Christina of Garmoran
Encyclopedia
Christina of Garmoran also known as Christina MacRuari, Christina of Mar and Christiana of the Isles was a 14th century Scottish noblewoman who was the legitimate child of Ailin (Alan) mac Ruaidhri, Lord of Garmoran
and chief of Clan Macruari
. She married Duncan, second son of Domhnall I, Earl of Mar
.
, Somhairle mac Gille-Brighde
(better known as Somerled), through her grandfather Ruaidhri mac Raghnaill
, the founder of Clan Macruari.
Her father, Ailin mac Ruaidhri, possessed the "North Isles" of the Uist
s and Benbecula
. He is known to have attended Parliament
in 1285 when the succession of Margaret, Maid of Norway
was debated. He had died by 1296, by which time he had fathered two illegitimate sons, Ruaidhri and Lachlan, and Christina, his sole legitimate heir. However, When Christina succeeded to the extensive estates of her father (Garmoran and the North Isles including Harris and the Small Isles
of Rùm
and Eigg
) she resigned a large proportion of them to Ruaidhri.
When her distant cousin Alexander of Argyll
's support of the opponents of King Robert the Bruce led to the forfeiture of his lands, they were distributed between her MacDonald
cousin Aonghas Óg of Islay and her brother Ruaidhri. The latter received much of Lorne and parts of Lochaber
. Bruce was however careful to ensure his interests in the west were protected and Dunstaffnage Castle
was given not to Ruari, now styled the "High Chief of Lorn" but to a royal constable, Arthur Campbell. Campbell's son, also Arthur, received a charter of lands from Christina, at some point early in the 14th century and they may have been considering marriage although this never came to pass. The charter itself seems to have been disputed by parties on both sides for the next century.
, making her the Bruce's sister-in-law twice over. (Duncan's sister Isabella of Mar
married Robert the Bruce and his older brother Gartnait, Earl of Mar
married Robert's sister Christina
.) No details of Christina's birth are known, but Duncan was born in 1294, and died in 1332 and they are recorded as having a child, Margaret, Countess of Mar
, who married William Douglas, 1st Earl of Douglas
and died in 1390.
Christina is credited with being instrumental in supporting Robert the Bruce ascend to the Scottish throne. John of Fordun
records her as "Christian of the Isles" and stated that "it was by her help and power and goodwill that Bruce was able to return to Carrick". Barbour wrote that: "A lady of that country [Carrick], who was his near kinswoman, was wondrous glad at his arrival and made haste to join him, bringing fifteen men whom she gave the king to help him in his warfare." It is also possible that she and Aonghas Óg of Islay provided assistance to Bruce whilst he sought refuge on Rathlin Island
.
.jpg)
The MacRuari's added Barra
to their lands in 1309 but towards the close of the Bruce's reign, c. 1325, Ruaidhri was dispossessed for engaging in plots perceived to be against his king's interests.
Edward Balliol
may have restored these lands to his son, Raghnall mac Ruari, a state of affairs confirmed by David II
c. 1344, who formally granted him Garmoran and the North Isles, although Lorn was retained by the crown and Lochaber in its entirety given to John of islay
the first Lord of the Isles
who had married Amie
, Christina's niece in 1337. Shortly thereafter, in October 1346, Raghnall was assassinated at Elcho Nunnery near Perth
as the result of a quarrel with Uilleam III, Earl of Ross
. He was the "last chieftain of the MacRuaris" and Amie was his sole heir. Amie's son Ranald became the progenitor of Clan Macdonald of Clanranald and Clan MacDonell of Glengarry
Amie also continued various works of a religious nature that her aunt had supported. Christina gifted the lands of Carinsh in North Uist
to Inchaffray Abbey
and Amie rebuilt the Teampull na Trionaid
on this estate.
Christina's grandson James Douglas, 2nd Earl of Douglas
died leading the Scots to victory at the Battle of Otterburn
.
in which her support of Robert Bruce is portrayed. They meet at sea when Bruce repulses an attack on her ships and they have a long association, being on- and off-again lovers for years.
Garmoran
Garmoran is an area of western Scotland. It lies at the south-western edge of the present Highland Region. It includes Knoydart, Morar, Moidart, Ardnamurchan, and the Small Isles....
and chief of Clan Macruari
Clan Macruari
Clan Macruari was a Scottish clan. The founder of Clan Macruari is Ruaidhri mac Raghnaill, a son of Raghnall mac Somhairle who was a son of Somhairle mac Gillebride. The lands of Clan Macruari were in Bute, Uist, Barra, Eigg, Rùm, and Garmoran....
. She married Duncan, second son of Domhnall I, Earl of Mar
Domhnall I, Earl of Mar
Domhnall I Earl of Mar - Domhnall mac Uilleim - was the seventh known Mormaer of Mar, ruling from 1276 until his death somewhere between 1297 and 1302....
.
Family background
Christina was a direct descendant of the King of the HebridesKingdom of the Isles
The Kingdom of the Isles comprised the Hebrides, the islands of the Firth of Clyde and the Isle of Man from the 9th to the 13th centuries AD. The islands were known to the Norse as the Suðreyjar, or "Southern Isles" as distinct from the Norðreyjar or Northern Isles of Orkney and Shetland...
, Somhairle mac Gille-Brighde
Somerled
Somerled was a military and political leader of the Scottish Isles in the 12th century who was known in Gaelic as rí Innse Gall . His father was Gillebride...
(better known as Somerled), through her grandfather Ruaidhri mac Raghnaill
Ruaidhri mac Raghnaill
Ruaidhri mac Raghnaill was a 13th-century Scottish magnate. The son of Raghnall, son of Somerled, he appears to have spent his career fighting, in both Ireland and in Scotland...
, the founder of Clan Macruari.
Her father, Ailin mac Ruaidhri, possessed the "North Isles" of the Uist
Uist
Uist or The Uists are the central group of islands in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland.North Uist and South Uist are linked by causeways running via Benbecula and Grimsay, and the entire group is sometimes known as the Uists....
s and Benbecula
Benbecula
Benbecula is an island of the Outer Hebrides in the Atlantic Ocean off the west coast of Scotland. In the 2001 census it had a usually resident population of 1,249, with a sizable percentage of Roman Catholics. It forms part of the area administered by Comhairle nan Eilean Siar or the Western...
. He is known to have attended Parliament
Parliament of Scotland
The Parliament of Scotland, officially the Estates of Parliament, was the legislature of the Kingdom of Scotland. The unicameral parliament of Scotland is first found on record during the early 13th century, with the first meeting for which a primary source survives at...
in 1285 when the succession of 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...
was debated. He had died by 1296, by which time he had fathered two illegitimate sons, Ruaidhri and Lachlan, and Christina, his sole legitimate heir. However, When Christina succeeded to the extensive estates of her father (Garmoran and the North Isles including Harris and the Small Isles
Small Isles
The Small Isles are a small archipelago of islands in the Inner Hebrides, off the west coast of Scotland. They lie south of Skye and north of Mull and Ardnamurchan – the most westerly point of mainland Scotland.The four main islands are Canna, Rùm, Eigg and Muck...
of Rùm
Rùm
Rùm , a Scottish Gaelic name often anglicised to Rum) is one of the Small Isles of the Inner Hebrides, in the district of Lochaber, Scotland...
and Eigg
Eigg
Eigg is one of the Small Isles, in the Scottish Inner Hebrides. It lies to the south of the Skye and to the north of the Ardnamurchan peninsula. Eigg is long from north to south, and east to west. With an area of , it is the second largest of the Small Isles after Rùm.-Geography:The main...
) she resigned a large proportion of them to Ruaidhri.
When her distant cousin Alexander of Argyll
Alexander of Argyll
Alexander of Argyll or Alexander of Lorne, also known as Alexander MacDougall , was a Scottish magnate from the late 13th and early 14th century, and was chief of Clan MacDougall. Alexander was the son of Ewen MacDougall, Lord of Argyll...
's support of the opponents of King Robert the Bruce led to the forfeiture of his lands, they were distributed between her MacDonald
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...
cousin Aonghas Óg of Islay and her brother Ruaidhri. The latter received much of Lorne and parts of Lochaber
Lochaber
District of Lochaber 1975 to 1996Highland council area shown as one of the council areas of ScotlandLochaber is one of the 16 ward management areas of the Highland Council of Scotland and one of eight former local government districts of the two-tier Highland region...
. Bruce was however careful to ensure his interests in the west were protected and Dunstaffnage Castle
Dunstaffnage Castle
Dunstaffnage Castle is a partially ruined castle in Argyll and Bute, western Scotland. It lies N.N.E. of Oban, situated on a platform of conglomerate rock on a promontory at the south-west of the entrance to Loch Etive, and is surrounded on three sides by the sea.The castle dates back to the 13th...
was given not to Ruari, now styled the "High Chief of Lorn" but to a royal constable, Arthur Campbell. Campbell's son, also Arthur, received a charter of lands from Christina, at some point early in the 14th century and they may have been considering marriage although this never came to pass. The charter itself seems to have been disputed by parties on both sides for the next century.
Marriage and politics
Christina did marry Duncan, second son of Domhnall I, Earl of MarDomhnall I, Earl of Mar
Domhnall I Earl of Mar - Domhnall mac Uilleim - was the seventh known Mormaer of Mar, ruling from 1276 until his death somewhere between 1297 and 1302....
, making her the Bruce's sister-in-law twice over. (Duncan's sister Isabella of Mar
Isabella of Mar
Isabella of Mar was the first wife of Robert the Bruce and the grandmother of Robert II of Scotland, founder of the royal House of Stuart...
married Robert the Bruce and his older brother Gartnait, Earl of Mar
Gartnait, Earl of Mar
Gartnait of Mar - Gartnait mac Domhnaill - was the eighth known Mormaer of Mar, ruling from somewhere around 1301, perhaps as early as 1297, until his death in 1305...
married Robert's sister Christina
Christina Bruce
Christina Bruce the second daughter of Robert de Brus, jure uxoris Earl of Carrick and Marjorie of Carrick, and an older sister of King Robert the Bruce....
.) No details of Christina's birth are known, but Duncan was born in 1294, and died in 1332 and they are recorded as having a child, Margaret, Countess of Mar
Margaret, Countess of Mar
Margaret of Mar was Countess of Mar, an ancient Earldom in Scotland, in her own right.She was a daughter of Domhnall II of Mar and after the death of her childless brother Thomas became Countess of Mar...
, who married William Douglas, 1st Earl of Douglas
William Douglas, 1st Earl of Douglas
William Douglas, 1st Earl of Douglas was a Scottish magnate.-Early Life:William Douglas was the son of Sir Archibald Douglas and Beatrice Lindsay, and nephew of "Sir James the Good", Robert the Bruce's trusted deputy...
and died in 1390.
Christina is credited with being instrumental in supporting Robert the Bruce ascend to the Scottish throne. John of Fordun
John of Fordun
John of Fordun was a Scottish chronicler. It is generally stated that he was born at Fordoun, Mearns. It is certain that he was a secular priest, and that he composed his history in the latter part of the 14th century; and it is probable that he was a chaplain in the St Machar's Cathedral of...
records her as "Christian of the Isles" and stated that "it was by her help and power and goodwill that Bruce was able to return to Carrick". Barbour wrote that: "A lady of that country [Carrick], who was his near kinswoman, was wondrous glad at his arrival and made haste to join him, bringing fifteen men whom she gave the king to help him in his warfare." It is also possible that she and Aonghas Óg of Islay provided assistance to Bruce whilst he sought refuge on Rathlin Island
Rathlin Island
Rathlin Island is an island off the coast of County Antrim, and is the northernmost point of Northern Ireland. Rathlin is the only inhabited offshore island in Northern Ireland, with a rising population of now just over 100 people, and is the most northerly inhabited island off the Irish coast...
.
Later Clan Macruari history
Barra
The island of Barra is a predominantly Gaelic-speaking island, and apart from the adjacent island of Vatersay, to which it is connected by a causeway, is the southernmost inhabited island of the Outer Hebrides in Scotland.-Geography:The 2001 census showed that the resident population was 1,078...
to their lands in 1309 but towards the close of the Bruce's reign, c. 1325, Ruaidhri was dispossessed for engaging in plots perceived to be against his king's interests.
Edward Balliol
Edward Balliol
Edward Balliol was a claimant to the Scottish throne . With English help, he briefly ruled the country from 1332 to 1336.-Life:...
may have restored these lands to his son, Raghnall mac Ruari, a state of affairs confirmed by David II
David II of Scotland
David II was King of Scots from 7 June 1329 until his death.-Early life:...
c. 1344, who formally granted him Garmoran and the North Isles, although Lorn was retained by the crown and Lochaber in its entirety given to John of islay
John of Islay, Lord of the Isles
John of Islay was the Lord of the Isles and chief of Clan Donald. In 1336, he styled himself Dominus Insularum, "Lord of the Isles"; because this is the first ever recorded instance of the title in use, modern historians count John as the first of the later medieval Lords of the Isles, although...
the first Lord of the Isles
Lord of the Isles
The designation Lord of the Isles is today a title of Scottish nobility with historical roots that go back beyond the Kingdom of Scotland. It 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...
who had married Amie
Amy of Garmoran
Amy of Garmoran also known as Amie MacRuari and Euphemia was a 14th-century Scottish noblewoman who was the sister of Raghnall mac Ruaidhri, Lord of Garmoran and the spouse of John of Islay. After her marriage had produced three sons, the ambitious John of Islay divorced her in order to re-marry...
, Christina's niece in 1337. Shortly thereafter, in October 1346, Raghnall was assassinated at Elcho Nunnery near Perth
Perth, Scotland
Perth is a town and former city and royal burgh in central Scotland. Located on the banks of the River Tay, it is the administrative centre of Perth and Kinross council area and the historic county town of Perthshire...
as the result of a quarrel with Uilleam III, Earl of Ross
Uilleam III, Earl of Ross
Uilleam III of Ross was the fourth successor of Ferchar mac in tSagairt, as Mormaer of Ross .Uilleam came into his inheritance at a torrid time, his father Aodh dying at the Battle of Halidon Hill. Uilleam temporarily lost many of his lands. However, he returned from Norway in 1336 and regained them...
. He was the "last chieftain of the MacRuaris" and Amie was his sole heir. Amie's son Ranald became the progenitor of Clan Macdonald of Clanranald and Clan MacDonell of Glengarry
Amie also continued various works of a religious nature that her aunt had supported. Christina gifted the lands of Carinsh in North Uist
North Uist
North Uist is an island and community in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland.-Geography:North Uist is the tenth largest Scottish island and the thirteenth largest island surrounding Great Britain. It has an area of , slightly smaller than South Uist. North Uist is connected by causeways to Benbecula...
to Inchaffray Abbey
Inchaffray Abbey
Inchaffray Abbey was situated by the village of Madderty, midway between Perth and Crieff in Strathearn, Scotland. The only trace now visible is an earth mound and some walls on the island where the abbey once stood.-History:...
and Amie rebuilt the Teampull na Trionaid
Teampull na Trionaid
Teampull na Trionaid is a ruined 13th century church and seminary at Carinish, North Uist, Scotland. Amie mac Ruari is said to have rebuilt the church in the 14th century after her divorce from John of Islay, Lord of the Isles...
on this estate.
Christina's grandson James Douglas, 2nd Earl of Douglas
James Douglas, 2nd Earl of Douglas
Sir James Douglas, 2nd Earl of Douglas and Mar was an influential and powerful magnate in the Kingdom of Scotland.-Early life:He was the eldest son and heir of William Douglas, 1st Earl of Douglas and Margaret, Countess of Mar...
died leading the Scots to victory at the Battle of Otterburn
Battle of Otterburn
The Battle of Otterburn took place on the 5 August 1388, as part of the continuing border skirmishes between the Scottish and English.The best remaining record of the battle is from Jean Froissart's Chronicles in which he claims to have interviewed veterans from both sides of the battle...
.
In fiction
Christina is a character in the trilogy Robert the Bruce by Nigel TranterNigel Tranter
Nigel Tranter OBE was a Scottish historian and author.-Early life:Nigel Tranter was born in Glasgow and educated at George Heriot's School in Edinburgh. He trained as an accountant and worked in Scottish National Insurance Company, founded by his uncle. In 1933 he married May Jean Campbell Grieve...
in which her support of Robert Bruce is portrayed. They meet at sea when Bruce repulses an attack on her ships and they have a long association, being on- and off-again lovers for years.