Uilleam II of Ross was the second successor of Ferchar mac in tSagairt

Fearchar, Earl of Ross

Fearchar of Ross or Ferchar mac in tSagairt , was the first Mormaer or Earl of Ross we know of from the thirteenth century, whose career brought Ross into the fold of the Scottish kings for the first time, and who is remembered as the founder of the Earldom of Ross.-Origins:The traditional...

, as Mormaer

Mormaer

The title of Mormaer designates a regional or provincial ruler in the medieval Kingdom of the Scots. In theory, although not always in practice, a Mormaer was second only to the King of Scots, and the senior of a toisech.-Origin:...

 of Ross

Ross

Ross is a region of Scotland and a former mormaerdom, earldom, sheriffdom and county. The name Ross allegedly derives from a Gaelic word meaning a headland - perhaps a reference to the Black Isle. The Norse word for Orkney - Hrossay meaning horse island - is another possible origin. The area...

 (1274–1323).
In 1284 he joined with other Scottish noblemen who acknowledged Margaret of Norway as the heir of Alexander.
At the beginning of the Wars of Scottish Independence

Wars of Scottish Independence

The Wars of Scottish Independence were a series of military campaigns fought between the independent Kingdom of Scotland and the Kingdom of England in the late 13th and early 14th centuries....

 Uilleam was captured fighting against the English at the Battle of Dunbar (1296)

Battle of Dunbar (1296)

The Battle of Dunbar was the only significant field action in the campaign of 1296. King Edward I of England had invaded Scotland in 1296 to punish King John Balliol for his refusal to support English military action in France.-Background:...

. After which, like many Gaelic lords, he became pro-English and one of the most early enemies of Robert Bruce

Robert I of Scotland

Robert I , popularly known as Robert the Bruce , was King of Scots from March 25, 1306, until his death in 1329.His paternal ancestors were of Scoto-Norman heritage , and...

, Earl of Carrick

Earl of Carrick

The Earl of Carrick was the head of a comital lordship of Carrick in southwestern Scotland. The title emerged in 1186, when Donnchad, son of Gille Brigte, Lord of Galloway, became Mormaer or Earl of Carrick in compensation for exclusion from the whole Lordship of Galloway...

. Uilleam had been in English custody, but his wife Euphemia had obtained his release, and Uilleam was appointed Edward I of England

Edward I of England

Edward I , also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots, was King of England from 1272 to 1307. The first son of Henry III, Edward was involved early in the political intrigues of his father's reign, which included an outright rebellion by the English barons...

's warden of Scotland north of the Grampians.

When a band of Bruce supporters, including the Countess of Atholl

Earl of Atholl

The Mormaer of Earl of Atholl refers to a medieval comital lordship straddling the highland province of Atholl , now in northern Perthshire. Atholl is a special Mormaerdom, because a King of Atholl is reported from the Pictish period. The only other two Pictish kingdoms to be known from...

, Bruce's wife Elizabeth de Burgh

Elizabeth de Burgh

Elizabeth de Burgh was the second wife and the only queen consort of King Robert I of Scotland.-Life:She was born in Dunfermline, Fife in Scotland, the daughter of the powerful Richard Óg de Burgh, 2nd Earl of Ulster and his wife Margarite de Burgh...

, his daughter Marjorie

Marjorie Bruce

Marjorie Bruce or Marjorie de Brus was the eldest daughter of Robert the Bruce, King of Scots by his first wife, Isabella of Mar, and the founder of the Stewart dynasty. Her marriage to Walter, High Steward of Scotland gave rise to the House of Stewart...

 and Robert's brother Niall took refuge in St Duthac

Saint Duthac

Saint Duthac is the patron saint of Tain in Scotland.According to the Breviary of Aberdeen, Duthac was a native Scot. Tradition has it that Duthac was educated in Ireland and died in Tain....

's chapel in Tain

Tain

Tain is a royal burgh and post town in the committee area of Ross and Cromarty, in the Highland area of Scotland.-Etymology:...

, Uilleam arrested them and handed them over to the English crown. The men were executed.

This put Uilleam in a dangerous position when the Bruce revival began in the same year, 1306. He found himself being attacked by Bruce in the south, and by Lachlan MacRuadridh (Lord of the Isle of Skye), Uilleam's nominal vassal, but Bruce's ally, in the west. When Bruce came north in 1308, Uilleam submitted, receiving his Mormaerdom back from Bruce, along with a pardon and the burgh

Burgh

A burgh was an autonomous corporate entity in Scotland and Northern England, usually a town. This type of administrative division existed from the 12th century, when King David I created the first royal burghs. Burgh status was broadly analogous to borough status, found in the rest of the United...

 of Dingwall

Dingwall

Dingwall is a town and former royal burgh in the Highland council area of Scotland. It has a population of 5,026. It was formerly an east-coast harbor but now lies inland. Dingwall Castle was once the biggest castle north of Stirling. On the town's present-day outskirts lies Tulloch Castle, parts...

. This bribe and the realities of power kept Uilleam in the Bruce camp. Uilleam was chief of the Clan Ross

Clan Ross

Clan Ross is a Highland Scottish clan. The original chiefs of the clan were the original Earls of Ross.-Origins:Clan Ross is a Highland Scottish clan first named as such by King Malcolm IV of Scotland in 1160...

 who fought on the side of the Bruce against the English at the Battle of Bannockburn

Battle of Bannockburn

The Battle of Bannockburn was a significant Scottish victory in the Wars of Scottish Independence...

. Uilleam was a signatory of the Declaration of Arbroath

Declaration of Arbroath

The Declaration of Arbroath is a declaration of Scottish independence, made in 1320. It is in the form of a letter submitted to Pope John XXII, dated 6 April 1320, intended to confirm Scotland's status as an independent, sovereign state and defending Scotland's right to use military action when...

. Uilleam had six children, one of whom, Aodh, Earl of Ross

Aodh, Earl of Ross

Hugh [probably Gaelic: Aodh], was the third successor of Ferchar mac in tSagairt as Mormaer of Ross .Hugh was a favorite of King Robert I of Scotland, who endowed him with many lands. Aodh even married Robert's sister, Maud...

, succeeded him when he died in 1323.

William's wife Euphemia was previously known only as 'a lady named Euphemia, who warmly supported the English party' [Scots Peerage VII:234]. She has been identified as Euphemia de Berkeley, or Barclay, daughter of Sir Hugh de Berkeley, Justiciar of Lothian (1258–1276, d. bef 28 August 1296).