DUNOLLIE CASTLE: A brief history
The castle stands on much older foundations, dating back to the Bronze Age as a fort. it can also accurately be described as having once been the Capital of Scotland, as four kings ruled the new kingdom of Dalriada from Dunollie in the 7th and 8th centuries: thie was the original 'Scotland'.
Dunollie became the seat of the Clan MacDougall when Somerled, Lord of the Isles, gifted it to his eldest son Dugall in the 12th century, who became the first Chief of one of the most ancient clans in Scotland. The first five Chiefs presided over the golden age of the Clan MacDougall, building eight castles around their large territories on the Argyll mainland and islands.
The third Chief, Alexander, married the sister of John Baliol, who became the King of Scotland. but this was to be the family's downfall, as in a series of bloody conflicts the Baliols lost their supremacy to Robert the Bruce, and the powerful and battle-hard Clan MacDougall became a particular target for Bruce's vengeance, losing most of their lands in 1308.
Dunollie Castle has seen many battles, seiges and dramas, and also gentler times when it became one of the great romantic ruins of the 'Highland Tour' in the 19th century, by which time the family had moved into more comfortable quarters in Dunollie House, close by the Castle.