The Battle of Largs
Vikings from Norway began settling in the Western Isles of Scotland around the year 900 and within a hundred years or so were the ruling class, ignoring Norwegian and Scottish Kings alike. However, in 1098, they were subdued by King Magnus of Norway, who then persuaded King Edgar of Scots that the Islands were part of his Kingdom. A few islands including the Cumbraes and Bute remained under Scottish control, but these were promised to Norway by Macbeth, but were never handed over.
In 1263, late on into the summer, King Haakon IV of Norway sailed at the head of a fleet of ships into the Firth of Clyde. He already ruled over many of the Scottish Islands and had arrived to claim Bute and the Cumbraes which had been promised to his predecessors. The Norwegians anchored their huge fleet in the channel between the Great Cumbrae and Largs. According to 'The House of Rowallan', the Norsemen "landit at Air with 160 schips and 20,000 men", if this account is true, this was no raiding party, this was an invasion force.
Winter arrived early and with fierce storms, several of Haakon's ships were blown ashore at Largs and on the second of November a Norwegian force landed on the Scottish mainland to refloat them. The Scots under the command of their King, Alexander III, were waiting and attacked the Norwegians. The Battle of Largs took the form of several scattered skirmishes along the coast, and resulted in the Norwegians being driven back to their ships. Haakon's army, smashed by the storms and battered by battle sailed back home to the Orkneys. This was the last Norse raid on mainland Scotland and the Scottish victory led to them regaining control of the Western Isles. The battle was also the making of many of the Ayrshire families that were to play a large part in Scottish affairs in the coming years. Grants of land in Cunningham were dished out to among others: the Mures, whose bloodline would include the first Stewart Kings: the Boyds, who were to be so influential in Scottish politics for the next 400 years (Robert Boyd had commanded at the Battle of Goldberry Hill, a skirmish south of the main engagement): and the Wallaces, whose descendant William Wallace would light the fuse on the Wars of Independence and ultimately become the Scottish National Hero.
Haakons connection with Scotland didn't end here however. Hostilities between the two Kingdoms ended as a result of a royal marriage which led to Haakon's great-grand daughter succeeding to the Scottish throne in 1286, after the childless Alexander III was thrown from his horse and killed near Kinghorn in Fife. Known as the Maid of Norway, it was her untimely death which caused the disputed succession to the throne and led to the Wars of Scottish Independence after Edward I of England saw the Kingless Scotland as an opportunity to assert English dominance over Scotland.
In the mid-fifteenth century the Orkney and Shetland Islands were the last islands to be handed over to Scotland as a dowry for the marriage between James III of Scotland and Princess Margaret of Denmark. Lord Boyd of Kilmarnock (who was acting as Regent for the young Scottish King), who's family had first came to prominence at the Battle of Largs, was instrumental in brokering this deal.
