Scottish Clan System

The clan system of ancient Scotland had its ups and downs. Clans were always at war, sometimes they fought just to fight. It was a cruel society. But there were also many good things about the clan system. Everyone was respected within the clan, they were one big family. The people always had a leader who was dedicated to getting the best for his clan. You always knew someone cared about you, and in a time of war, you always knew somebody had your back.

Pretty much every successful country has had a good leader, and all of the successful clans had them too. The clan leaders truly cared about their clans. They would do whatever it took to gain respect amongst their allies and enemies. The clan leader or chief would always ensure that all his men were well armed and ready to protect the clan. Though there are downsides to giving someone complete control over a group. For example at any time he could have somebody killed, and he didn’t need to give a reason for it, he had total power. The chief however would not last long if he just killed his fellow clansmen for no good reason, so I don’t believe it was always in his best interest to abuse his powers.

If you were part of a clan, it was the ultimate protection. Nobody is going to mess with you if they know you they are going to have to deal with a bunch of angry warriors afterword. This did mean however, that one incident could turn into an all-out war, and it did several times throughout history. And it also meant many innocent people would be dragged into the fighting purely based on the tartan they were wearing. But when one finds themselves in a sticky situation, they’ll be glad they have somebody on their side to sway the odds in their favor, and that’s where the true value of a group lays.

Perhaps the most important value of the clan system is the simplest, respect. Every member of the clan was respected, and conversed with as an equal. It didn’t matter if you were the richest man in town or the poorest