ABSTRACT
The famous passage on the ‘Hie-lands’ from 1598’s Basilikon Doron, which presents the inhabitants of the Hebrides as distinctively savage and worthy of extirpation, has become ubiquitous in analyses of James VI’s Highland policy.7 Close assessment of the text in isolation can still prove enlightening, but it must be remembered that this passage forms just one paragraph among many, and was composed more than a decade into James’ personal rule, not at the outset. Consideration of specific case studies, unshackled from Basilikon Doron, facilitates deeper exploration of James’ developing view of the Isles. The Scottish king may have advocated the extermination of Gaelic islanders in 1598, but kingship often required a pragmatic approach – how did James actually view and interact with the nobility of the West Highlands and Isles before 1598?
