Iye Du Mackay, 12th of Strathnaver

Iye Du Mackay (Iye Mackay), 12th of Strathnaver, was the chief of the Clan Mackay, a Highland Scottish clan, from 1550 to 1572.

Early life Iye Du Mackay was the eldest son of Donald Mackay, 11th of Strathnaver, chief of Clan Mackay and Helen Sinclair, daughter of Alexander Sinclair of Stempster who was in turn the second son of William Sinclair, 2nd Earl of Caithness and chief of the Clan Sinclair. Iye Du Mackay succeeded his father Donald who died towards the end of 1550. The Earl of Arran had been made Governor of Scotland but the earls of Glencairn, Angus and Lennox had formed a strong alliance which attacked Arran in 1544 at Glasgow Muir, but were defeated by Arran with considerable loss. However, 19th-century historian Angus Mackay states that records show that Iye Du Mackay actually fought for the English and not against them.

Upon the death of his father Donald, Iye Du Mackay returned to Strathnaver to secure the estates, but for twenty years he had to fight against the combined power of George Gordon, 4th Earl of Huntly and John Gordon, 11th Earl of Sutherland, as he could get no legal title to his father's lands. In 1552 Mary of Guise held a court at Inverness and invited Mackay, John MacDonald of Moidart and the Earl of Caithness, but all refused to appear.

On 5 October 1562 Mary, Queen of Scots granted full remission to Iye Du Mackay for having supported the English at Haddington in 1548. On 28 October 1562 the Clan Mackay were amongst those who defeated the Earl of Huntly at the Battle of Corrichie. Huntly later passed ownership of the lands to his cousin, the Earl of Sutherland. Bastard or not, Donald Mackay had held the lands by a charter under the Great Seal that had been granted to him by James V. Finally on 29 July 1570 an agreement was made between Huntly, Sutherland and Mackay in which Huntly would alienate the Strathnaver lands to Mackay for 3000 merks but would keep the feudal superiority. Huntly later disponed the superiority over to the Earl of Sutherland. However, in the meantime Mackay and the Earl of Caithness swept into Sutherland taking and occupying Dunrobin Castle with many of the Earl of Sutherland's followers failing to oppose them: Murray of Aberscross fled to Strathbogie (Huntly), Gordon of Drummuie to Orkney and Gray of Skibo Castle to St Andrews. He had married firstly his cousin Helen, daughter of Hugh MacLeod of Assint. However, as he and his wife were first cousins, their children would be barred by canon law from succeeding their father. They had two sons: Donald Balloch Mackay (Progenitor of the Mackay of Scoury branch of the clan. He fought at the Battle of Clynetradwell in 1590 and was ancestor of the famous General Hugh Mackay of Scoury). John Beg Mackay. (Killed in a skirmish in 1579 at Balnakeil, parish of Durness).

Iye Du Mackay married secondly, Christian, daughter of John Sinclair of Duns, Caithness. They had two sons and three daughters: Huistean Du Mackay, 13th of Strathnaver, who succeeded his father. William Mackay, 1st of Bighouse. (Progenitor of the Mackay of Bighouse branch of the clan). Eleanor Mackay, who married Donald Bane MacLeod of Assint. Jane Mackay, who married Alexander Sutherland of Berriedale. Barbara Mackay, who married Alexander Macdavid, chieftain of the Clan Gunn.