Clan Mackenzie in the 13th and 14th centuries, terminated in the heiress Margaret del Ard, the Lady of Erchless, who married Alexander Chisolm of Cromer c.1350. In the 14th century during the Wars of Scottish Independence the Clan Mackenzie is said to have been among the clans who fought on the side of Robert the Bruce at the Battle of Inverurie (1308) against the forces of the Clan Comyn who were rivals to the throne. Chief Iain Mac Coinnich is said to have led a force of five hundred Mackenzies at the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314 where the English were defeated.
Battle of Halidon Hill ultimate victor. The Treaty of Northampton in 1328 brought an end to over thirty years of intermittent warfare following the defeat of Edward II by Robert Bruce. Bruce's own death the following year opened up an opportunity for the disinherited, Balliol and the English to invade Scotland once more. In 1332 under the leadership of Edward Balliol, son of King John Balliol, and Henry Beaumont, 4th Earl of Buchan, these men invaded Scotland with the full support of Edward III, defeating the Bruce loyalists at the Battle of Dupplin Moor. Building on this success Balliol was crowned King of Scotland.