John of Islay, Earl of Ross

John MacDonald (b. 1434 - d. 1498), Earl of Ross and Lord of the Isles.

John was born to Alexander, the 3rd Lord of the Isles, and Elizabeth, daughter of Alexander Seton the lord of Gordon and Huntly. He succeeded to his father's lordship in 1449 while a minor and was known for his rather diffident manner more becoming of a cleric than a great lord:

"(he was) a meek, modest man...and a scholar more fit to be a churchman than to command so many irregular tribes of people"

As Lord of the Isles John was immediately forced to deal with part of his father's legacy; the treasonous league with earls Douglas and Crawford against king James II. He managed to come to terms with the monarch and received an appointment as warden of the marches and also joined his forces to that of the king against the English. However he eventually became involved with the Douglases once more which saw the signing of the secret Treaty of Westminster-Ardtornish with Edward IV of England. This treaty would have seen the annexation of Scotland with all the lands north of the Forth going to the rebellious lords, who would become vassals to the King of England. The ongoing Wars of the Roses prevented the activation of this treaty and the Scottish crown eventually became aware of its existence and this resulted, although not immediately it must be noted, in the forfeiture of the Lordship of the Isles to the Scottish crown. It has remained a Royal title, enjoyed by the heir to the throne, first in the Kingdom of Scotland and currently the United Kingdom.

References

• Cannon,John ; Hargreaves, Anne. The Kings & Queens of Britain, (Oxford University Press, 2004) ISBN 0-19-860956-6