother. Alexander, as the eldest son inherited the title and much of the land, but Angus Og received Kintyre and Mull and some land still claimed by the MacDougalls. Unfortunately, Alexander, being now closely tied to the MacDougalls, joined with them in their support of the English and was appointed Admiral of the Western Seas. Angus Og, following his older brother, seems to supported the English as well, but after 1301 took no action for either side. We must keep in mind that the first instinct of the Celtic family of the Isles was to oppose the Scottish crown, who had sought to tame them. The support for the Bruce was the result of his Celtic heritage on his mother’s side and, presumably, a promise of some independence.

Meanwhile, Wallace had been captured and killed and Robert the Bruce had finally committed himself to the rebellion. He held his coronation as King of Scotland in 1306, but things fell apart soon after and he fled to the Isles. He knew Alexander was his enemy, but hoped that Angus Og would prove loyal. It was a huge risk that was well rewarded. Angus did agree to shelter the Bruce, both in Kintyre and possibly in Ireland. Angus became one of Robert’s strongest supporters and was later well rewarded. By 1308, Alexander was driven deep into Ireland, deposed as Lord of the Isles and Angus was confirmed in much of his land by Robert.

In 1306, however, the various members of the family of the Isles had a decision to make, to follow Alexander or Angus Og. Donald, son of Alisdair Mor, was now the leader of the cadet branch of the family. One cousin, Alexander, while technically his clan superior upon Angus Mor’s death, was in league with the family that had killed his father. It is unlikely, therefore, that he was closely tied to Alexander. The evidence, instead, supports the position that he followed the lead of his other cousin, Angus Og. The Clan Donald history states that when Robert the Bruce decided it was time to come out of hiding in the Isles and reassert his claim to Kingship, Angus appointed Donald to accompany and protect the Bruce in his initial foray. Other sources confirm that this was a raid on Arran to recapture Bruce lands. There is no indication, however, how long Donald stayed with the Bruce after Arran.

While it is documented that Angus sent a "warband of Islemen" to assist Bruce in the recapture of Arran, I have found no primary source for the involvement of Donald. All we have to support this fact is the Clan Donald history, and this could be based solely on family lore. Still, it is interesting and it is hard to believe that an oral tradition would develop if the opposite was true and Donald had been opposed to the Bruce. Further, if Angus Og was a strong Bruce supporter, it seems highly likely that his fellow clansmen (other than those following Alexander and the MacDougalls), would support Robert the Bruce as well.

4. Donald’s presence at Bruce’s first parliament

A very strong piece of evidence is the fact that Donald was present at Bruce’s first parliament at St. Andrew’s in 1309. While there has been some confusion over the identity of the "Dovenald de Yle" included in the list of notables present, the Scottish History Society has concluded that it was, indeed, the son of Alisdair Mor.

This parliament, being held somewhat "on the run" was made up mostly of the Celtic lords who were the backbone of his support at this time. Again, it is interesting to note that Donald was considered a man of sufficient consequence to be among the dozen or so worth mentioning.

5. Donald witnesses a charter signed by Robert after he is King

Another important piece of evidence is that Donald served as witness to a charter, signed by the Bruce as Robert I. Unfortunately, the date of this document is in question. This document, howver, is important for a number of reasons. First it indicates that he was still with Bruce some time after the Arran campaign (it is unlikely that Bruce was drafting legal documents under those circumstances). In fact, an argument can be made that this charter was probably given after Bannockburn, when Robert was rewarding all those who aided him (by giving them the lands of those who opposed him). In either case, it indicates that Donald, at some time, was close enough to Bruce to sign documents and important enough to be asked.

The date and details of this document will have to be researched further and may provide some more concrete evidence one way or the other.

6. Donald accepted "into the peace" of the English King?

The one piece of evidence that argues that Donald did not support the Bruce, or that he later changed sides, is that John of Lorne, the MacDougalls chief, was ordered to receive Donald and his younger brother, Godfrey, into the peace of the English King. While the Clan Donald historian accepts the date of this document as 1314 (the year of Bannockburn), this same document has been dated by others as 1306. This will require further research, since this date could be crucial. We know that after 1306, Donald was actively supporting the Bruce.

Another thing to keep in mind is that the John of Lorne’s father, Alexander, was ordered to bring in Angus Mor to swear fealty to Balliol back in 1292. Angus refused, as we discussed above. It is possible that this was a similar demand, not based on an indication of willingness, but on the desire of Edward to have this family on his side. Still, this evidence exists and it could indicate a last minute switch of allegiance.

7. Donald’s son granted land in Stirling

Our last piece of evidence, again circumstantial, comes many years later. In 1330 Donald’s son Gilbert "de Insula" received a charter for lands in Stirlingshire. (It is interesting to note that the family is still called "of the Isles" at this date, but by 1366 it is known as Clan Alisdair). This lowland branch of the family later took the name Alexander and in the 16th century became Earls of Stirling. If Donald and his brother Godfrey had abandoned the Bruce, would Donald’s son be receiving a charter for land from Robert’s son, now King of Scotland? It seems unlikely, but this was 16 years later and much could happen during that time.

CONCLUSIONS

Well, now you have heard the evidence. Some of it is speculative, some firm, and some are dependent upon unknown dates. We must draw some logical inferences, keeping in mind that people do not always act logical, especially during the Middle Ages. The Clan Donald historians concluded that Donald must have fought against the Bruce, based on the 1314 order to MacDougalls. Much of this evidence, however, does not seem to have been known or considered. Another author, writing a brief history of all of the clans makes the bald statement that the MacAlisters supported the Bruce. Since no documentation is cited for this conclusion, it can not be considered true evidence, but it does raise the question.

Trying to be as objective as possible, I can not help but conclude that Donald did actively support the Bruce in the Wars of Independence. While it is possible that he switched sides in 1314, it seems unlikely. The only evidence for this is the MacDougall order from the English King. This could have occurred in 1306, or could have just been a recruiting mission. These alternatives would be more consistent with the rest of the evidence.

Regardless of the conclusion one draws regarding the support of the Bruce, it is interesting to note the high position our forefathers held at this time. As with most historical investigations, the journey has been fascinating regardless of the destination reached. I hope you think so as well.