Largs, battle of
Largs, battle of, 1263. Though the fighting was little more than skirmishing, the consequences were significant. Throughout the reign of Alexander III of Scotland there were disputes about the Western Isles, under the sovereignty of Norway. In the autumn of 1263 Haakon IV of Norway assembled a large fleet, raiding and raising revenue. Early in October, some of his ships were driven ashore near Largs and others sent to protect them were attacked by the Scots. It was not clear who had the better of the fighting, but after Haakon had returned to Kirkwall, where he died, negotiations began for the Isles to be ceded to Scotland. Orkney and Shetland did not, however, become Scottish until 200 years later.
J. A. Cannon
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Largs, battle of