page_title: Clan Munro
section_title: 16th century and clan conflicts
hierarchical_section_title: Clan Munro / History / 16th century and clan conflicts
caption_attribution_description: "Munro". A plate illustrated by R. R. McIan, from James Logan's The Clans of the Scottish Highlands, published in 1845.
context_page_description: Clan Munro is a Highland Scottish clan of Irish origins. Historically the clan was based in Easter Ross in the Scottish Highlands. Traditional origins of the clan give its founder as Donald Munro who came from the north of Ireland and settled in Scotland in the eleventh century, though its true founder may have lived much later. It is also a strong tradition that the Munro chiefs supported Robert the Bruce during the Wars of Scottish Independence. The first proven clan chief on record however is Robert de Munro who died in 1369; his father is mentioned but not named in a number of charters. The clan chiefs originally held land principally at Findon on the Black Isle but exchanged it in 1350 for Estirfowlys. Robert's son Hugh who died in 1425 was the first of the family to be styled "of Foulis", despite which clan genealogies describe him as 9th baron.
  During the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries the Munros feuded with their neighbors the Clan Mackenzie, and during the seventeenth century many Munros fought in the Thirty Years' War in support of Protestantism.
context_section_description: In the early 16th century a rebellion broke out by Domhnall Dubh, chief of Clan MacDonald, against the king. The MacDonalds were no longer Lords of the Isles or Earls of Ross. Cameron of Lochiel supported the rebel Domhnall Dubh. In 1502 a commission was given to the Earl of Huntly, the Lord Lovat, and William Munro of Foulis to proceed to Lochaber against the rebels. There in 1505 William Munro of Foulis, whilst on "the King's business" was killed by Cameron of Lochiel. It is Clan Cameron tradition that they defeated a joint force of Munros and Mackays at the Battle of Achnashellach in 1505. Domhnall Dubh was captured in 1506 and Ewen Cameron was later executed.
  On 30 April 1527, a bond of friendship was signed at Inverness between: Chief Hector Munro of Foulis; John Campbell of Cawdor, the Knight of Calder; Hector Mackintosh of Mackintosh, Chief of Clan Mackintosh, captain of Clanchattan; Hugh Rose of Kilravock, Chief of Clan Rose; and "Donald Ilis of Sleat". In 1529 a charter was signed between chief Hector Munro, 13th Baron of Foulis and Lord Fraser of Lovat to assist and defend each other.
  In 1544 Robert Munro, 14th Baron of Foulis signed a bond of kindness and alliance with the chief of Clan Ross of Balnagowan. The Foulis Writs hint that in 1534 James V of Scotland was aware of the Munros as a fighting force. A little later in 1547, Robert Munro, 14th Baron of Foulis "with his friends and followers having gone to resist the English who invaded Scotland", was killed at the Battle of Pinkie Cleugh. In 1549, Donald Monro, Dean of the Isles, visited Finlaggan Castle, seat of the chiefs of Clan Donald.
  Robert Mor Munro, 15th Baron of Foulis was a staunch supporter and faithful friend of Mary, Queen of Scots, and consequently was treated favourably by her son James VI of Scotland. When Mary went to Inverness Castle in 1562 the gates of the castle were shut against her. The Frasers and Munros, esteemed the "bravest" clans in the north took the castle for the Queen in the Siege of Inverness (1562).
  Between 1569 and 1573 Andrew Munro, 5th of Milntown defended and held, for three years, the Castle Chanonry of Ross, which he had received from the Regent Moray who died in 1569, against the Clan MacKenzie, at the expense of many lives on both sides. The feud was settled when the castle was handed over to the Mackenzies by an "act of pacification". In 1587, Foulis Castle's "tower and fortalice" are mentioned in a charter from the Crown. In 1597 the Battle of Logiebride took place between clansmen from the Clan Munro and the Bain family against clansmen from the Clan Mackenzie and the MacLeods of Raasay.
caption: A Victorian era, romanticised depiction of a member of the clan by R. R. McIan, from The Clans of the Scottish Highlands, published in 1845.
exif: {"Image Orientation": "Horizontal (normal)", "Image XResolution": "72", "Image YResolution": "72", "Image ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Image Software": "Adobe Photoshop CS2 Windows", "Image DateTime": "2007:12:04 21:38:50", "Image ExifOffset": "164", "Thumbnail Compression": "JPEG (old-style)", "Thumbnail XResolution": "72", "Thumbnail YResolution": "72", "Thumbnail ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Thumbnail JPEGInterchangeFormat": "302", "Thumbnail JPEGInterchangeFormatLength": "5974", "EXIF ColorSpace": "sRGB", "EXIF ExifImageWidth": "360", "EXIF ExifImageLength": "522"}