Red Hector of the Battles Maclean, or Eachann Ruadh nan Cath in Scottish Gaelic, was the 6th Chief of Clan Maclean.

Biography

He was the son of Lachlan Lubanach Maclean, and he early distinguished himself by daring exploits, and was noted as being one of the best swordsmen of his time. He became so celebrated as a swordsman, that many knights who had gained for themselves renown came from distant parts to measure weapons with him. One of these was a renowned knight of Norway, who challenged Hector Roy to mortal combat. The challenge was accepted. They met at Saleu, in Mull

Mull

-Places:*Isle of Mull, Scottish island in the Inner Hebrides*Sound of Mull, between the island and the rest of Scotland*Mull , Anglicisation of Gaelic Maol, hill or promontory**Mull of Galloway, Scotland**Mull of Kintyre, Scotland...

, where they fought, and where the Norwegian fell. A green mound and cairn on the sea-shore mark the spot where Hector had his antagonist buried.

There was an old Gaelic poem, which affirmed that Hector commanded a great fleet to the coast of Ireland

Ireland

Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...

, and there defeated some of the ships of the King of England

Henry IV of England

Henry IV was King of England and Lord of Ireland . He was the ninth King of England of the House of Plantagenet and also asserted his grandfather's claim to the title King of France. He was born at Bolingbroke Castle in Lincolnshire, hence his other name, Henry Bolingbroke...

. He landed his troops; placed the city of Dublin under contribution; carried fire and sword into the country; destroyed many of his enemies, and burnt their houses. This must be the expedition hinted at in Raphael Holinshed

Raphael Holinshed

Raphael Holinshed was an English chronicler, whose work, commonly known as Holinshed's Chronicles, was one of the major sources used by William Shakespeare for a number of his plays....

's Chronicle of Ireland where it is recorded that "in the year 1400 at Whitesuntide

Whitsun

Whitsun is the name used in the UK for the Christian festival of Pentecost, the seventh Sunday after Easter, which commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit upon Christ's disciples...

, the first year of King Henry IV

Henry IV of England

Henry IV was King of England and Lord of Ireland . He was the ninth King of England of the House of Plantagenet and also asserted his grandfather's claim to the title King of France. He was born at Bolingbroke Castle in Lincolnshire, hence his other name, Henry Bolingbroke...

, the constable of Dublin, and divers others at Stanford in Ulster, fought by sea with the Scots, where many Englishmen were slain and drowned."

Marriage and children

Hector Roy's marriage to a daughter of the Earl of Douglas

Earl of Douglas

This page is concerned with the holders of the extinct title Earl of Douglas and the preceding feudal barons of Douglas, South Lanarkshire. The title was created in the Peerage of Scotland in 1358 for William Douglas, 1st Earl of Douglas, son of Sir Archibald Douglas, Guardian of Scotland...

, possibly William Douglas, 6th Earl of Douglas

William Douglas, 6th Earl of Douglas

William Douglas was a short-lived Scottish Nobleman. He was Earl of Douglas and Wigtown, Lord of Galloway, Lord of Bothwell, Selkirk and Ettrick Forest, Eskdale, Lauderdale, and Annandale in Scotland, and de jure Duke of Touraine, Count of Longueville, and Sire of Dun-le-roi in France...

, greatly enlarged his influence. That nobleman made many overtures to induce Hector to withdraw himself from his dangerous connection with his uncle Domhnall of Islay, Lord of the Isles

Domhnall of Islay, Lord of the Isles

Donald, or properly, Dómhnall Íle , 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 Domhnall's father had come to include many of the other islands off the...

 and Earl of Ross

Earl of Ross

The Mormaer or Earl of Ross was the leader of a medieval Gaelic lordship in northern Scotland, roughly between the River Oykel and the River Beauly.-Origins and transfers:...

, now on the brink of open war with Robert, Duke of Albany and regent of the kingdom. Hector firmly withstood the blandishments of his father-in-law, for his duty as hereditary Lieutenant-General of the Isles was to his uncle Donald, and the approaching contest afforded a new field for the display of his valor.

Ancestors

Eachuinn Ruadh nan cath Maclean's ancestors in three generations

Eachuinn Ruadh nan cath Maclean	Father: Lachlan Lubanach Maclean of Duart Lachlan Lubanach Maclean of Duart Lachlan Lubanach Maclean of Duart was the 5th Chief of Clan Maclean. He was the first Maclean to occupy Castle Duart. His brother, Hector Reaganach Maclean was the progenitor of the Lochbuie Macleans.-Biography:...	Paternal Grandfather: Iain Dubh mac Gilliemore Maclean Iain Dubh mac Gilliemore Maclean John Dubh Maclean, or Iain Dubh mac Gilliemore in Scottish Gaelic, was the 4th Chief of Clan MacLean.-Biography:John succeeded his father as chief of the clan. He was known as Iain Dubh Maclean, or Black John Maclean. He married a daughter of Cumming, Lord of the Braes of Lodiaber...	Paternal Great-Grandfather: Maolcaluim mac Giliosa Maclean Maolcaluim mac Giliosa Maclean Malcolm Maclean or Maolcaluim mac Giliosa in Scottish Gaelic , was the 3rd Chief of Clan Maclean. Malcolm's name has been written Maol-Calum and Gille-Calum, which means Servant of Columba...
			Paternal Great-grandmother: Rioghnach of Carrick
		Paternal Grandmother: Daughter of Cumming, Lord of the Braes of Lodiaber	Paternal Great-Grandfather: Cumming, Lord of the Braes of Lodiaber
			Paternal Great-Grandmother:
	Mother: Mary Macdonald	Maternal Grandfather: John of Islay, Lord of the Isles 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...	Maternal Great-Grandfather: Aonghas Óg of Islay
			Maternal Great-Grandmother: Agnes O'Cathan
		Maternal Grandmother: Margaret Stewart	Maternal Great-grandfather: Robert II of Scotland Robert II of Scotland Robert II became King of Scots in 1371 as the first monarch of the House of Stewart. He was the son of Walter Stewart, hereditary High Steward of Scotland and of Marjorie Bruce, daughter of Robert I and of his first wife Isabella of Mar...
			Maternal Great-Grandmother: Elizabeth Mure Elizabeth Mure Elizabeth Mure was mistress and then wife of Robert, High Steward of Scotland, and Guardian of Scotland , who later became King Robert II of Scotland.-History:...