Aonghas Mór
Encyclopedia
Aonghas Mór also known as Aonghas a Íle ("Angus of Islay
") and Aonghas mac Domhnaill (Modern: Aonghas MacDhòmhnaill; Anglicized: "Angus MacDonald" or "Angus, Donald's son"), was the son of Domhnall mac Raghnaill
, eponymous progenitor of Clan Donald
.
Aonghas Mór has been called "the first MacDonald" by one historian, namely because he was the first of the dynasty created by his father to rule Islay. Islay was the centre of the lordship of both Aonghas and his father; and according to a contemporary praise-poem, the realm Aonghas inherited from Domhnall included "every house from Mull
to Kintyre
" (gach teach ò Mhuile go Maoil).
" (now MacDhubhaich) kindred of Colonsay
, undoubtedly a tradition that served to connect the two kindreds at the time it was developed. He appears granting a charter to Paisley Abbey
which can be dated between 1241 and 1249. The first extant reference to Aonghas as "Lord of Islay" dates to 1256. In 1263, during the war between Haakon IV of Norway
and Alexander III of Scotland
, the Norwegians invaded Aonghas' territory and forced him to join them. Aonghas switched back to the Scottish side in the following year, sending his son Alexander Óg
as a hostage to the king. Much of the remainer of his life is mysterious. He was one of the magnates who in 1284 recognised the right of Alexander III's granddaughter, Margaret, Maid of Norway
, to succeed to the throne; he appears in documents as late as July 1292. He died on Islay in either 1294 or 1295, and was buried in Iona
.
, the chief of Clan Campbell
at the time and they had the following:
He also allegedly fathered Iain Sprangach mac Dhòmhnaill, who the MacIains of Ardnamurchan claim descent from.
Islay
-Prehistory:The earliest settlers on Islay were nomadic hunter-gatherers who arrived during the Mesolithic period after the retreat of the Pleistocene ice caps. In 1993 a flint arrowhead was found in a field near Bridgend dating from 10,800 BC, the earliest evidence of a human presence found so far...
") and Aonghas mac Domhnaill (Modern: Aonghas MacDhòmhnaill; Anglicized: "Angus MacDonald" or "Angus, Donald's son"), was the son of Domhnall mac Raghnaill
Domhnall mac Raghnaill
Domhnall mac Raghnaill was a Hebridean noble in the late 12th- and early 13th-century. He is the eponymous progenitor of Clan Donald . For this reason some traditions accumulated around him in the Later Middle Ages and Early Modern period...
, eponymous progenitor of Clan Donald
Clan Donald
Clan Donald is one of the largest Scottish clans. There are numerous branches to the clan. Several of these have chiefs recognised by the Lord Lyon King of Arms; these are: Clan Macdonald of Sleat, Clan Macdonald of Clanranald, Clan MacDonell of Glengarry, Clan MacDonald of Keppoch, and Clan...
.
Aonghas Mór has been called "the first MacDonald" by one historian, namely because he was the first of the dynasty created by his father to rule Islay. Islay was the centre of the lordship of both Aonghas and his father; and according to a contemporary praise-poem, the realm Aonghas inherited from Domhnall included "every house from Mull
Isle of Mull
The Isle of Mull or simply Mull is the second largest island of the Inner Hebrides, off the west coast of Scotland in the council area of Argyll and Bute....
to Kintyre
Kintyre
Kintyre is a peninsula in western Scotland, in the southwest of Argyll and Bute. The region stretches approximately 30 miles , from the Mull of Kintyre in the south, to East Loch Tarbert in the north...
" (gach teach ò Mhuile go Maoil).
Life
According to later Gaelic tradition, he was fostered by Dubh-Sidhe, alleged progenitor of the "MacDuffieClan Macfie
Clan Macfie is a Scottish clan. Since 1981, the clan has been officially registered with the Court of the Lord Lyon, which is the heraldic authority of Scotland...
" (now MacDhubhaich) kindred of Colonsay
Colonsay
Colonsay is an island in the Scottish Inner Hebrides, located north of Islay and south of Mull and has an area of . It is the ancestral home of Clan Macfie and the Colonsay branch of Clan MacNeill. Aligned on a south-west to north-east axis, it measures in length and reaches at its widest...
, undoubtedly a tradition that served to connect the two kindreds at the time it was developed. He appears granting a charter to Paisley Abbey
Paisley Abbey
Paisley Abbey is a former Cluniac monastery, and current Church of Scotland parish kirk, located on the east bank of the White Cart Water in the centre of the town of Paisley, Renfrewshire, in west central Scotland.-History:...
which can be dated between 1241 and 1249. The first extant reference to Aonghas as "Lord of Islay" dates to 1256. In 1263, during the war between Haakon IV of Norway
Haakon IV of Norway
Haakon Haakonarson , also called Haakon the Old, was king of Norway from 1217 to 1263. Under his rule, medieval Norway reached its peak....
and Alexander III of Scotland
Alexander III of Scotland
Alexander III was King of Scots from 1249 to his death.-Life:...
, the Norwegians invaded Aonghas' territory and forced him to join them. Aonghas switched back to the Scottish side in the following year, sending his son Alexander Óg
Alexander Óg
Alexander Óg , Lord of Islay , was a Hebridean magnate active at the end of the 13th- and beginning of the 14th centuries...
as a hostage to the king. Much of the remainer of his life is mysterious. He was one of the magnates who in 1284 recognised the right of Alexander III's granddaughter, Margaret, Maid of Norway
Margaret, Maid of Norway
Margaret , usually known as the Maid of Norway , sometimes known as Margaret of Scotland , was a Norwegian princess who was Queen of Scots from 1286 until her death...
, to succeed to the throne; he appears in documents as late as July 1292. He died on Islay in either 1294 or 1295, and was buried in Iona
Iona
Iona is a small island in the Inner Hebrides off the western coast of Scotland. It was a centre of Irish monasticism for four centuries and is today renowned for its tranquility and natural beauty. It is a popular tourist destination and a place for retreats...
.
Family
His (last) wife is said to have been a daughter of Cailean MórCailean Mór
Cailean Mór Caimbeul, also known as Sir Colin Campbell , is one of the earliest attested members of Clan Campbell and an important ancestor figure of the later medieval Earls of Argyll....
, the chief of Clan Campbell
Clan Campbell
Clan Campbell is a Highland Scottish clan. Historically one of the largest, most powerful and most successful of the Highland clans, their lands were in Argyll and the chief of the clan became the Earl and later Duke of Argyll.-Origins:...
at the time and they had the following:
- Alexander ÓgAlexander ÓgAlexander Óg , Lord of Islay , was a Hebridean magnate active at the end of the 13th- and beginning of the 14th centuries...
- Aonghas Óg
- unknown daughter who married Brian Ó Néill, King of Tír EógainKings of Tir EogainThis article lists the Kings of Tír Eoghain or Tyrone from 1185 to 1616. They are listed from their date of accession to date of death, unless otherwise stated....
.
He also allegedly fathered Iain Sprangach mac Dhòmhnaill, who the MacIains of Ardnamurchan claim descent from.
Praise poem
Aonghas was the subject of notable praise-poem called Ceannaigh duain t'athar, a Aonghas ("Pay For Your Father's Poem, Aonghas"), written for him by an Irish poet soon after acceding to his father Domhnall's lordship. The poem is at face value a request that Aonghas fulfill his father's debt to the poet; it styles him, among other things, Aonghas Íle (Angus of Islay) and rí Leodhais ("King of Lewis").Styles
As well as knowing his style of Dominus de Hyle, we have his name written styled in several documents. For example, here are two ways he wrote his name in the two important languages other than his own one:- LatinMedieval LatinMedieval Latin was the form of Latin used in the Middle Ages, primarily as a medium of scholarly exchange and as the liturgical language of the medieval Roman Catholic Church, but also as a language of science, literature, law, and administration. Despite the clerical origin of many of its authors,...
: Engus de Yle filius Domnaldi (on his sealSeal (device)A seal can be a figure impressed in wax, clay, or some other medium, or embossed on paper, with the purpose of authenticating a document ; but the term can also mean the device for making such impressions, being essentially a mould with the mirror image of the design carved in sunken- relief or...
)- "Aonghas of Islay, son of Domhnall"
- FrenchOld FrenchOld French was the Romance dialect continuum spoken in territories that span roughly the northern half of modern France and parts of modern Belgium and Switzerland from the 9th century to the 14th century...
: Angus fitz Dovenald des Isles (royal document)- "Aonghas son of Domhnall of the Isles