What Happened Today

February 13 - 1692 - The Massacre of Glencoe


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As Clan McDonald allowed soldiers led by Robert Campbell of Glenlyon to dine with them and showed them hospitality in their castle in the Scottish Highlands, they believed nothing bad would happen to them. Instead, the soldiers massacred many members of Clan McDonald and forced a number of women and children to flee into the winter, where they would die of exposure. Really, this event was part of the larger conflicts caused by the Glorious Revolution, when the Protestant monarchs William and Mary took the throne from Mary's father, James II. Catholic highland clans in Scotland still supported James, but William's forces kept winning battles. One of the last groups to accept William's authority was Clan McDonald, which is presumably why soldiers came after them. The other factor was that the Campbells and the McDonalds had a long feud. No matter what, the Massacre of Glencoe would stand a long while in historical memory.
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What Happened TodayBy The Productive Leisure Network