Battle of Largs ends Norse claims on Scotland

October 2, 1263

A storm-battered Norse fleet under Haakon IV was engaged by Scottish forces on the Ayrshire beach at Largs. The indecisive skirmish, combined with foul weather, convinced the aging king to abandon his western islands. He died of fever in Orkney on the voyage home. The Treaty of Perth three years later formally transferred the Hebrides and the Isle of Man from Norse to Scottish sovereignty.