The Truth About The Glencoe Massacre (1692): Scottish Clans, William of Orange and the Jacobites
Channel: Celtic History Decoded
Date: 15/11/2022

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The Truth About The Glencoe Massacre (1692): Scottish Clans, King William and the Jacobites

How can a landscape so astonishing beautiful be the scene of one of bloodiest and most brutal events in Scottish history? Although paradoxical, this is exactly the case when it comes to Glencoe. The Glencoe Massacre cuts deep in the history of Scotland, reverberating through the generations for hundreds of years.

On the 13th of February 1692, over 30 men, around two women and 2 children of the Clan MacDonald of Glencoe were killed by forces under the command of Archibald Campbell, 10th earl of Argyll. 

But why was this the case? What events led to this bloody event taking place? Firstly, the MacDonalds and the Campbells were two powerful Scottish clans that had a history of feuding. They were known to raid each other’s land when the opportunity arose, stealing cattle for instance. This was not merely a clan dispute however, this was a power play by the government imposing there will on the wild highlands. The clans essentially found themselves on opposite sides of one of the most important political events of the time, following the events of the Glorious Revolution of 1688-89.

When William III, or William of Orange, took the throne of England, Scotland and Ireland in conjunction with his wife Mary II after the Glorious Revolution of 1688-89, certain clans in Scotland remained loyal to James II also known as James VII, a catholic king. The MacDonald's are thought to have been one clan whose loyalties ultimately laid with the ousted James. 

For further context, those Scots who rose up to restore King James of the House of Stuart to the throne, who incidentally had fled to France, were dubbed Jacobites, and risings erupted at various points into the middle of the 18th century. The earliest rising is known as the Jacobite rising of 1689.

Although this rising didn’t accomplish all that much, King William and the authorities still wanted to combat this loyalty to the ousted king. They passed a law promising safety to those to who pledged allegiance to the new royals before January 1, 1692, with one significant flipside: they vowed to punish any so-called traitors who failed to pledge loyalty. 

Part of the complication for some of these Scottish clans was that they felt they had already pledged allegiance to James, and one cannot have two masters. By mid-December of 1691, the ousted former King James urged compliance to King Williams oath of allegiance. This news only reached the MacDonald's of Glencoe by December the 28th, 3 days before the deadline. Glencoe Massacre Documentary 

Sources:

Britannica, Massacre of Glencoe https://www.britannica.com/event/Massacre-of-Glencoe 

National Trust for Scotland, Glencoe National Nature Reserve https://www.nts.org.uk/visit/places/glencoe/the-glencoe-massacre 

Massacre of Glencoe https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Massacre_of_Glencoe 

#glencoe #glencoemassacre #scottishhistory 

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