Talk:Battle of Largs

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Two different pictures of the Largs "pencil", from more or less the same angle, appear in the article. One could go... --MacRusgail 15:51, 22 October 2007 (UTC)

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[edit] Good Article

I think this article is really quite good compared to other articles on the subject in Wiki. However, there are 4 or 5 points that I can refine a little more.

According to the History of the Earls of Orkney, Magnus the Barefoot gained jurisdiction over the Hebrides and Kintyre in 1098. I know that is 'about 1100' but it is a bit more accurate. The legend of this acquisition explains one of the reasons why the Scots were so frustrated with the entire affair.

It may be a good idea to mention the Wiki article on the Orkney Sagas and place an internal link to it since that article gives a little more detail on the Battle background.

Another point is that the Bishop of St. Andrews mediated the negotiations prior to the Battle. The Scots knew that the Christian Norwegians would respect the judgement of the Bishop. This stall tactic, which included the necessity to retreive the Bishop from St Andrews, was devised by the Sheriff of Ayrshire. That explains why Haakon, when he discovered the stall tactic, withdrew from the negotiations so quickly.

It was, in fact, the Sheriff of Ayrshire who led the Scottish 'army.' In today's terms I'm sure it would be more like a militia. And it was the Sheriff of Ayrshire, the Laird of Loudon Castle at the time, who was granted the extensive properties of Crosbie, a location near West Kilbride, shortly thereafter. Over hundreds of years his descendants divided the large grant into much more manageable estates that were eventually entirely sold by descendants by the 1800's. There may already be a Wiki article on that particular Sheriff of Ayrshire.

And finally, I believe that it would be more accurate to say,

"While the Battle (or Skirmish as appropriate) of Largs was a tactical military draw, it was also an immediate strategic military victory and three years later a political victory for the Scots. The death of Haakon in Dec 1263 made the question of whether the Norwegians could mount another 'enforcement mission' a moot point. For whatever reason(s) the Norwegians no longer had the will to enforce their jurisdiction. Without the immediate ability of the Norwegians to subordinate or defend the Hebrides and Kintyre, the Lord of the Isles subsequently subordinated himself to the Scottish King. The Treaty of Perth three years later simply formalized the political victory that resulted from the Battle of Largs, and made that victory permanent." —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Dr fission (talk • contribs) 00:33, 22 April 2007 (UTC).

Thank you for comments, and for calling the article (which I have written the most of) quite good! As for your comments: I would be interested to hear your source for who commanded the Scottish troops. I haven't been able to find any really detailed sources from the Scottish side. As for your suggested change, I slightly disagree with your suggested change, but this is of course debatable. However, your use of the term "Lord of the Isles" is a total anachronism at this time. There were several people who held the title of King in the Hebrides at this time. The Lord of the Isles is a term of later centuries.--Barend 17:24, 22 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Battle of Largs Map

This is a good article. The map would be better if it indicated Largs, Skye and the Lochs referred to in the discussion.RogueDuncan 21:45, 7 August 2007 (UTC)

[edit] location of battle

Is it known where the exact battle took place? Is it indeed where the 'pencil' is? Or has the location been lost to history? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 203.214.2.198 (talk) 07:42, August 27, 2007 (UTC)