 How can a landscape of such astonishing beauty be the scene of one of the greatest massacres in Scottish history? Although paradoxical, that is exactly the case when it comes to Glencoll. The Glencoll massacre cuts deep in the history of Scotland, and for good reason. On the 13th of February 1692, over 30 men, around two women and two children of the clan MacDonald of Glencoll, were slaughtered by forces under the command of Archibald Campbell, tenth arrow of Argyll. But why was this the case? What events led to this massacre? Well firstly, the MacDonald's and the Campbell's weren't best of friends, and they had feuded at various points prior to the massacre. This massacre however was not a clan massacre. This was a power play by a centralised government wanting to impose its 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 put 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 remain 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 reinstall King James onto the throne 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 the law promising safety to those who pledged allegiance to the new royals by January 1st 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 William's oath of allegiance. This news only reached the McDonald's of Glencoe by December 28th, three days before the deadline. Upon hearing this, the chief of the McDonald's of Glencoe set out for Fort William to take the oath. But as there was no magistrate there, he had to travel another 60 miles to Inverary. Although he arrived late, he ultimately took the oath on the 6th of January, around five days late. But he believed that this secured his clan's safety from punishment. The government had other plans, however. Sir John Dalrymple, William's Secretary of State for Scotland, and a man known to have a dislike of the McDonald's and other Highlanders, gave the order for the military punishment of the McDonald's. You are hereby ordered to fall upon the rebels, the McDonald's of Glencoe, and put all to the sword under 70. More than a hundred of Argyll soldiers, led by Captain Robert Campbell of Glenloin, received these orders on the evening of the 12th of February 1692. To add more betrayal to the story, these very soldiers had been given bed and board by the McDonald's for two weeks prior to this. At 5 am on the morning of the 13th, they attacked their hosts, moving up and down the Glen, killing anyone under the age of 70, including women and children. Around 30 men, women and children were slaughtered. Others escaped, potentially giving a heads up by some of the soldiers, but many more were probably killed by the weather in the harsh conditions. What happened in the aftermath of this massacre? News of the massacre first broke in France with the Scottish Parliamentary Commission of Inquiry bringing it to the wider Scottish public. The inquiry determined that the killings were murdered under trust and many Highlanders were shot as hospitality was a way of life for Highlanders. Although there was much reputational damage for those involved, a lot of the blame was laid at the feet of Clan Campbell. This seems unfair, however, as the Glencoe massacre was more of a new monarch making a very bloody point rather than the clan massacre. There are many lessons from this story. Firstly and most importantly, never invite a Campbell over for a sleep over, just joking of course and incidentally my Graham was a Campbell. But this event does go to show that government power is absolute and any dissenters are often punished in a most brutal way. Please let me know your thoughts in the comments below. Thanks for watching, I'll speak to you next time. Let's face it, ads can be annoying. If you want ad-free content and also early access, please become a member of my Patreon page. 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