The final government operation to take Dunnyveg Castle and establish definitive control over Islay was conducted by Argyll under a royal commission in 1614. Campbell forces landed on Islay with a fleet and besieged Dunnyveg from sea and land. The MacDonald garrison held briefly but surrendered when it became clear no relief would come. Argyll's commission included authority to grant quarter or deny it — he chose to be lenient to the rank and file to encourage surrender. The operation transferred Islay definitively from MacDonald to Campbell control, completing one of the most significant territorial transfers in western Scottish history.
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