The Complete History of Clan Carmichael - Digital Edition

From a saint’s stronghold in Upper Clydesdale to the battlefields and royal courts of Europe, discover the extraordinary history behind the Carmichael name.

The Complete History of Clan Carmichael traces the story of one of Scotland’s enduring Lowland kindreds from its medieval territorial origins to the modern worldwide clan community.

The Carmichaels did not emerge from a legendary founding warrior or an unbroken ancient bloodline. Their name grew from the parish and barony of Carmichael in Lanarkshire—a landscape in which an early Brittonic settlement became associated with Saint Michael. From these beginnings, the family rose through service to the powerful Douglas lords before entering the wider political, military and diplomatic history of Scotland.

At the Battle of Baugé in France in 1421, a Carmichael warrior was recorded unhorsing the English Duke of Clarence and breaking his lance in the encounter. That celebrated moment became associated with the broken spear displayed in the Carmichael crest. Yet the clan’s history extends far beyond one famous battle.

Through religious upheaval, royal intrigue and the dangerous world of the Border reivers, the Carmichaels served as landholders, soldiers, court officials, Border wardens and diplomats. Their influence eventually produced the Lords Carmichael and the Earls of Hyndford, whose service carried the family from the Scottish Parliament to the courts of Prussia, Russia and Vienna.

Inside this extensively researched history, you will discover:

• The origins and meaning of the Carmichael name
• The earliest Carmichaels found in medieval records
• The family’s rise under the powerful Douglas lords
• Sir John Carmichael and the Battle of Baugé
• The history behind the famous broken-spear crest
• The Carmichaels during the Reformation and the reign of James VI
• The Battle of Redeswire and the violent world of the Border Marches
• The rise of the Lords Carmichael and Earls of Hyndford
• The family’s role in the Revolution settlement and Union of 1707
• Carmichael diplomats at the courts of Frederick the Great, Empress Elizabeth and Maria Theresa
• The clan’s arms, crest, motto, tartan and traditions
• The changing Carmichael estate and the ruins of Carmichael House
• The migration of Carmichael families throughout Ireland, North America and the wider world
• The modern revival of the clan and its continuing connection to Scotland

Drawing upon medieval charters, chronicles, government papers, estate records and respected historical scholarship, this book carefully distinguishes documented history from later tradition. It offers a richer and more trustworthy account of how a territorial family from the Scottish Lowlands became part of a worldwide heritage.

This is essential reading for Carmichael descendants, family historians, genealogists and anyone fascinated by Scotland’s clans, Border history and historic families.

Carry the Carmichael story with you and discover the people, places and events behind the name.

Digital edition: Supplied as an EPUB for flexible reading in compatible ebook applications and as a PDF that preserves the original page design. No physical book will be shipped.