CHAPTER V. 



THE close of the fifteenth century found the Hebrides in 

 a state of political unrest. The death of Angus Og and the 

 political effacement of his father left the Hebridean clans 

 without a guiding spirit to unite them in policy, or an 

 acknowledged head to lead them in war. The dissolution 

 of the Lordship of the Isles paved the way to a state of 

 anarchy, with which the Government was powerless to 

 cope. In 1491, the Isles and other " broken parts" of the 

 kingdom seriously engaged the attention of Parliament, 

 and vigorous measures for suppressing their disorders 

 seemed to be within sight. 



In James IV. Scotland possessed a king who, early in his 

 career, gave promise of great determination of character. 

 The pacification of the Hebrides was a task which, from 

 its very difficulties, proved attractive to his reforming 

 spirit. The subjugation of the intractable Islesmen had 

 proved an insoluble problem to his predecessors ; and it 

 was left to this energetic young man to succeed where they 

 had failed. 



No sooner had the King attained his majority, than a 

 general revocation of all grants made by him during his 

 minority, was decided upon. By an Act of Parliament, 

 passed in June 1493, legal effect was given to that decision. 

 In the same year, James initiated his plan for the reduction 

 of the Hebrides, by organising an expedition to receive in 

 person the homage of the chiefs. In the following year, 

 he headed two expeditions with a similar object, and in 

 H95> yet another visit was paid to the West. These 

 vigorous measures soon bore fruit, in the submission of the 

 most turbulent chiefs of the Isles. In 1494, Roderick 

 Macleod of Lewis who appears on record in 1478 and 



