First rebellion Following his ascension to the throne of Scotland in 1488,
King James IV embarked on a campaign to consolidate his rule over the country. One year after being crowned king, he intervened in a conflict against
Aonghas Óg, a noble of Clan Donald who was revolting against the rule of his father,
John of Islay. James' support for John came too late, and in 1489 Aonghas defeated his father to become the head of Clan Donald and lord of the Scottish Isles. Though his ally had been defeated, James used the clan dispute as an opportunity to exert its authority over the isles and invaded. Before fighting could begin in earnest, Aonghas was assassinated, allowing for James and his allies to easily gain control over the Scottish Isles. Using the crushed rebellion as a pretext, James asserted personal control over the region by personally claiming the title of
Lord of the Isles in 1493. In doing so, James replaced Clan Donald as the major geopolitical force in the region. Aonghas' son young son
Donald Dubh was captured during the conflict and imprisoned by
Colin Campbell, 1st Earl of Argyll. These actions angered many of the Islanders, who viewed this loss of autonomy as an overreach of the Crown's power. The rebellion was also supported by members of the Irish nobility that were aligned with Henry. Dubh and his allies chose to launch their invasion of Scotland while camped in Ireland, where they were pledged support by the local nobility. With the rebellion having begun, Dubh promised to raise 8,000 men and 180 galleys to fight against the Scottish Crown. His force—which was still camped in Ireland, awaiting the right time to invade the Scottish Isles—was planned to be supplemented by 2,000 men provided by Henry and his Irish allies. Combined, this force outnumbered the Scottish Royal forces. However, the rebel's numbers remained hypothetical; Dubh was unable to gather the full support of the Scottish Isles, and Henry's Irish allies were unprepared to raise the 2,000 men he promised. Disputes over payments also led to divisions opening in the allied army. Instead of the 10,000 man force expected to invade, the army that sailed for Scotland numbered some 2,000 men. This force failed to make any major territorial gains, and Dubh retreated to Ireland in late 1545, where he died of a fever. With the death of the rebellion's leader, the various rebels fighting in the Scottish isles either subsided or lost all coordination. In the period of infighting that followed, the Scottish Crown and its allies were able to restore royal control over the islands. The failure of Dubh's Rebellion marked the end of any attempts to restore the Scottish Isles' independence. == References ==