Battle of Lochaber The Battle of Lochaber was a battle fought in 1429 , in the Scottish Highlands , between the forces of Alexander of Islay , Earl of Ross , 3rd Lord of the Isles and chief of Clan Donald against the Royalist army of King James I of Scotland . It is known as the Battle of Split Allegiances among the Camerons . This is explained either by the fact that they deserted when faced with the prospect of supporting their feudal lord against their king , or that different factions in the clan lined up on both sides . Background . Robert Stewart , Duke of Albany took effective control of the north of Scotland towards the end of the reign of his father Robert II , and his power increased during the reign ( 1390 – 1406 ) of his ineffective elder brother Robert III . He then became regent whilst James I was held captive in England . After Albany ' s death in 1420 , the Scots paid a ransom to release James . James returned in 1424 determined to bring his kingdom to heel ; one of his first acts was to execute most of Albany ' s heirs . Albany ' s grandson James Mór rebelled , attacking Dumbarton and killing the King ' s uncle John Stewart of Dundonald , but was driven into exile in Ireland and died in 1429 . Throughout the 15th century the Lords of the Isles attempted to increase their influence over the mainland of Scotland at the expense of the Scottish kings in Edinburgh . In particular , the second Lord , Donald claimed the Earldom of Ross through his marriage to Mariota ( Margaret ) , Countess of Ross . He tried to seize this vast territory by force in 1411 , but this fizzled out at the Battle of Harlaw near Inverurie . Margaret ' s niece Euphemia inherited the title in 1402 but was persuaded in 1415 to resign it in favour of Albany ' s son John Stewart , Earl of Buchan . Margaret ignored the transfer and claimed that she had inherited the title on Euphemia ' s death in 1424 , whilst Buchan ' s death the same year gave his first cousin King James a " highly dubious claim " to the title . However in 1424 James confirmed Margaret as Countess of Ross . In 1429 Margaret died and her son Alexander , 3rd Lord of the Isles claimed the title by inheritance from his mother . James called a Parliament at Inverness Castle in late August 1428 , at which Alexander , Margaret and ' nearly all the notable men of the north ' were arrested . One theory is that James wanted to replace Alexander with his uncle John Mór as Lord of the Isles , but he was forced to release Alexander either as a result of John ' s death in 1429 or as a precondition set by John before he would negotiate . Some sources say Alexander was imprisoned for a few weeks , others say for a year ; three other chiefs were executed . Campaign . This leads to the suggestion that John ' s son Donald Balloch stirred up rebellion in 1429 to avenge his father ' s death . However Alexander will have wanted to make a show of force in Ross following his wife ' s death , and his imprisonment in Inverness gave him a particular reason to take revenge on that town . His great - nephew ' s Raid on Ross in 1491 provides a possible template - capture the garrison at Inverness , then head north to ravage the lands of royalist sympathisers in Ross . Tradition has it that Alexander led an army of " upwards of 10 , 000 men " . While this may well be an exaggeration by the chroniclers , the events at the Inverness Parliament appear to have forged an unusual coalition between clans such as the Camerons and the Chattan Confederation ( Clan Mackintosh ) , who had been feuding for over a century . However , the islanders failed to secure help from England , which would have made the revolt much more serious for James . It seems that Alexander marched up the Great Glen to Inverness , where he burnt the city and besieged the castle , but failed to capture it . Without the logistics to support such a great army for long in the field , he seems to have started heading back for home in the west . The King gathered an army and set off in pursuit . Battle . The Royalists appear to have caught the clansmen by surprise on a moor or " marshy ground " somewhere in Lochaber , the district around Fort William at the western end of the Great Glen . The exact location is not known , and there is also some uncertainty about the date of the battle . Traditionally it was on the 23 June 1429 , the " vigil " ( i . e . day before ) of the feast day of the Nativity of St . John the Baptist but some modern sources say the 26 June . Faced by the Royalist forces , the Camerons under Donald Dubh defected from their feudal overlord to the Crown . Another theory is that the MacMartin Camerons went over to the King but not the Camerons of Lochiel , hence the Camerons know this battle as the " Battle of Split Allegiances " . The Mackintoshes also switched sides . History does not record whether these changes of mind required inducements from James . However , soon afterwards the King gave the Mackintoshes lands in Lochaber belonging to Alexander ' s uncle , Alexander of Lochalsh . After this loss of manpower , Alexander was either defeated in battle or fled without a fight . Aftermath . Alexander escaped to the islands and his first attempt to sue for peace was refused . So he went secretly to Edinburgh and dressed only in his shirt and drawers , he handed over his sword to James in the royal church of Holyrood Abbey on 28 August ( or in early 1430 ) . The Queen was impressed by his humility and pleaded for his life so Alexander was imprisoned again , this time in Tantallon Castle . He was released in November 1431 , after the collapse of Donald Balloch ' s rebellion in that year . After the death of the Earl of Mar in 1435 , James accepted Alexander ' s position in Ross and allowed him control of Inverness . One theory holds that the battle of Lochaber was a defining moment in the early history of the Clan Cameron , at that time it was more a confederation than a homogenous clan and the MacMartins ' defection reflected this . In this view of history , the MacMartins were punished for their treachery by the Camerons of Lochiel , such that the MacMartin chiefs were driven into exile and the Lochiel faction took control of the clan . Donald Dubh appears to have supported James in his defeat at the Battle of Inverlochy in 1431 and the Cameron lands were ravaged afterwards . When Alexander was released , he took further vengeance on the clan he viewed as traitors , driving Donald Dubh into exile and giving the Cameron lands in Lochiel to John Garve Maclean of Coll .