14th-century Scottish noblewoman
Christina of the Isles (fl. 1290–1318) was a fourteenth-century Scottish noblewoman. She was the daughter of Ailéan mac Ruaidhrí and a leading member of Clann Ruaidhrí. Although Ailéan had two sons, Lachlann and Ruaidhrí, both appear to have been illegitimate, whereas Christina was legitimate, and possibly a daughter of Ailéan's wife, Isabella.
A fourteenth-century source states that Christina assisted Robert I, King of Scotland during the First War of Scottish Independence, when he was a fugitive and hunted by the forces of Edward I, King of England. Another fourteenth-century source declares that, when Robert mounted a counteroffensive following Edward II's demise, the Scottish king received critical assistance from an unnamed kinswoman, a woman who may have been Christina herself. Christina's support of the Bruce cause may have stemmed from her marriage to Donnchadh, who was a member of the comital kindred of Mar, a family closely related to the Bruces. It is also possible that Christina was influenced by her maternal ancestry, since there is reason to suspect that her mother was a sister of Robert's mother.
Although Christina was the canonically legitimate heir of her father, it is likely that her brothers possessed control of their family's wide-ranging territories. According to an undated charter, Christina resigned her rights to Ruaidhrí on the condition that her son possessed a stake in the inheritance. At some point following Ruaidhrí's apparent demise in 1318, Christina attempted to transfer most of the Clann Ruaidhrí lordship into the hands of Artúr Caimbéal, in what may have been a marriage alliance with the Caimbéalaigh (the Campbells). Despite this contract with Artúr, which may have had royal approval, it is apparent that Christina's nephew, Ruaidhrí's son Raghnall Mac Ruaidhrí, was able to succeed as chief of Clann Ruaidhrí. The recorded royal forfeiture of a certain "" may refer to Raghnall, and could be evidence of him countering Christina's attempt to alienate the family lands. Further violent repercussions of Christina's contract with the Caimbéalaigh may have been felt well into the next century, since James I, King of Scotland is recorded to have executed two chieftains who may have been continuing the feud.
Family.
Christina was a daughter of Ailéan mac Ruaidhrí, who was a son of Ruaidhrí mac Raghnaill, Lord of Kintyre, eponym of Clann Ruaidhrí. Ailéan had two sons: Lachlann and Ruaidhrí. Whilst Christina was legitimate, her brothers were evidently illegitimate.
Ailéan is attested as late as 1284, when he attended a government council at Scone. He certainly disappears from record by 1296, and seems to have died at some point before this date. Ailéan's widow was Isabella, a woman who may well have been Christina's mother. At some point between the deaths of Ailéan and Alexander III, King of Scotland, Isabella married Ingram de Umfraville. If Christina was still a child at the time, it is possible that she was raised by Ingram.
In February 1293, the Scottish parliament supported a claim of Ingram and Isabella concerning a grant of one hundred merks of land in tenancy (forty merks of which were located in the sheriffdom of Carrick). It was agreed that these rights—from the tocher of Isabella's marriage to Ailéan—were to be retained by the couple unless Ailéan's heirs were able to recover them. The same year, the Scottish Crown created several new sheriffdoms in the western reaches of the realm. One of the new shrievalties was the sheriffdom of Skye, a jurisdiction that not only encompassed Clann Ruaidhrí territories, but was placed under the authority of the Earl of Ross.
Supporter of the Bruce cause.
In 1296, Edward I, King of England invaded and easily conquered the Scottish realm. Like most other Scottish landholders, Lachlann and Christina rendered homage to the triumphant king later in August.
In February 1306, Robert Bruce VII, Earl of Carrick, a claimant to the Scottish throne, killed his chief rival to the kingship, John Comyn of Badenoch. Although the former seized the throne (as Robert I) in March, the English Crown immediately struck back, defeating his forces in June. By September, Robert was a fugitive, and appears to have escaped into the Hebrides.
According to the fourteenth-century "Gesta Annalia II", Christina played an instrumental part in Robert's survival at this low point in his career, sheltering him along Scotland's western seaboard. The fourteenth-century "Chronicle of Lanercost" and the fourteenth-century "Guisborough Chronicle" relate that Robert indeed utilised military support drawn from Ireland and the Hebrides. Certainly, Edward I thought that Robert was hidden somewhere amongst the islands on the western seaboard. There is, therefore, reason to suspect that Christina made a significant material contribution to the Bruce cause with funds, ships, and men.
Christina's connections with the Mar kindred could well account for her support of the Bruce cause. Whilst she was certainly married to a member of this comital family, the parentage of her spouse is uncertain. One possibility is that her husband, Donnchadh, was a younger son of Uilleam, Earl of Mar. Another possibility is that Donnchadh was a son of Uilleam's son, Domhnall I, Earl of Mar. Certainly, Domhnall I's daughter, Iseabail, was the first wife of Robert, and Domhnall I's son and comital successor, Gartnait, was the husband of a sister of Robert. The fact that Christina is described as a widow in the record of her homage to Edward I—the very day that Domhnall I's son Donnchadh is also recorded to have submitted to the king—could be evidence that her husband had indeed been a son Uilleam.
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 ;poem ;But when he had borne these things for nearly a year alone, God, at length, took pity on him; and, aided by the help and power of a certain noble lady, Christiana of the Isles, who wished him well, he, after endless toils, smart, and distress, got back, by a round-about way, to the earldom of Carrick. ;/poem ;
 — excerpt from "Gesta Annalia II" depicting the assistance given to the fugitive Robert I by Christina.
Later in 1307, at about the time of Edward I's death in July, Robert mounted a remarkable return to power by first consolidating control of Carrick. Christina may well have possessed further connections with the returning king. For example, there is reason to suspect that her mother was a member of the comital kindred of Carrick, and perhaps a sister of Robert's mother, Marjorie, Countess of Carrick. According to the fourteenth-century "Bruce", whilst Robert consolidated power in Carrick, he received provisions and military manpower from a woman described as a closely related kinswoman of his. The poem states that this unidentified woman lent the king forty men, a number which may correspond to the forty merks worth of lands assigned to Ingram and Isabella in Carrick. Over two decades later, in 1328/1329, Robert is recorded to have provided an allowance of forty shillings to someone named Christian of Carrick. If Christina's mother was indeed a member of the Carrick kindred, and closely related to the Scottish king, Christina herself could well be identical to the kinswoman noted by the "Bruce", and to the person who received the forty shilling allowance from the king.
Ruaidhrí and the Clann Ruaidhrí succession.
Whilst the sources outlining with Christina's career suggest that she was a consistent supporter of the Bruce cause, those that outline the careers of her half-brothers suggest that they may have been more ambitious and opportunistic. Lachlann last appears on record in 1307/1308 in correspondence between William II, Earl of Ross and Edward II, King of England, in which the earl complained about Lachlann's audacity and rebelliousness. After this date, Ruaidhrí appears to have succeeded Lachlann.
Although Christina seems to have been the sole legitimate offspring of their father, it is unlikely that members of the kindred regarded canonically legitimate birth as the sole qualification of succession. In fact, there was little distinction between legitimate and illegitimate offspring in Gaelic Scotland, as society tolerated temporary sexual unions amongst the elite as a means of furthering the continuation of the male line of the clan. As the leading male member of Clann Ruaidhrí at this stage, it is probable that Ruaidhrí himself possessed control of the kindred's wide-ranging territories. Nevertheless, Ruaidhrí seems to have only gained formal recognition of his rights to the lordship after Christina's resignation of her own claims, by way of a charter confirmed by Robert himself.
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 ;poem ;But a lady of that country who was in a close degree of relationship to him, was greatly cheered at his arrival, and forthwith hurried to him in great haste accompanied by forty men [whom] she gave to the king to help him in his campaigning. ;/poem ; ;poem ;Many times she comforted the king, both with money and with food such as she could get in the land. ;/poem ;
 — excerpts from the "Bruce" depicting the assistance given to the fugitive Robert I by an unidentified woman who could be identical with Christina.
There is reason to suspect that Christina's stake in the lordship—and her close connections with Robert—posed a potential threat to Ruaidhrí and his descendants. Furthermore, Christina had a son, Ruaidhrí, who potentially could have sought royal assistance in pursuance of his mother's claims. The name that Christina bestowed upon this son could indicate that he was not only named after his maternal grandfather, but that he was intended to be a potential successor to the Clann Ruaidhrí lordship. Certainly, Christina resigned her claims with the condition that, if her brother died without a male heir, and her like-named son married one of her brother's daughters, Christina's son would secure the inheritance. Although this resignation charter is undated, it seems to have been granted early in the reign of Robert, possibly before the end of the first decade the century.
On one hand, it is possible that the king orchestrated Ruaidhrí's succession to the lordship as a means of securing the continued support from Clann Ruaidhrí, one of the most powerful families on the western coast. On the other hand, the fact that Christina—a close personal ally of Robert—had been superseded by Ruaidhrí—a man with a comparatively chequered political career—could indicate that the latter's consolidation of control more likely stemmed from internal family politics than from royal interference. Whilst the contract between Christina and Ruaidhrí concerned the understanding that the Clann Ruaidhrí lordship should remain (at least temporarily) in the possession of the male line of the kindred, it recognised Christina's rights to the heritage, and accepted the somewhat looser marriage customs in this region of the realm. Whilst it is possible that the father of Christina's son was Donnchadh, the fact that the former is not specifically identified as Christina's heir could indicate that he himself was illegitimate.
In any case, Ruaidhrí was likely already regarded as the rightful chief, and the charter itself undeniably brought him under feudal dependence of the Scottish Crown. Ruaidhrí's provincial lordship encompassed the mainland territories of Moidart, Arisaig, Morar, and Knoydart; as well as the island territories of Rhum, Eigg, Barra, St Kilda, and Uist. This dominion, like the great lordships of Annandale and Galloway, was comparable to any of the kingdom's thirteen earldoms. Nevertheless, it was during this period that several western kindreds—such as Clann Domhnaill and the Caimbéalaigh (the Campbells)—were richly rewarded for their service to the Bruce cause with extensive grants of lands carved out of former Clann Dubhghaill territories forfeited by the king. The evidence of internal discord within Clann Ruaidhrí could account for the fact that the family failed to make similar gains in the wake of Clann Dubhghaill's downfall.
Raghnall and the Clann Ruaidhrí succession.
Ruaidhrí appears to be identical to the Clann Ruaidhrí dynast—styled "King of the Hebrides"—who lost his life in the service of the Bruce campaign in Ireland in 1318. Although Ruaidhrí seems to have ensured the continuation of his kindred by formally coming to terms with Robert and campaigning in Ireland with the latter's brother, there is evidence indicating that the Clann Ruaidhrí inheritance was contested by Christina after his demise. At the time of his death, Ruaidhrí's son, Raghnall, may well have been under age, and it is apparent that Christina and her confederates again attempted to seize control of the inheritance. Although she is recorded to have resigned her claimed rights to a certain Artúr Caimbéal at some point after Ruaidhrí's death, it