The death of Lachlan Mor MacDonald of Islay in 1598 — on the same day as his victory over the MacLeans at Gruinart — triggered an immediate succession crisis among the Clan Donald South of Islay. His son Angus Mor and various claimants from the MacDonnells of Antrim contested control of Islay through armed violence in the months following. The internal MacDonald fighting weakened their ability to resist government pressure and Campbell encroachment. The chaos of the Islay succession was a primary factor enabling the government's eventual success in dispossessing the MacDonalds entirely.
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