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.
