18th century illustration of some of the tombs of Oronsay Priory, founded by Domhnall's father John of Islay sometime before 1358.

Donald, or properly, Domhnall of Islay (died 1423), was the son and successor of John of Islay, Lord of the Isles and chief of Clan Donald. The Lordship of the Isles was based in and around the Scottish west-coast island of Islay, but under John of Islay had come to include many of the other islands off the west coast of Scotland, as well as Morvern, Garmoran, Lochaber, Kintyre and Knapdale on the mainland. While it is customary to portray the Lords of the Isles as divorced from the mainstream of Scottish political life, and as representatives of an alternative brand of lordship, this view obscures the fact that Domhnall was only one of many magnatesw ho held large lordships with little interference from the crown in late 14th and early 15th century Scotland. The Douglas kindred of southern Scotland and the Albany Stewarts parallel Domhnall's lordship. Domhnall was, moreover, the grandson of King Robert II of Scotland and first cousin of King Robert III; he took pride in his royal blood, even adopting the royal tressure to surround his coat of arms. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Oronsay Priory. ... Events Jacquerie. ... 18th century illustration of some of the tombs of Oronsay Priory, founded by John of Islay sometime before 1358. ... Clan Donald crest: Per mare per terras (By sea and by land) Map of Dál Riata at its height, c. ... MacDonald, Lord of the Isles The designation Lord of the Isles (Scottish Gaelic: ), now a Scottish title of nobility, emerged from a series of hybrid Viking/Gaelic rulers of the west coast and islands of Scotland in the Middle Ages, who wielded sea-power with fleets of galleys. ... Motto: (Latin) No one provokes me with impunity1 Anthem: Multiple unofficial anthems Capital Edinburgh Largest city Glasgow Official language(s) English, Gaelic, Scots2 Government  - Queen Queen Elizabeth II  - UK Prime Minister Tony Blair MP  - First Minister Jack McConnell MSP Unification    - by Kenneth I 843  Area    - Total 78,772 km... Landsat image of Islay Islay (pronounced ; Scottish Gaelic: , or ee-luh), a Scottish island, known as The Queen of the Hebrides, is the southernmost island of the Inner Hebrides. ... Morvern is a region on the west coast of Scotland located approximately 56°3608N 5°4659W. Ferries depart from the coast to the Island of Mull, also part of Morvern. ... Lochaber (Scottish Gaelic, Loch Abar) refers to a large area of the central and western Scottish Highlands. ... Kintyre shown within Argyll Kintyre is a peninsula in western Scotland in the south-west of Argyll. ... Knapdale shown within Argyll Knapdale is a rural area of Argyll and Bute in the Scottish Highlands, adjoining Kintyre to the south, and divided from the rest of Argyll to the north by the Crinan Canal. ... Robert the warrior and knight: the reverse side of Robert IIs Great Seal, enhanced as a 19th century steel engraving. ... Robert III (circa 1340 – April 4, 1406), king of Scotland (reigned 1390 - 1406), the eldest son of King Robert II by his mistress, Elizabeth Mure, became legitimised with the formal marriage of his parents about 1349. ...

Domhnall spent some of his first years as Lord of the Isles suppressing a revolt by his brother John Mór. John was Domhnall's younger brother, and resented his meagre inheritance. Although he was recognized as heir-apparent (tanaiste), he only received patches of land in Kintyre and Islay. The rebellion started in 1387 and went on into the 1390s, and John obtained the support of the MacLean kindred. However, John and the MacLeans were eventually forced to submit to Domhnall, and by 1395 John Mór had been forced into Ireland. There he entered the service of King Richard II of England and later established a MacDonald lordship in Antrim. Richard II (January 6, 1367 – February 14, 1400) was the son of Edward the Black Prince, Prince of Wales, and Joan The Fair Maid of Kent. He was born in Bordeaux and became his fathers successor when his elder brother died in infancy. ... Statistics Province: Ulster County Town: Antrim Area: 2,844 km² Population (est. ...

Suppression of the revolt enabled Domhnall to turn his attention northwards and eastwards. Most of the area to the north and east of the Lordship, that is Skye, Ross, Badenoch and Urquhart, was under the control of Alexander Stewart, Earl of Buchan, famously known as the "Wolf of Badenoch". The Stewarts had been building up their power in the central Highlands and north of Scotland since the death of John Randolph, 3rd Earl of Moray in 1346. Alexander had acquired control of the lordship of Badenoch, the earldom of Buchan and the Justiciarship of Scotia. He had been appointed "Lieutenant of the North", giving him the flexibility to exercise total control over most of Scotland north of the mounth. Alexander was at once the de facto ruler of northern Scotland as well as the means by which the crown itself exercised control. Looking towards Quiraing, Skye. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Badenoch, a district of south-east Inverness-shire in Scotland, bounded on the north by the Monadhliath mountains, on the east by the Cairngorms and Braemar, on the south by Atholl and the Grampians, and on the west by Lochaber. ... Urquhart Castle, main tower Urquhart Castle ( ; Ordnance Survey grid reference NH530286) sits beside Loch Ness in Scotland along the A82 road, between Fort William and Inverness. ... The Wolfs Lair: Lochindorb Castle at Lochindorb in Badenoch, stronghold of Alexander. ... John Randolph, 3rd Earl of Moray (d. ... // Events Serbian Empire was proclaimed in Skopje by Dusan Silni, occupying much of the South-Eastern Europe Foundation of the University of Valladolid Foundation of Pembroke College, University of Cambridge August 26 Battle of Crecy after which Edward the Black Prince honored the bravery of John I, Count of Luxemburg... Lochindorb Castle at Lochindorb in Badenoch, one of the most important strongholds of the lordship. ... In the Peerage of Scotland the Kings of Scots have thrice created the title Earl of Buchan. ... The Justiciar of Scotia (in Norman-Latin, Justiciarus Scotie) was the most senior legal office in the High Medieval Kingdom of Scotland. ... The Mounth is the range of hills on the southern edge of Strathdee in northeast Scotland. ...

However, there had been complaints over the activities of his caterans (war bands). More importantly, Alexander's position had become threatening not only to the crown, but also to the Euphemia I, Countess of Ross, her son Alexander and the titular Dunbar Earl of Moray. Late in 1388, soon after becoming Guardian of the Kingdom, Robert Stewart, Earl of Fife (created Duke of Albany in 1398) deprived Alexander of the Justiciarship. The assault of Alexander's position continued into the 1390s. Domhnall and his brother Alexander of Lochaber were in a perfect position to benefit. In 1394, the latter entered a 17-year agreement with the titular Earl of Moray, taking over Alexander Stewart's role as "protector" of the wealthy comital and episcopal lands in the Moray lowlands. The MacDonalds were is possession of Urquhart by the end of 1395, and had given control of the castle to the MacLean kindred of Duart. The term cateran (from the Gaelic ceathairne, a collective word meaning peasantry), historically referred to a band of fighting men of a Scotland Highland clan; hence the term applied to the Highland, and later to any, marauders or cattle-lifters. ... Euphemia I, Countess of Ross or Euphemia of Ross (with Euphemia Leslie and Euphemia Stewart; d. ... Alexander Leslie, Earl of Ross († 1402) was the son of Euphemia I, Countess of Ross and her husband, the far-travelled Walter Leslie, Lord of Ross. ... Events Beginning of prosecution of Lollards in England The Battle of Otterburn between England and Scotland A Chinese army under Xu Da sacks Karakorum Births September 14 - Claudius Claussön Swart, Danish geographer September 29 - Thomas of Lancaster, 1st Duke of Clarence, second son of Henry IV of England (d. ... Robert Stewart or Stuart, 1st Duke of Albany (c. ... Duke of Albany is a peerage title that has occasionally been bestowed on the youngers sons in the Scottish and later the British Royal Family, particularly in the Houses of Stuart and Hanover. ... A sept of the Scottish clan Maclean, whose chief had (and today still retains) his seat at Duart Castle, Isle of Mull. ... Duart Castle, Isle of Mull Duart Castle is a castle on the west coast of Scotland, located on the Isle of Mull within the council area of Argyll and Bute. ...

However, the Guardian soon turned his hostility against the MacDonalds. Alexander of Lochaber had been using his role as "protector" to further his own lordship, including granting episcopal lands to his military followers. In 1398, Robert Stewart (now Duke of Albany) was called upon to take action, but the well-prepared expedition in the end came to nothing. Lochaber continued his activities, and in a raid of 1402 burned the burgh of Elgin. For this he was excommunicated by William Spynie, bishop of Moray. Later in the year Alexander visited Spynie to seek forgiveness. A sign in Linlithgow, Scotland. ... Elgin is a town in Moray the North of Scotland. ... The Bishop of Moray or Bishop of Elgin was the ecclesiastical head of the Diocese of Moray in northern Scotland, one of Scotlands 13 medieval bishoprics. ...

Domhnall himself was causing still further concern when in the same year, following the death of Alexander Leslie, Earl of Ross, Domhnall pressed the claims of Mariota, Alexander Leslie's sister and Domhnall's wife, to the possession of Ross. Domhnall attempted to gain control of the earldom. Sometime after 1405 but before 1411, Domhnall gained control of Dingwall Castle, the chief seat of the earldom. In the year after the death of the nominal king, Robert III, Domhnall sent emissaries England, to make contact with the heir of the Scottish throne, the captive James Stewart. King Henry IV of England sent his own emissaries to Domhnall in the following year to negotiate an alliance against Albany. Mariota, Countess of Ross (Mairead, also called Mary and Margaret; died 1402) was the daughter of Euphemia I, Countess of Ross and her husband, the crusading war-hero Walter Leslie, Lord of Ross. ... See Dingwall (name) for the Scottish family name. ... James I (December 10, 1394 – February 21, 1437) reigned as King of Scots from April 4, 1406 until February 21, 1437. ... Henry IV (3 April 1367 – 20 March 1413) was the King of England and France and Lord of Ireland from 1399 to 1413. ...

With control over the principle seat of the earldom of Ross and support of the exiled heir to the Scottish throne, in 1411 Domhnall felt strong enough to march against Albany's main northern ally, Alexander Stewart, Earl of Mar. At the Battle of Harlaw, Domhnall failed to inflict a decisive victory, and withdrew back to the western highlands. In the aftermath, Albany was able to retake Dingwall and seize control of Easter Ross. In 1415, the heir of Alexander Leslie, Euphemia II, resigned the earldom to Albany. Domhnall prepared for war and proclaimed himself "Lord of Ross". Although Albany appointed his own son John Stewart to the earldom, Domhnall's wife continued to regard herself as the rightful Countess. Alexander Stewart (c. ... The Battle of Harlaw was fought near Inverurie in Aberdeenshire on 24 July 1411. ... Easter Ross is a loosely defined area in the east of the administrative county of Ross and Cromarty. ... Euphemia II, Countess of Ross (also Euphemia Leslie) was the daughter of Alexander Leslie, Earl of Ross and his wife Isabella Stewart, daughter of Robert Stewart, Duke of Albany. ... John Stewart, 2nd Earl of Buchan, (c. ...

Domhnall died in 1423 on Islay. He was succeeded by his son Alexander. Alexander of Islay or Alexander MacDonald (died 1449; Scottish Gaelic: ) was a medieval Scottish nobleman, who succeeded his father Domhnall of Islay as Lord of the Isles (1423-49) and rose to the rank of Earl of Ross (1437-49). ...

References

• Boardman, Stephen, The Early Stewart Kings: Robert II and Robert III, 1371-1406, (East Linton, 1996)
• Brown, Michael, James I, (East Linton, 1994)
• Oram, Richard, "The Lordship of the Isles, 1336-1545", in Donald Omand (ed.) The Argyll Book, (Edinburgh, 2005), pp. 123-39

	Lords of the Isles, 1336-1493 Eion I a Íle (John I) • Dómhnall a Íle (Donald) • Alasdair a Íle (Alexander) • Eion II a Íle (John II)
something	See also Aonghas Óg • Dómhnall Dubh