Uploaded October 2023 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
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Chapters:
0:00 The Highland Clearances
1:33 Clans and the Crown
4:14 The Jacobites
5:24 Ban on Tartan?
6:59 Highlands vs Lowlands
7:44 The Highland Clearances Continued
10:47 Support
The Highland Clearances and the Death of the Scottish Clan System
Did the Highland Clearances destroy the Scottish clan system? Well sort of, but it’s not that simple. Few events in Scottish history had such a profound impact as the Highland Clearances, not only on the clan system, but the resulting emigration from Scotland is one key reason why so many people of Scottish heritage live in places such as the US, Canada and Australia to name a few. I know a lot of people from the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and other countries watch this channel, so if you have a story about the highland clearances in your family history, I would love to hear about it in the comments below…
On a very high-level, the Highland Clearances were the forced eviction of inhabitants of the Highlands and the western islands beginning in the 18th century and continuing intermittently into the mid-19th century. People were forced to leave their homes and many were burned out, with the removals clearing the land of people primarily to allow for the introduction of the more profitable sheep farming. The clearances also had a profound impact on the clan system and the highland way of life, but the destruction of the Scottish clan system did not start with the clearances (more of them later), it started hundreds of years earlier.
The story starts with this guy. What the hell is he wearing a? Imagine walking down a rough part of Glasgow with that on today. He ruled as the King of Scotland as James VI from 1567 and King of England and Ireland as James I from the union of the Scottish and English crowns on 24 March 1603 until his death in 1625. It is confusing that he has two names, was he not thinking about YouTubers in 2023, so I’m just going to call him James I in this video.
When James ascended the throne of England in 1603, he moved south to Westminster and ruled Scotland from there, only visiting Scotland once more before he died. It was under his reign that the Ulster plantation began for Irish viewers by the way. James I was very suspicious of the highland clans, and in order to better control the north, James kept the chiefs away from their clans for extended periods, requiring them to do duties that kept them away from their people. This was to ensure that the peoples’ allegiance was to their King and not to their clan Chief. Official documents from the time described the people of the Highlands as "void of the knawledge" who were prone to "all kynd of barbarous and bestile cruelteis". The Gaelic language, spoken fluently by James IV, became known in the time of James VI as "Erse" or Irish, implying that it was foreign in nature.
Sources:
Britannica - Highland Clearances britannica.com/event/Highland-Clearances
Historic UK - The Highland Clearances historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofScotland/The-Highland-Clearances
History Marche - How did the Scottish clan system collapse? youtube.com/watch?v=pSHrPINS8bE
History Matters - The Highland Clearances: Explained (Short Animated Documentary) youtube.com/watch?v=fYTbxnMgCfk
Gentleman Adventurers of Fife - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gentleman_Adventurers_of_Fife
Act of Proscription 1747 electricscotland.com/history/other/proscription_1747.htm
Heritable Jurisdictions (Scotland) Act 1746 en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heritable_Jurisdictions_(Scotland)_Act_1746
Highland Clearances en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Highland_Clearances
#highlandscots #scotland #history
Scottish Clans Documentary - Highland Clearances Documentary
Please support this channel on Patreon and get ad-free videos and other benefits: patreon.com/historydecoded
Please Buy Me a Coffee: buymeacoffee.com/CelticHistory
Check out my merch store and please help support this channel - celtic-history-decoded.creator-spring.com - Full terms and conditions can be found on Spring’s website.
Please donate through PayPal using this link: paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=QFB9ZECHZJDF6 – chdecoded@gmail.com
Subscribe to Celtic History Decoded: youtube.com/channel/UCCS3M_uNHH2iOJkpGhkO2SA?sub_confirmation=1
Follow Celtic History Decoded on Instagram - instagram.com/celtichistorydecoded
Subscribe to World History Decoded – youtube.com/@worldhistorydecoded
Chapters:
0:00 The Highland Clearances
1:33 Clans and the Crown
4:14 The Jacobites
5:24 Ban on Tartan?
6:59 Highlands vs Lowlands
7:44 The Highland Clearances Continued
10:47 Support
The Highland Clearances and the Death of the Scottish Clan System
Did the Highland Clearances destroy the Scottish clan system? Well sort of, but it’s not that simple. Few events in Scottish history had such a profound impact as the Highland Clearances, not only on the clan system, but the resulting emigration from Scotland is one key reason why so many people of Scottish heritage live in places such as the US, Canada and Australia to name a few. I know a lot of people from the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and other countries watch this channel, so if you have a story about the highland clearances in your family history, I would love to hear about it in the comments below…
On a very high-level, the Highland Clearances were the forced eviction of inhabitants of the Highlands and the western islands beginning in the 18th century and continuing intermittently into the mid-19th century. People were forced to leave their homes and many were burned out, with the removals clearing the land of people primarily to allow for the introduction of the more profitable sheep farming. The clearances also had a profound impact on the clan system and the highland way of life, but the destruction of the Scottish clan system did not start with the clearances (more of them later), it started hundreds of years earlier.
The story starts with this guy. What the hell is he wearing a? Imagine walking down a rough part of Glasgow with that on today. He ruled as the King of Scotland as James VI from 1567 and King of England and Ireland as James I from the union of the Scottish and English crowns on 24 March 1603 until his death in 1625. It is confusing that he has two names, was he not thinking about YouTubers in 2023, so I’m just going to call him James I in this video.
When James ascended the throne of England in 1603, he moved south to Westminster and ruled Scotland from there, only visiting Scotland once more before he died. It was under his reign that the Ulster plantation began for Irish viewers by the way. James I was very suspicious of the highland clans, and in order to better control the north, James kept the chiefs away from their clans for extended periods, requiring them to do duties that kept them away from their people. This was to ensure that the peoples’ allegiance was to their King and not to their clan Chief. Official documents from the time described the people of the Highlands as "void of the knawledge" who were prone to "all kynd of barbarous and bestile cruelteis". The Gaelic language, spoken fluently by James IV, became known in the time of James VI as "Erse" or Irish, implying that it was foreign in nature.
Sources:
Britannica - Highland Clearances britannica.com/event/Highland-Clearances
Historic UK - The Highland Clearances historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofScotland/The-Highland-Clearances
History Marche - How did the Scottish clan system collapse? youtube.com/watch?v=pSHrPINS8bE
History Matters - The Highland Clearances: Explained (Short Animated Documentary) youtube.com/watch?v=fYTbxnMgCfk
Gentleman Adventurers of Fife - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gentleman_Adventurers_of_Fife
Act of Proscription 1747 electricscotland.com/history/other/proscription_1747.htm
Heritable Jurisdictions (Scotland) Act 1746 en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heritable_Jurisdictions_(Scotland)_Act_1746
Highland Clearances en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Highland_Clearances
#highlandscots #scotland #history
Scottish Clans Documentary - Highland Clearances Documentary
