Battle of Largs
Encyclopedia
The Battle of Largs was an engagement
fought between the armies of Norway
and Scotland
near the present-day town of Largs
in North Ayrshire
on the Firth of Clyde
in Scotland
on 2 October 1263. It was the most important military engagement of the Scottish-Norwegian War
. The Norwegian forces were led by king Håkon Håkonsson
and the Scottish forces by king Alexander III
. The result was inconclusive, but in the long term favoured the Scots.
The kingdom of Súðreyjar ("Southern Islands"), comprising the Inner and Outer Hebrides
and Kintyre
, and the kingdom of Man
had been under the suzerainty
of Norway since about 1100, its kings vassal
s of the king of Norway. Since the 1240s, the Scottish king Alexander II
had been attempting to buy the islands from the Norwegian king Håkon Håkonsson, but he consistently refused. Alexander's successor Alexander III continued this policy, but again king Håkon refused. In the summer of 1262 Scottish forces under the earl
of Ross
launched raids against the Isle of Skye. News of this reached the Norwegian king together with reports that the Scottish king was planning to conquer all the islands. Håkon responded by equipping a large conscripted leidang
-fleet. According to Icelandic annals Håkon led "the biggest fleet ever to leave Norway", which left Bergen for Scotland in July 1263. In the Hebrides, Håkon's fleet linked up with the forces of King Magnus III
of Man and King Dubhghall mac Ruaidhri of the Hebrides. Historians estimate that the size of his fleet after this was probably over 120 ships, with a force of between 12,000 and 20,000 men. After establishing control of the Hebrides, king Håkon anchored his fleet by the Isle of Arran
in the Firth of Clyde
, where he was approached by envoys from the Scottish king, opening peace talks. The talks dragged on without producing results, and in the end Håkon broke off the talks, and sent the kings Magnus and Dougal with 40 ships up Loch Long
and into Loch Lomond
with a part of the fleet to loot. The main body of the fleet moved closer to the mainland, between the islands of Cumbrae
and Largs, Cunninghame
.
While anchored here, the Norwegian fleet was surprised by stormy weather. Five longship
s and a trading cog
were driven ashore on the mainland by the storm. They were attacked with ranged weapon
s by a small number of Scots, but no serious fighting ensued.
The next day, 2 October, King Håkon went ashore with some of his lendmenn
, presumably to stave off further attacks until the stranded ships could be brought free. The lendmann
Ogmund Crouchdance
took control of a hill overlooking the beach with about 200 men, the force on the beach probably numbered about 600 more. During the day, a Scottish army approached. The Scottish army. was divided into three parts, the right led by Alexander Stewart
, High Steward of Scotland
consisting of men from Argyll
, Atholl
, Lennox
and Galloway
, the left led by Patrick de Dunbar, Earl of Dunbar
consisting of men from Lothian
, Fife
, Merse and Berwick
and the centre led by King Alexander II consisting of men of Perth
, Angus
, Mearns
and the northern counties.
The saga states that the Scottish force included 500 knight
s in armour
on horseback and a large body of foot soldiers, so that the Norwegians were outnumbered ten to one. If the saga is accurate, it would mean the Scottish army numbered about 8,000 men compared to the 800 Norwegian troops onshore. However it has been suggested that this was merely referring to a particular Norwegian stand, not the entire Norwegian force, as it is unlikely that the Scots had 8000 troops.
King Håkon was transported to safety on board his ship. Ogmund Crouchdance's force on the hill started to retreat toward the beach in order not to be cut off. While retreating down the hill, they were attacked by the vanguard of the Scottish force. The retreat was in danger of becoming a rout, as the Norwegians on the beach started scrambling to get into their boats to get back to their ships, several boats sank as a result of overcrowding. However, the Norwegians managed to restore order in their ranks and make a stand on the beach. King Håkon was unable to send large reinforcements on land because of the storm, but one ship from the main fleet managed to reach the shore. When the ship arrived, the Scots withdrew back up the hill. There followed a lengthy long-distance battle, with bows and stone-throwing, but the Scottish force ultimately retreated, whereupon the Norwegians immediately boarded their boats and withdrew to the main fleet.
The saga implies that the Scottish cavalry had not been in action, and it is also doubtful whether the full body of the foot soldiers was brought to bear. Similarly, the main body of the Norwegian force were on board their ships, prevented by the storm from joining battle. The Norwegians went back on land the day after to retrieve their dead and burn the stranded longships, which they were able to do unmolested. The saga names seven of the Norwegian casualties. It also names one dead Scottish knight, Perus, but also states that the Norwegians could not know how many Scots had been killed, as they had already retrieved their bodies. Within a few days, the Norwegian fleet left the Firth of Clyde.
Winter was approaching, the army was short of provisions, and with a large Scottish force intact on land, looting for provisions was not a tenable option. Håkon sailed North. His vassals, Magnus III and Dougal, went back to their own holdings, and Håkon went to Orkney for the winter. Most of his leidang-fleet sailed back to Norway. Largs had not been a crushing military defeat for Håkon, but it meant that he had not been able to win a decisive victory before the winter, something he would probably have had to do in order to achieve his objectives. As it was, it remains an open question whether Håkon would have been able to renew the fighting in the spring of 1264. He fell ill while staying in the Bishop's Palace in Kirkwall
and died on 15 December 1263. The following year, King Alexander successfully invaded the Hebrides. In 1265 negotiations between Scottish envoys and Håkon's successor, King Magnus the Lawmender
led to agreement that suzerainty over the Hebrides and Man was to pass to the Scottish king, in return for a lump sum of 4000 marks
and subsequently 100 marks annually in perpetuity. This was confirmed in the Treaty of Perth
signed in 1266. Norway retained control over Orkney.
in the 16th century claimed that the Norwegians had landed 20,000 men, of whom 16,000 had been killed along with 5,000 Scots. Today, historians view the encounter as hardly a battle at all, but merely a skirmish. The main source to the battle is a lengthy passage in Håkon Håkonssons saga
. This saga was written on order of king Håkon's son Magnus, and so obviously presents the events purely from the Norwegian perspective. However as it was written within five years of the events, and in all likelihood based on conversations with participants in the battle, it is considered a fairly reliable source as regards factual details. Interpretations of these facts have varied widely however, with the battle traditionally being seen as a Scottish victory in Scotland, and a Norwegian victory in Norway. Modern-day historians generally agree that the "battle" amounted to something of a draw. In the long run however, this result was satisfactory for the Scots, whereas the Norwegians needed to win.
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".
Once a year Largs holds a Viking festival which used to be a Scottish celebration of the defence of their land but has now been turned into a friendly celebration of both nations with dignitaries of Norway making regular attendances symbolizing friendship between the two countries.
The festival includes a parade, stalls, food, armoury and a symbolic battle re-enactment of the landing of the Norwegians at the pencil.
Meeting engagement
A meeting engagement, a term used in warfare, is a combat action that occurs when a moving force, incompletely deployed for battle, engages an enemy at an unexpected time and place.-Description:...
fought between the armies of Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
and Scotland
Kingdom of Scotland
The Kingdom of Scotland was a Sovereign state in North-West Europe that existed from 843 until 1707. It occupied the northern third of the island of Great Britain and shared a land border to the south with the Kingdom of England...
near the present-day town of Largs
Largs
Largs is a town on the Firth of Clyde in North Ayrshire, Scotland, about from Glasgow. The original name means "the slopes" in Scottish Gaelic....
in North Ayrshire
North Ayrshire
North Ayrshire is one of 32 council areas in Scotland with a population of roughly 136,000 people. It is located in the south-west region of Scotland, and borders the areas of Inverclyde to the north, Renfrewshire to the north-east and East Ayrshire and South Ayrshire to the East and South...
on the Firth of Clyde
Firth of Clyde
The Firth of Clyde forms a large area of coastal water, sheltered from the Atlantic Ocean by the Kintyre peninsula which encloses the outer firth in Argyll and Ayrshire, Scotland. The Kilbrannan Sound is a large arm of the Firth of Clyde, separating the Kintyre Peninsula from the Isle of Arran.At...
in Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
on 2 October 1263. It was the most important military engagement of the Scottish-Norwegian War
Scottish-Norwegian War
The Scottish-Norwegian War was a conflict, or a small war from 1262–1266. The conflict arose because of the disagreement over the ownership of the Hebrides. The "war" contained only small skirmishes and feuds between the kings...
. The Norwegian forces were led by king Håkon Håkonsson
Haakon IV of Norway
Haakon Haakonarson , also called Haakon the Old, was king of Norway from 1217 to 1263. Under his rule, medieval Norway reached its peak....
and the Scottish forces by king Alexander III
Alexander III of Scotland
Alexander III was King of Scots from 1249 to his death.-Life:...
. The result was inconclusive, but in the long term favoured the Scots.
Background
Hebrides
The Hebrides comprise a widespread and diverse archipelago off the west coast of Scotland. There are two main groups: the Inner and Outer Hebrides. These islands have a long history of occupation dating back to the Mesolithic and the culture of the residents has been affected by the successive...
and Kintyre
Kintyre
Kintyre is a peninsula in western Scotland, in the southwest of Argyll and Bute. The region stretches approximately 30 miles , from the Mull of Kintyre in the south, to East Loch Tarbert in the north...
, and the kingdom of Man
Isle of Man
The Isle of Man , otherwise known simply as Mann , is a self-governing British Crown Dependency, located in the Irish Sea between the islands of Great Britain and Ireland, within the British Isles. The head of state is Queen Elizabeth II, who holds the title of Lord of Mann. The Lord of Mann is...
had been under the suzerainty
Suzerainty
Suzerainty occurs where a region or people is a tributary to a more powerful entity which controls its foreign affairs while allowing the tributary vassal state some limited domestic autonomy. The dominant entity in the suzerainty relationship, or the more powerful entity itself, is called a...
of Norway since about 1100, its kings vassal
Vassal
A vassal or feudatory is a person who has entered into a mutual obligation to a lord or monarch in the context of the feudal system in medieval Europe. The obligations often included military support and mutual protection, in exchange for certain privileges, usually including the grant of land held...
s of the king of Norway. Since the 1240s, the Scottish king Alexander II
Alexander II of Scotland
Alexander II was King of Scots from1214 to his death.-Early life:...
had been attempting to buy the islands from the Norwegian king Håkon Håkonsson, but he consistently refused. Alexander's successor Alexander III continued this policy, but again king Håkon refused. In the summer of 1262 Scottish forces under the earl
Earl
An earl is a member of the nobility. The title is Anglo-Saxon, akin to the Scandinavian form jarl, and meant "chieftain", particularly a chieftain set to rule a territory in a king's stead. In Scandinavia, it became obsolete in the Middle Ages and was replaced with duke...
of Ross
Ross-shire
Ross-shire is an area in the Highland Council Area in Scotland. The name is now used as a geographic or cultural term, equivalent to Ross. Until 1889 the term denoted a county of Scotland, also known as the County of Ross...
launched raids against the Isle of Skye. News of this reached the Norwegian king together with reports that the Scottish king was planning to conquer all the islands. Håkon responded by equipping a large conscripted leidang
Leidang
The institution known as leiðangr , leidang , leding, , ledung , expeditio or sometimes lething , was a public levy of free farmers typical for medieval Scandinavians. It was a form of conscription to organise coastal fleets for seasonal excursions and in defence of the realm...
-fleet. According to Icelandic annals Håkon led "the biggest fleet ever to leave Norway", which left Bergen for Scotland in July 1263. In the Hebrides, Håkon's fleet linked up with the forces of King Magnus III
Magnus III of the Isle of Man
Magnús Óláfsson was a mid 13th century Manx-Hebridean king, the son of Óláfr Guðrøðarson, King of the Isles. Magnús and Óláfr descended from a long line of Norse-Gaelic kings who ruled the Isle of Mann and parts of the Hebrides. Several leading members of the Crovan dynasty, such as Óláfr, styled...
of Man and King Dubhghall mac Ruaidhri of the Hebrides. Historians estimate that the size of his fleet after this was probably over 120 ships, with a force of between 12,000 and 20,000 men. After establishing control of the Hebrides, king Håkon anchored his fleet by the Isle of Arran
Isle of Arran
Arran or the Isle of Arran is the largest island in the Firth of Clyde, Scotland, and with an area of is the seventh largest Scottish island. It is in the unitary council area of North Ayrshire and the 2001 census had a resident population of 5,058...
in the Firth of Clyde
Firth of Clyde
The Firth of Clyde forms a large area of coastal water, sheltered from the Atlantic Ocean by the Kintyre peninsula which encloses the outer firth in Argyll and Ayrshire, Scotland. The Kilbrannan Sound is a large arm of the Firth of Clyde, separating the Kintyre Peninsula from the Isle of Arran.At...
, where he was approached by envoys from the Scottish king, opening peace talks. The talks dragged on without producing results, and in the end Håkon broke off the talks, and sent the kings Magnus and Dougal with 40 ships up Loch Long
Loch Long
Loch Long is a body of water in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. The sea loch extends from the Firth of Clyde at its southwestern end. It measures approximately 20 miles in length, with a width of between one and two miles...
and into Loch Lomond
Loch Lomond
Loch Lomond is a freshwater Scottish loch, lying on the Highland Boundary Fault. It is the largest lake in Great Britain by surface area. The lake contains many islands, including Inchmurrin, the largest fresh-water island in the British Isles, although the lake itself is smaller than many Irish...
with a part of the fleet to loot. The main body of the fleet moved closer to the mainland, between the islands of Cumbrae
Great Cumbrae
Great Cumbrae is the larger of the two islands known as The Cumbraes in the lower Firth of Clyde in western Scotland...
and Largs, Cunninghame
Cunninghame
Cunninghame is a former comital district of Scotland and also a district of the Strathclyde Region from 1975–1996.-Historic Cunninghame:The historic district of Cunninghame was bordered by the districts of Renfrew and Clydesdale to the north and east respectively, by the district of Kyle to the...
.
Events
Longship
Longships were sea vessels made and used by the Vikings from the Nordic countries for trade, commerce, exploration, and warfare during the Viking Age. The longship’s design evolved over many years, beginning in the Stone Age with the invention of the umiak and continuing up to the 9th century with...
s and a trading cog
Cog (ship)
A cog is a type of ship that first appeared in the 10th century, and was widely used from around the 12th century on. Cogs were generally built of oak, which was an abundant timber in the Baltic region of Prussia. This vessel was fitted with a single mast and a square-rigged single sail...
were driven ashore on the mainland by the storm. They were attacked with ranged weapon
Ranged weapon
A ranged weapon is any weapon that can harm targets at distances greater than hand-to-hand distance. In contrast, a weapon intended to be used in man-to-man combat is called a melee weapon....
s by a small number of Scots, but no serious fighting ensued.
The next day, 2 October, King Håkon went ashore with some of his lendmenn
Lendmann
Lendmann , was a title in medieval Norway. Lendmann was the highest rank attainable in the hird of the Norwegian king, and a lendmann stood beneath only earls and kings...
, presumably to stave off further attacks until the stranded ships could be brought free. The lendmann
Lendmann
Lendmann , was a title in medieval Norway. Lendmann was the highest rank attainable in the hird of the Norwegian king, and a lendmann stood beneath only earls and kings...
Ogmund Crouchdance
Ogmund Crouchdance
Ogmund Crouchdance was a lendmann - a Norwegian noble in the 13th century and Governor of Orkdal under the kings Håkon IV of Norway and Magnus VI of Norway. His nickname Crouchdance is probably derived from the name of a Norwegian medieval dance.Ogmund was one of King Håkon IV's most loyal lendmenn...
took control of a hill overlooking the beach with about 200 men, the force on the beach probably numbered about 600 more. During the day, a Scottish army approached. The Scottish army. was divided into three parts, the right led by Alexander Stewart
Alexander Stewart, 4th High Steward of Scotland
Alexander Stewart was 4th hereditary High Steward of Scotland from his father's death in 1246.A son of Walter Stewart, 3rd High Steward of Scotland by his wife Bethóc, daughter of Gille Críst, Earl of Angus, Alexander is said to have accompanied Louis IX of France on the Seventh Crusade...
, High Steward of Scotland
High Steward of Scotland
The title of High Steward or Great Steward was given in the 12th century to Walter Fitzalan, whose descendants became the House of Stewart. In 1371, the last High Steward inherited the throne, and thereafter the title of High Steward of Scotland has been held as a subsidiary title to that of Duke...
consisting of men from Argyll
Argyll
Argyll , archaically Argyle , is a region of western Scotland corresponding with most of the part of ancient Dál Riata that was located on the island of Great Britain, and in a historical context can be used to mean the entire western coast between the Mull of Kintyre and Cape Wrath...
, Atholl
Atholl
Atholl or Athole is a large historical division in the Scottish Highlands. Today it forms the northern part of Perth and Kinross, Scotland bordering Marr, Badenoch, Breadalbane, Strathearn, Perth and Lochaber....
, Lennox
Lennox (district)
The district of Lennox , often known as "the Lennox", is a region of Scotland centred around the village of Lennoxtown in East Dunbartonshire, eight miles north of the centre of Glasgow. At various times in history, the district has had both a dukedom and earldom associated with it.- External...
and Galloway
Galloway
Galloway is an area in southwestern Scotland. It usually refers to the former counties of Wigtownshire and Kirkcudbrightshire...
, the left led by Patrick de Dunbar, Earl of Dunbar
Earl of Dunbar
The title Earl of Dunbar, also called Earl of Lothian or Earl of March, was the head of a comital lordship in south-eastern Scotland between the early 12th century and the early 15th century. The first man to use the title of Earl in this earldom was Gospatric II, Earl of Lothian, son of Gospatric,...
consisting of men from Lothian
Lothian
Lothian forms a traditional region of Scotland, lying between the southern shore of the Firth of Forth and the Lammermuir Hills....
, Fife
Fife
Fife is a council area and former county of Scotland. It is situated between the Firth of Tay and the Firth of Forth, with inland boundaries to Perth and Kinross and Clackmannanshire...
, Merse and Berwick
Berwick-upon-Tweed
Berwick-upon-Tweed or simply Berwick is a town in the county of Northumberland and is the northernmost town in England, on the east coast at the mouth of the River Tweed. It is situated 2.5 miles south of the Scottish border....
and the centre led by King Alexander II consisting of men of Perth
Perth, Scotland
Perth is a town and former city and royal burgh in central Scotland. Located on the banks of the River Tay, it is the administrative centre of Perth and Kinross council area and the historic county town of Perthshire...
, Angus
Angus
Angus is one of the 32 local government council areas of Scotland, a registration county and a lieutenancy area. The council area borders Aberdeenshire, Perth and Kinross and Dundee City...
, Mearns
Kincardineshire
The County of Kincardine, also known as Kincardineshire or The Mearns was a local government county on the coast of northeast Scotland...
and the northern counties.
The saga states that the Scottish force included 500 knight
Knight
A knight was a member of a class of lower nobility in the High Middle Ages.By the Late Middle Ages, the rank had become associated with the ideals of chivalry, a code of conduct for the perfect courtly Christian warrior....
s in armour
Armour
Armour or armor is protective covering used to prevent damage from being inflicted to an object, individual or a vehicle through use of direct contact weapons or projectiles, usually during combat, or from damage caused by a potentially dangerous environment or action...
on horseback and a large body of foot soldiers, so that the Norwegians were outnumbered ten to one. If the saga is accurate, it would mean the Scottish army numbered about 8,000 men compared to the 800 Norwegian troops onshore. However it has been suggested that this was merely referring to a particular Norwegian stand, not the entire Norwegian force, as it is unlikely that the Scots had 8000 troops.
King Håkon was transported to safety on board his ship. Ogmund Crouchdance's force on the hill started to retreat toward the beach in order not to be cut off. While retreating down the hill, they were attacked by the vanguard of the Scottish force. The retreat was in danger of becoming a rout, as the Norwegians on the beach started scrambling to get into their boats to get back to their ships, several boats sank as a result of overcrowding. However, the Norwegians managed to restore order in their ranks and make a stand on the beach. King Håkon was unable to send large reinforcements on land because of the storm, but one ship from the main fleet managed to reach the shore. When the ship arrived, the Scots withdrew back up the hill. There followed a lengthy long-distance battle, with bows and stone-throwing, but the Scottish force ultimately retreated, whereupon the Norwegians immediately boarded their boats and withdrew to the main fleet.
Aftermath
Winter was approaching, the army was short of provisions, and with a large Scottish force intact on land, looting for provisions was not a tenable option. Håkon sailed North. His vassals, Magnus III and Dougal, went back to their own holdings, and Håkon went to Orkney for the winter. Most of his leidang-fleet sailed back to Norway. Largs had not been a crushing military defeat for Håkon, but it meant that he had not been able to win a decisive victory before the winter, something he would probably have had to do in order to achieve his objectives. As it was, it remains an open question whether Håkon would have been able to renew the fighting in the spring of 1264. He fell ill while staying in the Bishop's Palace in Kirkwall
Bishop's Palace, Kirkwall
The Bishop's Palace, Kirkwall was built at the same time as the adjacent St Magnus Cathedral in the centre of Kirkwall, Orkney, Scotland, was being constructed, and housed the cathedral's first bishop, William the Old of the Norwegian Catholic church who took his authority from the Archbishop of...
and died on 15 December 1263. The following year, King Alexander successfully invaded the Hebrides. In 1265 negotiations between Scottish envoys and Håkon's successor, King Magnus the Lawmender
Magnus VI of Norway
Magnus VI Lagabøte or Magnus Håkonsson , was king of Norway from 1263 until 1280.-Early life:...
led to agreement that suzerainty over the Hebrides and Man was to pass to the Scottish king, in return for a lump sum of 4000 marks
Mark (money)
Mark was a measure of weight mainly for gold and silver, commonly used throughout western Europe and often equivalent to 8 ounces. Considerable variations, however, occurred throughout the Middle Ages Mark (from a merging of three Teutonic/Germanic languages words, Latinized in 9th century...
and subsequently 100 marks annually in perpetuity. This was confirmed in the Treaty of Perth
Treaty of Perth
The Treaty of Perth, 1266, ended military conflict between Norway, under King Magnus VI of Norway, and Scotland, under King Alexander III, over the sovereignty of the Hebrides and the Isle of Man....
signed in 1266. Norway retained control over Orkney.
Historical views
Scottish historians of later centuries grossly exaggerated the scale of the battle of Largs. George BuchananGeorge Buchanan
George Buchanan may refer to:*George Buchanan , Scottish humanist*Sir George Buchanan , Scottish soldier during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms*Sir George Buchanan , Chief Medical Officer...
in the 16th century claimed that the Norwegians had landed 20,000 men, of whom 16,000 had been killed along with 5,000 Scots. Today, historians view the encounter as hardly a battle at all, but merely a skirmish. The main source to the battle is a lengthy passage in Håkon Håkonssons saga
Hákonar saga Hákonarsonar
Hákonar saga Hákonarsonar is an Old Norse kings' saga, telling the story of the life and reign of King Haakon Haakonarson of Norway. The saga was written by the Icelandic historian and chieftain Sturla Þórðarson, in the 1260s...
. This saga was written on order of king Håkon's son Magnus, and so obviously presents the events purely from the Norwegian perspective. However as it was written within five years of the events, and in all likelihood based on conversations with participants in the battle, it is considered a fairly reliable source as regards factual details. Interpretations of these facts have varied widely however, with the battle traditionally being seen as a Scottish victory in Scotland, and a Norwegian victory in Norway. Modern-day historians generally agree that the "battle" amounted to something of a draw. In the long run however, this result was satisfactory for the Scots, whereas the Norwegians needed to win.
Viking festival in Largs
Irish round tower
Irish round towers , Cloigthithe – literally "bell house") are early medieval stone towers of a type found mainly in Ireland, with three in Scotland and one on the Isle of Man...
– inevitably, it is known as "The Pencil".
Once a year Largs holds a Viking festival which used to be a Scottish celebration of the defence of their land but has now been turned into a friendly celebration of both nations with dignitaries of Norway making regular attendances symbolizing friendship between the two countries.
The festival includes a parade, stalls, food, armoury and a symbolic battle re-enactment of the landing of the Norwegians at the pencil.