Yet, in reality, clans in the Highlands had not evolved from the very remote past but rather as a response to political turbulence and social dislocation in northern Scotland during the early Middle Ages. At that time, people sought protection from danger and threat by gathering in loyalty to great men of influence, power and prestige as the crown itself could not guarantee law and order throughout the entire realm of Scotland. In particular, the hill country of the north and west mainland, the Western Isles and the Scottish Borders were semi-autonomous entities, mainly beyond royal control,
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