Domhnall Dubh (died
1545), or
Donald the Black, was a
Scottish nobleman. He was the son of
Aonghas Óg of
Clann Domhnaill, and claimant to the
Lordship of the Isles, which had been held by his grandfather
Eoin MacDomhnaill.
His grandfather's lordship was forfeited to the crown in
1493. However, an earlier forfeiture of
1476 had led to Domhnall's father Aonghas turning against Eoin. Aonghas became an enemy of both his father and the Scottish crown, both of which he successfully defeated before being murdered by his Irish musician in
1490. Following Aonghas' death in 1490, the crown lauched a new campaign against the rebels of the north-west and the infant Domhnall Dubh was captured by
Cailean I, Earl of Argyll. Domhnall was imprisoned in Innischonnel Castle in
Loch Awe.
Domhnall escaped in
1501 with the aid of Torcall MacLeoid, who may have had the connivance of the earl of Argyll. Torcall was looking for a way to resist the power of his enemy
Alexander Gordon, the
earl of Huntly, who was acting as the King's lieutenant. On
August 13 1502, a royal council decreed that Torcall was guilty of rebellion and had no right to the lands under his possession. Huntly was ordered to gather forces in the north and take possession of the MacLeoid lands. Moreover, the king prepared to deliver Eion, now a semi-retired courtier, back to the lordship in order to counter the effect given by the presence of Domhnall Dubh. Eion, however, never made the trip. Eion took ill and died at
Dundee in
1503. Torcall and his ally Lachlan MacGill'Eain of Duart took the offensive against Huntly, and in December 1503 invaded and wrought devastation to Huntly's
Lordship of Badenoch. The royal island of
Bute was also attacked by the islesmen. The revolt continued until
1506, by which time Lachlan MacGill'Eain had been detached from the cause, and Huntly's forces were able to isolate Torcall and Domhnall in the
Outer Hebrides. Domhnall was captured by September 1506.
He remained in captivity for 37 years until he was released in
1543. The north-west rose in revolt once more. After securing an alliance with
England, Domhnall found himself in with a good chance of resurrecting the lordship. However, this chance was destroyed when Domhnall died at
Drogheda, Ireland, in 1545.
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