ISLAY, SCOTLAND—BBC News reports that a forgotten medieval castle and royal stronghold were identified at the site of Finlaggan on the Hebridean island of Islay off the west coast of Scotland. The announcement comes after more than three decades of research by historians and archaeologists. The unique castle was first built in the twelfth or thirteenth century a.d. by the ancestors of the MacDonald clan, who 200 years later rose to their height of their power and became known as the Lords of the Isles and rivals to the Scottish and British monarchs. The complex was built across two small islands in a loch. One island featured a large stone tower with living quarters, and the other contained courtyards, kitchens, workshops, and a feasting hall. The imposing tower, which once stood as a visible symbol of wealth and power, was comparable to similar structures built by Anglo-French kings in Britain and Ireland, strengthening its connections to the local ruling class. Around the fourteenth century, the castle was dismantled and a new royal palace was built on the site, from which the Lords of the Isles controlled the Hebrides, Argyll, and parts of the northwest Highlands. To read about a massacre of nearly 400 members of the MacDonald clan on the Isle of Eigg, go to "A Dangerous Island."
