The Battle of Coille Bhan followed on from the Battle of Glen Affric in 1721 when government forces had failed to take the lands of Mackenzie of Seaforth. The taxes being collected by Macknezie’s factor, Donald Murchison were being sent to Mackenzie himself who was living in exile in France for his part in the Jacobite Rising of 1715, rather than the taxes going to the British crown. It was decided that a second attempt should be made to seize Mackenzie of Seaforth’s estates.