Background
In 1688, William, Prince of Orange, accepted an invitation to take the throne of England, glad to enlist English help in his wars with Catholic France. The Scottish Parliament was more cautious and requested letters from him and James VII (ousted as James II of England). James's response displeased the Scots, and persuaded them to accept William as their King. In response, John Graham, 1st Viscount of Dundee, led a force of Scottish Highlanders in a Jacobite uprisings in an attempt to return the throne to James. Dundee was killed at the Battle of Killiecrankie, and the rising in Scotland resulted in an inconclusive defeat by the Scottish Cameronian forces at the Battle of Dunkeld. On their way home from this battle the MacIains of Glencoe (a sept of Clan MacDonald), together with their Glengarry cousins, looted the lands of Robert Campbell of Glenlyon and stole his livestock, increasing his problems with gambling debts and forcing him to take an army commission to provide for his family. In his subsequent appeal for compensation, Campbell showed he clearly believed the Glengarry men to be the more culpable, making no mention of Glencoe.
The Scottish Jacobites were heavily defeated at the Haughs of Cromdale on 1 May 1690, and James was defeated on 1 July 1690 at the Battle of the Boyne in Ireland.
Read more about this topic: Massacre Of Glencoe
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