The Highlanders of Scotland - Clan Strachan Society

2i6 THE HIGHLANDERS [part ii
marriage of the lord of the Isles with his own daughter. John
now adhered steadfasth' to the party of the steward, and took
an active share in all its proceedings, along with the other
barons b)- whom they were joined, but without any open
manifestation of force, until the year 1366, when the country
was in a state of irritation from the heavy burdens imposed
upon the people in order to raise the ransom of their king,
and when the jealousy of David towards the steward had at
length broken out so far as to cause the former to throw
his own nephew and the acknowledged successor to his throne
into prison. The northern barons, who belonged to his part}-,
broke out into open rebellion, and refused to pa}' their proportion
of the general taxation, or attend the parliament, to
which they were frequently summoned. Matters appear to have
remained in this state, and the northern chiefs to have actuall}assumed
independence for upwards of two years, until David
had at last brought himself to appl}^ to the steward as the
only person capable of restoring peace to the countr}-, and
charged him to put down the rebellion.
In consequence of this appeal, the steward, who was un-
willing to be considered as the disturber of the peace
of the
kingdom, and whose ends were better forwarded by steady
opposition to the court party than by open rebellion, took
every means in his power to reduce the insurgent noblemen
to obedience ; but although he succeeded in obtaining the
submission of John of Lorn and Gillespie Campbell, and
although the earls of Mar and Ross with other northern barons,
whose object was gained by the restoration of the steward
to freedom, voluntarily joined him in his endeavours, the lord
of the Isles refused to submit, and secure in the distance, and in
the inaccessible nature of his territories, set the royal power
at defiance. But the state of affairs in France soon after
requiring the undivided attention of the English king, he was
obliged to come to terms with the Scots, and a peace having
been concluded between the two countries on the most favour-
able terms for the latter, the Scottish government was left at
liberty to turn its attention wholly towards reducing the Isles
to obedience. In order to accomplish this, David II., well
aware of the cause of the rebellion of the Isles, and of the