Battle of Largs

The Battle of Largs took place in Largs, North Ayrshire, in 1263 between Scotland and a section of the forces of King Haakon IV of Norway. The battle came after Scottish incursions into the territory of the Norse Kingdom of Man and the Isles. Fighting the Scots was the fleet of Haakon IV of Norway, which also included his vassals king Magnus III of Man and the Isles and king Dougal of the Hebrides.

It was really a skirmish rather than a battle. After several raids by the Norwegian fleet along the Scottish shores, Haakon began to land some of the fleet near Largs. At that moment a storm blew up and Haakon was forced to withdraw his fleet. However, some of his ships were stranded on the shore and a number of his men had to fend off attacking Scots before they could pull back with the rest of the fleet. After the "battle", Haakon withdrew with his fleet to the Orkney Islands for the winter. He stayed in The Bishop's Palace of St Magnus Cathedral, Kirkwall, but in December 1263 succumbed to illness and died there.

In Scotland the outcome of the battle has traditionally been recognised as a victory for the Scots, as it began the chain of events that soon ensured their dominance over the Western Isles. This sovereignty was only formally confirmed in 1266: Haakon's successor, Magnus VI of Norway, signed the isles over to the Scots in exchange for the payment of 4000 silver marks in the Treaty of Perth.

The battle is commemorated in modern-day Largs by a monument at the seafront, in the shape of a tall cylinder with a conical top akin to a Round Tower – inevitably, it is known as "The Pencil."

Victory under dispute

Varying historical reports and interpretations call the battle either a victory for the Scots or a victory for the Norwegians. In fact, whether it deserves the name of battle at all is open to dispute, with Norwegian sources calling it little more than a skirmish. No definitive outcome is known, but what is certain is that in the years following the battle the Western Isles came under Scottish dominion. They have remained so ever since despite attempts at independence made by the Lords of the Isles, resulting in a tendency to proclaim it a Scottish victory despite there being no clear evidence one way or the other. The isles were ceded to the Scots for a sum of 4000 silver marks and the Scottish king still had to pay a yearly sum to the Norwegian Crown. For some decades after the battle Norway was still regarded as the juridical owner of the islands.