The first of three volumes relating the history of the Clan Campbell. It opens with an investigation of the Clan's early origins, sifting fact from myth and legend to uncover its early lineage and first settlement in the lands at the head of Loch Awe. After a description of its rugged landscape the author charts the history of Argyll from 500 AD, as first Scots and Picts, and then Scots and Norsemen, vied for lands and power. The present account ends with James IV's defeat at the Battle of Flodden, where many of the Clan perished in the King's service. There are six appendices with a full genealogical analysis of the Clan.