BBC - The Highland Clans - 2x6 - MacDonald.avi

the 400 years the MacDonalds ruled the Seas building a vast empire here and Highlands and Islands they became so powerful they challenged the authority of the kings of Scotland but ultimately the struggle for supremacy said further against Sun and a bloody fight for the very soul of Clan Donald you the Scottish Highlands have been shaped by centuries of clan history a past overflowing with countless tales of bloodshed and bravery rivalry and revenge but I'm making a personal journey beyond the myths and the Tartan to uncover the real story of Scotland's Highland clans across the world a hundred and twenty million people claim clan ancestry and millions of these belong to probably the biggest and most famous clan of them all McDonald and the story of this mighty Highland clan starts with one extraordinary man summer led was the greatest of the celtic warrior kings in the 12th century Greene and Yellin the king of the Isles defeated the Vikings and rose to such power that he and his descendants the MacDonalds challenged the kings of Scotland my journey starts just off the west coast and the sound of mall where summer led launched his campaign to defeat the Vikings 800 years ago the Vikings raided and pillaged the communities of the Hebrides and all along the west coast of Scotland and it was here in the islands that they built a network of fortresses that allowed them to totally dominate the local population by the middle of the 12th century the people of the west coast had endured almost 400 years of Viking oppression the key to Summerlin's eventual victory was naval power to find out more about the technology that enabled him to defeat the Vikings I joined the crew of the ailich the only working replica of a West Highland galley straw we started with a bit of light growing stroke but it was soon clear we weren't going to win any Olympic medals well let's say it's all about rhythm and I definitely am NOT in rhythm here but I can't imagine well it must have been in spending all day at the or is it must have been absolutely nothing in the 12th century summer let's galleys would have been manned by truly expert Mariners today's crew are all volunteers who have little experience of sailing this ancient craft I'm a little worried the conditions are getting rougher and hoisting the sail is proving to be rather difficult Oh the guys down go once we're back on an even keel I take the opportunity to ask galley master Gordon about how this unique vessel gave summer led the upper hand in his fight against the Vikings god what kind of boat is this I mean it looks to me like a like a Viking ship yes you're right she is a descendant of a Viking longship the main difference is the way that we control the steering Viking longship would have had what is known as a steer board or a steering board this is where we get the word starboard from steer board starboard yes and it was just basically a big plank that was lashed to the side of the ship and the galley she has her rudder directly on the stern rather than on the side of the board gives you a lot more maneuverability gives you a sharper turning circle and this would have given some allowed a significant advantage without at all very much sort certainly in battle against the Norse yes very much so so you're saying that both side this would actually go into battle yes yes they would their first exchange would probably be a room fire when they got a little bit closer within range of throwing a rope they would throw a grappling hook or axes over pull the two ships together lash them together and then they would be used as a fighting platform we're just knocking great lumps out of each other very much a city yeah yeah at the start of his campaign summer led faced seemingly impossible odds shot and men and firepower he was forced to rely on guerrilla tactics but using captured ships saml ed was able to challenge the Vikings masters of the Seas at their own game as his campaign grew increasingly successful he began to build his own ships like the ELA so what were these boats important to summer where it was important to him because having the power he then commanded the Seas by controlling the ceilings was someone had able to become a king really very much sort yes a self-proclaimed king of the west coast of Scotland no image of summer LED has survived to this day so to gain a better picture of this remarkable figure and his importance to the story of Clan Donald I landed on the Isle of Mull author and local historian Kathleen McPhee is taking me to where summer led story began Kathleen what kind of man was summer light I think he was a person of tremendous character determination intelligence he it was who had the charisma to rally the people and and get them to fight back against the Viking thugs how was he connected to this part of the world where had he come from and what was his mission Sam alert was the son of the dispossessed chief killer bleachy who belonged to modern on this side of them of the sand so summer his interest in this part of the world had to do with a lost inheritance in a sense and he wanted to grab this back for himself exactly he gradually started to take over not just Marvin but Mull which was infested with Vikings and then kintyre Lorne midok I'll not deal in fact he very soon had the whole of Argyll back I think the idea came into his head that perhaps he could become a king of his own territories it sounds as if summer Lloyd was driven by something other than just the desire to get back is his patrimony his inheritance what do you think that other thing was without him the whole garlic cut chew and language and presence might have disappeared he saved it he started the resurgence of all things garlic and he created a kingdom which actually challenged the King of Scotland by 1153 some alleged Gallic Empire stretched from Lewis in the north all the way down the west coast to cantar in the South however to the east lay Scotland whose young King Malcolm the fourth wanted some alleged lands for himself for a decade an uneasy peace existed between the two kings but when the Scots began to push West down the Clyde into some alleged territory the king of the Isles mobilized his forces summer led was 64 now that's almost retirement age for many of us when he assembled a massive task force of 164 galleys and 15,000 men from across the west coast in the Hebrides now this Celtic Armada sailed right up the Firth of Clyde determined to stop the westward advance of the Scots summer let's army disembarked where Erskine bridge now stands today the two sides eventually came face-to-face and what is now a housing estate the Battle of Renfrew took place here at bar Galan in 1164 now obviously this land has long since been built over and is presently occupied by housing scheme it's all very peaceful here so it's almost impossible for us to imagine the brutal scenes at once took place a titanic clash between two mighty armies struggling to control the destiny of Scotland so you'd think such a momentous event and our shared history would be remembered somehow but there's not a monument I can of even a plaque it was here that summer led the great warrior king was finally Slean an account of a battle is given in a medieval poem which outlines the moment of his death wounded by a spear slain by the sword summer led died and when this fierce leader was struck down the wicked took flight and very many were slaughtered both on sea and on land now this poem reads like a heavily biased piece of war reporting on behalf of the Scots but it's more than just a little ironic to think that when so much of some alleged power and success depended on being able to control the seas that it was on land that his campaign finally came to an end and I wonder to what would have happened if summer let had actually won the Battle of Renfrew perhaps a lot more of us would be speaking gallic today after the battle some elides kingdom was not swallowed up by Scotland the death of the king of the Isles eventually led to the formation of Clan Donald I've come to Paisley Abbey to speak with historian Andrew MacDonald I want to find out about the birth of what is perhaps the greatest dynasty in Highland history Thunder what happened after the Battle of Renfrew well the first thing that happened was that Summerlin's Kingdom or Empire was divided up amongst his sons and within a couple of generations one of the dominant figures that emerges in the West is Summerlin's grandson named Donald and it is from Donald of course that we get the Clan Donald the MacDonalds that eventually go on to become one of the most powerful families in the region what was the key to con donald success sometimes it's easier to work from within the system than it is to oppose it from without one of the best examples of what i'm talking about is in this abbey all around us because even though it was founded by the man who defeated summerlin it was actually patronized by Summerlin's descendants including Donald and they gave money to the abbey they pump money into it they were benefactors and in fact what we see in the 13th century is these men coming much closer into contact with the Scottish Kingdom itself the descendants of summer led cease to use the title of King that summer let had used and they now tend to describe themselves as lords or in one document of 1284 barons of the realm of Scotland but originally they were fighting against the crown now the fighting with the crown was a complete turnaround what was in it for them well I think what was in it for them was again opportunism a means of enhancing their their power and their prestige and that's exactly what happens instead of fighting the Scottish crown the MacDonalds were now courting its favour in the Highlands and Islands they continued to battle with clans like the McClouds and the McLean's for supremacy but the lowlands would be the stage for the next chapter in the story of Clan Donald when they played a vital role at the most pivotal moment in Scottish history after his coronation in 1306 Scotland's new King Robert the Bruce was forced on the run but was given sanctuary from his enemies on Isla by a young McDonald chief Angus aughh and when in 1314 Bruce faced the might of England at Bannockburn Angus OGG was at his side it was here on the flat marshy ground below Stellan castle that they defeated the English despite being outnumbered three to one the Scots victory came about because of the close relationship that existed between the King of Scotland and the McDonald clan chief Angus OGG who brought 5,000 Klansmen to fight here at Bannockburn Bruce sent the MacDonalds into battle with the words my hope is constant in thee the Scots drove the English from the battlefield thousands were slain and Stirling Castle fell to Bruce without Clan Donald Scotland would never have won its independence from England Angus OGG was richly rewarded for his loyalty to Robert the Bruce with royal backing the MacDonalds were soon riding high and by the end of the 14th century had become the most important and powerful clan in the Highlands and Islands for the next 200 years the McDonald's would be the dominant force in the west of Scotland wealthy and well-traveled the Chiefs of Clan Donald were a real power to be reckoned with in the British Isles and here in the Highlands and Islands they created a Gallic Empire at the heart of which was a vibrant and unique culture the MacDonald's didn't write much of their history down instead events and personalities were immortalized in poems and songs they were handed down from generation to generation this great oral tradition can still be heard on iana today a spell McTaggart is leader of the ILA Gallic choir whose repertoire includes songs written by the bards of Clan Donald originally performed hundreds of years ago they still resonate today this spell that was a really beautiful song a beautifully sung what's the story behind it that's a song written by a one of the last remaining bouts of Clan Donald about him as bad been able to really extol the virtues of Clan Donald but I've a loud and proud way and he's he's comparing himself to the songbirds of Clan Donald and the songbird was always a really important symbol and garlic society know about be able to sing loud and played about things and that's what he's doing the third very example gene and coup de Chien and cleared he's talking about this land of heroes having this influence in society and being a real force in what way were bards important to galaxy site in the past huge important they recorded everything they were the people that communicated the history they were the tradition bearers and because the culture was oral they were the people that basically passed it down through generations and generations a hugely important people what's it like for you singing these songs today does it connect you to the past it's quite remarkable to think that we are singing songs that were written by people that had heared hundreds of years ago that are talking about the physical place we're in and they're celebrating a cultured and I think that's fantastic throughout the 14th and 15th centuries the mcdonald's ruled the Hebridean islands and from lockhouse in the north to cantar in the south they controlled vast areas of the Scottish mainland to defend their territory they built a series of impressive castles right across the west of Scotland now just to ruin the new vague castle overlooks Lagavulin Bay on the south coast of Eila it was once an important MacDonald stronghold and Naval Base successive generations of Clan Donald chiefs would have stood here to survey a huge empire that at one point surpassed even that of a great ancestor summer led the music and song served as a reminder that here a Nayla far from the reach of the Scottish Kings the MacDonalds truly were lords of the Isles the most convincing evidence of McDonald's supremacy can be found in the most unexpected of places Loch fin login' lies right in the middle of ila and is miles from the sea surprisingly it was here that clan donald rulers of a great maritime empire built her seat of power dr. David Caldwell of the National Museums of Scotland has spent ten years excavating this historic site his findings have given him a unique insight into fan logins importance David this is obviously a very ancient site yes it is and we have evidence that's going back to the time of summer let I think in the 12th century and the evidence carries right through for the Lords of the Isles being here right to the end of the 15th century a whole impressive series of buildings here you've got the the chapel which shared dates to the 14th century and over here we found evidence for quite extensive kitchens and then this building that we're standing in was that the Great Hall what's even more surprising is the significance of the smaller of the two islands in the law what's the name of the island le McCauley which is garlic for the council Island and that's what they had the council meetings and that's where the administration of the Isles took place every summer vast numbers of people came here and they could see their betters meeting on the island but yet they couldn't actually get in the way we had to see it all from from a distance this is really Parliament it's a government is another this lordship of the MacDonalds was like a separate state which had the same sort of government apparatus as other great states in Europe and it's what really marks out the importance of the large ship there's a lordship in a sense represent an alternative skaaland the Gallic title Lord of the Isles can also be translated as king of the Isles they saw themselves as a as a Celtic society and more importantly I think that the work challenging students has been potential kings for the whole of Scotland the lords of the Isles had a deeply troubled relationship with the Stewart kings of Scotland who were intent on imposing their authority on the whole country but the MacDonald's formidable military strength allowed them to keep the crown at bay being a thorn in the side of the Scottish Kings was on a second nature to the lords of the Isles who saw themselves as independent in their own right and did everything in their power to stay that way this struggle for independence came to a head in 1462 when John MacDonald the fourth Lord of the Isles and chief of Clan Donald entered into an alliance with Scotland's number one enemy England was at war with Scotland John MacDonald made a secret pact to support the English against the Scots this reckless alliance would trigger a bitter family feud it was here at bloody bay just off the coast of Mull that John MacDonald clashed with his son and heir Angus OGG historian Donald William Stewart has researched how the struggle ultimately led to the demise of planned Donald's lordship of the Isles wonderful view our tomorrow hon all the way along here we've got bang here aren't the sacred mountain over there and dine here we've got Bloody Bay 500 years ago this seemingly peaceful stretch of water would have been a scene of total carnage as father and son fought each other for the very soul of Clan Donald Donald William what on earth for the lords of the Isles doing in supporting the ancient enemy England well it's one of these things in history which seemed a very good idea at the time but you know looking back at it maybe it wasn't such a good idea after all both sides had very good reasons for making a treaty at the time the King of England drew he's planning an invasion he needed help in the north of Scotland who better to give him half the north of Scotland than the Lord of the Isles but surely John Lord of the Isles was a traitor at this time really you could say what the Lord VRS was doing was merely trying to protect his own state if you like or a state within a state against a very aggressive and that's rather brutal bunch of gangsters down Edinburgh they were trying to take it away from him did John Lord of the Isles pay any penalty for this treachery yeah well the King of Scotland chains the third and the King of Engl deadly forth they had a sort of love in in the early 14 70s Edward the fourth decided to daub in the Lord of the Isles Lord vias was found out King of Scots had to do something about it he was stripped of his titles and and very much put under the thumb of the king of Scotland and also henceforth the title the Lord of the Isles was now in the power of the King of Scots to grant and not in the power of the Islanders themselves I was a big change he fell out with an awful lot of people in the lordship most notably his own son Angus Hogg MacDonald Angus draw fellow to the house and oral tradition tells us made his father sleep under an old rotten boat on the seashore things had got that bad where does Angus fit into this pictures he tried to take over the role of Lord of the Isles yes it was getting to the point where he was seeing his inheritance just being taken away from and piece by piece so Clan Donald is deeply divided at this point with father and son at each other's throats yeah the tensions grew and this is where it all explodes the Battle of Bloody Bay won the greatest sea battle sir Scotland has ever seen perhaps on the greatest sea battles of its time in the whole of Western Europe and who won in a sense Angus Org MacDonald one big sea beat his father but the long-term losers were Clan Donald as a whole there's a lot of very expensive state-of-the-art medieval naval technology at the bottom of this bay it's estimated the McDonald's lost up to half of their fleet at the Battle of Bloody Bay and with the loss of this naval might the lordship of the Isles would never be the same again without the backing of his clan John remained Lord of the Isles only in name angus OGG continued his campaign to reclaim his inheritance for another ten years but in 1490 he was mysteriously murdered in his sleep his body was brought to Iona the spiritual and intellectual center of the lordship of the Isles it's here that the mighty Chiefs of Clan Donald are buried and many believe the great summer led himself in ancient times funeral processions carried the dead along this road still called the way of the dead up here to the burial ground of relic Oran now San Orleans Chapel is a very beautiful very simple building overlooking the sound of Iona and traditionally it is here that the great McDonald Chiefs the Lords of the Isles had the final resting place but John McDonald never made this journey in 1493 he was finally stripped of his title by the King of Scotland poverty stricken the fourth and last Lord of the Isles died a few years later in Dundee far from clan Donald's ancestral heartland these are some of the grave slabs of the Lords of the Isles and here's a great sword and up here a traditional symbol of a sea power a Highland galley but of course John McDonald the very last Lord of the Isles never made it here to lie amongst the bones of his ancestors and somehow this exile and death if you like symbolizes for me not just the end of a great dynasty but the end of the possibility or dream of a Gallic centered Gallic speaking Scotland but the story of Clan Donald didn't end here summer let's ancestors still gather from all over the world to celebrate their ties of kinship here on the Isle of Skye I've always wanted to come back here since I was a wee Chet even though I live on the other side of the world this is our ancestral home and when we come here to the hour sky while we feel that we've come home these men are the current Chiefs of Clan Donald recent genetic research suggests that one in four McDonald's can trace their origins back to summer led I am actually a direct descendent from from some of the king of the eyes how are you sure where I related to him well I know that I related to some led through I had agreed to have a DNA test and was quite relieved to know that I related to some of it only one man Genghis Khan has more living descendants the MacDonalds are no longer a great power but they remain perhaps the most famous and certainly the largest of all the Highland clans through Hamlin McDonald's our our worldwide million 3 million 15 million it is by far the largest plan were everywhere and 800 years after he conquered the West perhaps this is the most lasting legacy of the king of the Isles next week the story over McLeod's at the same time 8 o'clock on Monday here on BBC 2 Scotland

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Keywords: Scotland, BBC (TV Network), Glasgow, Scottish, Edinburgh, Celtic, News, Highland, Clan, Donald

Id: tIibyVhbGRA

Length: 29min 10sec (1750 seconds)

Published: Mon Apr 23 2012