Gillean na Tuaighe 1st Chief, 1174–1270 (aged 96 years)
- Name
- Gillean /na Tuaighe/ 1st Chief
- Given names
- Gillean
- Surname
- na Tuaighe
- Name suffix
- 1st Chief
- Nickname
- Gillean of the Battle Axe
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Birth
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Source: Clan MacLean History Project
Citation details: http://MacLeanclan.com/MacLean-chiefs/gilleain-na-tuaighe Text: he first chief of the Clan MacLean was Gilleain na Tuaighe, or Gillean of the Battle-Axe. Known for the weapon he carried, most likely a Lochaber axe which was common in the Western Highlands, Gilleain na Tuaighe was a natural leader, religious man, and well-connected for his day. Born in 1174 to a wealthy landholder named Rath, Gillean may well have been the brother of Fergus Macerc, who is known to have descended from the Royal House of Loarn which ruled the ancient Kingdom of Dál Riata and immigrated from northern Ireland in 503AD. Gilleain's mother was the sister of Somerled and was a descendant of Niall Noígíallach (Niall of the Nine Hostages), one of the High Kings of Ireland. who ruled from 378 AD until his death in 405. Quality of data: secondary evidence |
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Marriage
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English King
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English King
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Richard I, Richard the Lionheart
from September 3, 1189 CE (September 10, 1189) to April 6, 1199 CE (April 13, 1199)
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English King
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Disputed English King
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Residence
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English King
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Death
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Text: In 1263, the Clan MacLean fought at the Battle of Largs under Alexander III, defeating the Norsemen invading Scotland. Although Gilleain na Tuaighe faught in the battle, by that time he had passed the leadership of the clan to his eldest son, Malise mac Gilleain, who was the recognized leader of the MacLeans at the Battle of Largs. |
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Birth of a son
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| Marriage | Marriage — — |
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| Birth |
Source: Clan MacLean History Project
Citation details: http://MacLeanclan.com/MacLean-chiefs/gilleain-na-tuaighe Text: he first chief of the Clan MacLean was Gilleain na Tuaighe, or Gillean of the Battle-Axe. Known for the weapon he carried, most likely a Lochaber axe which was common in the Western Highlands, Gilleain na Tuaighe was a natural leader, religious man, and well-connected for his day. Born in 1174 to a wealthy landholder named Rath, Gillean may well have been the brother of Fergus Macerc, who is known to have descended from the Royal House of Loarn which ruled the ancient Kingdom of Dál Riata and immigrated from northern Ireland in 503AD. Gilleain's mother was the sister of Somerled and was a descendant of Niall Noígíallach (Niall of the Nine Hostages), one of the High Kings of Ireland. who ruled from 378 AD until his death in 405. Quality of data: secondary evidence |
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| Death |
Text: In 1263, the Clan MacLean fought at the Battle of Largs under Alexander III, defeating the Norsemen invading Scotland. Although Gilleain na Tuaighe faught in the battle, by that time he had passed the leadership of the clan to his eldest son, Malise mac Gilleain, who was the recognized leader of the MacLeans at the Battle of Largs. |
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Note
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The Clan MacLean is also known as Clan Gillean after the person normally viewed as its founder, shown below. A (mythical) ancestry will be shown for him in due course that connects him back to early Irish roots. The following is reported by www.gillean.com as having been taken from a manuscript (the Skene manuscript dated 1467) which appears to be at least in part supported by other evidence.
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Note
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Gilleain flourished around the year 1250. He was known as Gilleain na Tuaighe, from his carrying, as his ordinary weapon and constant companion, a battle axe. He was a man of mark and distinction. The following anecdote is related of him, which probably accounts for the origin of the MacLean crest, which consists of a battle-ax between a laurel and cypress branch, and is still used on the coat of-arms.¶ He was on one occasion engaged, with other lovers of the chase, in a stag-hunt on the mountain of Bein 'tsheata, and having wandered from the rest of the party in pursuit of game, the mountain became suddenly covered with a heavy mist, and he lost his way. For three days he wandered about, unable to recover his route, and on the fourth, exhausted by fatigue, he entered a cranberry bush, where, fixing the handle of his battle axe in the earth, he laid himself down. On the evening of the same day his friends discovered the head of the battle-ax above the bush, and found its owner, with his arms round the handle, stretched, in a state of insensibility, on the ground. |
