The Battle of Largs 1263 AD 

King: Has a decent plan Some disease: Haha nice try

3:47 “This enraged Alexander” huh, haven’t heard that sentence in a loong time.

I love your "the battle was about to begin" intros. They make my day

Don't you just hate it when an army marches on you right before breakfast?

I didn't know anything about this battle. Thanks for another great video.

Next video goes live roughly at the same time on Saturday! Stay tuned :)

I was there with my partner just a week ago. Always find it strange to walk on the same land a battle took place hundreds of years ago. You can just imagine the scenes of battle happening around you...she only cared for getting ice cream though

Well I never thought I would see my home town (still living there) on BazBattles! We are actually having the annual Viking festival this weekend so great timing. Superb stuff as usual.

With a large family presence in Largs I love the fact that this has been added! Don't know if its added at any point, but if any of you guys visit Largs there is a huge monument called the pencil (because it looks like one) set to memorialise the battle of Largs! *Edit* Just seen that it was referenced! The island that Hakon landed on by the way was Millport. Brilliant little island!

Fantastic: we don't see enough Scottish history. Great stuff

I don't think I've ever clicked a video more quickly. This is my part of the world. Silly Håkon, should have sheltered the fleet in Millport Bay instead. I guess he'd heard about the legendary ice cream in Largs and wanted to try it for himself.

Yes! I've lived near Largs for most of my life and never knew exactly what went down. Thank you for this one!

Scotland: we'll pay you for those islands. Norway: No. *One defeat and the Norwegian King dying later* Norway: Okay, give me the money. Scotland: Pleasure doing business with you. Norway: *Curses in Norse*

"Caught a cold and died." This is why I'm glad I didn't live back then.

Thanks for posting this! I live about half an hour from Largs!

The Battle of Towton would be a worthy addition to your catalogue.

a surprise to be sure but a welcome one

That moment, when u know the video is going to be so good and you press like button before actually watching it

I live across the river (Firth of Clyde) from Largs, where the battle happened. On the seafront where I live property developers found a plot of land they wanted to build on but when construction began they found it was full of graves. The Norwegians had retreated from Largs and disembarked across the river on Innellan beach to bury their dead, perhaps the wounded who died after escaping (seems unlikely they would have placed any corpses on the ships). After their dead were buried the remaining soldiers pushed their boats out to sea and that was the last time hostile Scandinavian warriors stepped foot on the British mainland.

I live in kilwinning, just a few miles south east and once a week I drive past the pencil monument that stands to mark the battle and watch the reinactment every year. glad to see you do this battle. Side note: island at 5:39 is cumbrae

I still wish for a video on the battles during the age of the Rus Triumvirate, with the Nemiga River, Kiev Uprising and mainly the battle of the river Snov. I’ll repost a large summary of it. Good video though, thank you very much. The Kievan Rus’ was always divided, and in many ways. While Vladimir the Great did convert the lands of the Rus to Christianity, there were still many pagans, especially in the recently conquered lands such as Polotsk. The lands were also often rebellious, as it was shown in this video. Novgorod was acquired after a bloody war, the Cumans and Pechenegs often migrated into the southern lands, taking them, and Polotsk was conquered over an insult and a refusal to marriage. This made tensions high. There was also the many disputes between brothers, as shown here. Prince Bryacheslav had attempted to conquer Novgorod, and gain independence from the Rus, but was stopped by Yaroslav in 1020 and defeated decisively at the Sudoma River. A peace treaty was signed, but Bryacheslav and Yaroslav still constantly acted hostile to each other. During this time, a bad system had been implemented which caused problems. The ‘rota system’ was a system of seniority, where the oldest member of the dynasty inherits, instead of regular succession from father to son. Familicide became common, as brothers fought for power. One of the greatest struggles occurred after the death of Yaroslav the Wise. Soon after Iziaslav was crowned, the rebellious and powerful Prince of Polotsk, Vseslav the Seer, challenged the throne. This culminated into an epic battle at the Nemiga river, the details of which have been lost to time. The three sons of Yaroslav, who were Iziaslav, Vsevolod and Svetoslav, put aside their differences to challenge this powerful Prince, and probably outnumbered him. On their way, they burned Minsk, then held by Polotsk (as that was the first reference to Minsk we know of, it is celebrated as the founding date of the city), and moved up to challenge him in 1067. We know little of the course of the battle, but what we do know is that it ended as a bloodbath, with ‘The Tale of Igor’s Campaign’ describing “The bloody banks of the Nemiga being sown with not blessings, but with bones”. Vseslav fled back to Polotsk, but the Princes did not follow him, likely due to their losses. In June of that year, the brothers met, swearing upon the cross to not harm each other again, as Vseslav was imprisoned in Kiev for a while. This was not the end. The Triumvirate between the three brothers slowly broke apart, as Izyaslav, who was not strong enough to deal with all of this by himself but tried his best was showing his weaknesses, Svetoslav, who was described as a ‘new Ptolemy’ and a scholar was shown as a good commander and Vsevolod, who proved in ways that he was brilliant in diplomacy, wanted more power. In 1061, the Cumans attacked and raided into the Rus, defeating Vsevolod. They continued to attack the Rus for 7 more years before anything was done, as the Triumvirate attacked the Cumans and failed. However, while this military disgrace did prove that the Cumans were truly a threat, Svetoslav was able to defeat a Cuman force of 12,000 with 3,000 men in the battle of the river Snov in November 1, 1068. The battle began, with Svetoslav making a speech, saying to his men, “Потягнем, уже нам не лзе камо ся дети!”. I don’t speak old Slavic/old Russian, but StKozlovsky translated it. It means ‘Let’s win this, we have nowhere to hide anymore.’ The Russian army attacked, and was caught in bloody fighting with the larger Cuman force. A decisive charge by the Russian heavy cavalry dispersed the Cumans, who quickly after lost the battle. This elevated the prestige of Svetoslav, who became popular for ending the massive Cuman threat- after the battle, the Cumans left the Rus, and signed a peace treaty with the Rus, with minor raids being the only problem they caused for decades. However, the battle at the river Snov was too late of a victory. In 1068, while Svetoslav was marching to fight the Cumans, the people of Kiev demanded that Iziaslyav, the grand prince of the Rus, muster a new army and attack them, after a Veche, or assembly in the marketplace of the city. When this was refused, the revolt began. The people, blaming Iziaslav’s general Konstantin for the defeat, marched to his house and ransacked him. Then, they kicked Iziaslav from the throne, freeing the Polotskian Prince Vseslav and proclaiming him the leader of the Kievan Rus. Vseslav also quickly secured the support of the many pagans in the Rus by supporting them. Iziaslav fled to Poland, to Bolysław II, known as the Bold, the Cruel and the Generous, who gave him arms and weapons to forcefully take back the throne. After several years of struggle, while losing the title of Grand Prince of the Rus, he regained his title as Prince of Polotsk and spent many more years on the throne- he is often known as a sorcerer due to this fact, along with his support of Pagans. After all of this drama, the Triumvirate was practically restored. Iziaslav continued reigning, but then, in 1073, another power struggle occurred. According to the Russian Chronicles, ‘the devil stirred up strife’ between the brothers. On the 22nd of March, 1073, Svetoslav and Vsevolod deposed Iziaslav, proclaiming Svetoslav as the new leader of the Rus. According to a chronicle, this happened because Svetoslav was corrupted with the need for more power, and he misled Vsevolod into thinking that Iziaslav had tried to enter into an alliance with Vseslav against them two. Either way, Svetoslav was now the ruler. Iziaslav fled once more to Poland, which he was expelled from as Svetoslav was the son-in-law of Bolesław II. He then appealed to Henry IV of the Holy Roman Empire, who tried to help but later gave up. The Pope later sent Iziaslav a crown, proclaiming him the ‘King of Kiev’ in 1075, and he took back Kiev. Svetoslav soon died in 1077, due to the ‘cutting of a sore’. One of the sons of Svetoslav, Oleg Svetoslavich and the son of a prince of Smolensk, Boris Vyacheslavich, tried to conquer the lands of Vsevolod in Chernigov, which Svetoslav gave him after helping him become leader of the Rus. Oleg also allied with the Cumans, but Iziaslav and Vsevolod defeated Oleg, Boris and the Cumans. However, Iziaslav perished in this battle. After the other two sons had died, Vsevolod took the throne, uniting the three princedoms that had formed a Triumvirate many years ago. However, his rule was not too good- the Russian Primary chronicle writes that “people no longer had access to the Prince’s justice, judges became corrupt and venal”, and Vsevolod listened to the advice of young councilors instead of old and experienced retainers. According to his son’s autobiography, Vsevolod spoke five foreign languages, which were likely Greek, Cuman, Latin, Norse and Ossetian. His son, Vladimir Monomakh, who became a famed great warrior, did most of the fighting for his father, as his father had a horrible reputation in battles. His last few years were filled with grave illness, during which his son did most of the governing.

These rustics are so inept. It nearly takes the honor out of victory. Nearly.

Great work.

The Mario mushroom power up sound for the young prince to king was an awesome touch

Lived in Glasgow for a year, I remember taking a day trip to Largs and over to the Island to cycle around it, never knew there was a battle there. Good video.

Baz Battles is ASMR for history nerds.

Always worth watching.

3:06 The Nintendo upgrade noise cracked me up!

This channel turns some of the most boring tactical battles into very interesting videos. The setup makes the video.

Thank you for taking over for the History Channel.

Hi Nice video I'm going to Largs for the viking festival next weekend can't wait to go there. I hope the weather will be dry.

Nice video. I wonder if we can see some video's on the battle's fought by William Wallace and Robert the Bruce. I would love to see some video series's on their battles.

Excellent visuals, wonderful narration and gripping writing as usual. I've loved your videos since the first Alexander one. Would love to see it remade to your level today.

Why are people in the comment section spamming, “do x battle and that battle!” These videos cost money and they have a hard time pumping them out as it is. If you want it made pay money to have it made via Patreon

Oh my days this is this BEST channel for historical battles EVER and as a narrator there are no better love this channel so glad I found it!!!!

3:06 I love what BazBattles did there.

Considering both Vikings and Scotts wanted these lands, it was a surprisingly pacific way to achieve it

love the Super Mario Brothers sound effect

Amazing video as always!

WOOO! BAZ BATTLES! Always a treat to get another one of your vids!

Thank you for using the metric system

Your Voice is extraordinary Baz Battle.

Could you do a a video or a series about the mercenary companies in Europe? You know like the Catalan company, Great company or other free companies. Some of these mercenaries even managed to defeat various armies of diferent kingdoms by themselves so that's pretty awesome hahaha

My hometown of Largs is the star! Every year we have a Viking festival and we set fire to a longboat. There is also a Viking village during that period. It’s a cool place and thanks for telling some history of my people:)

I live 6 or so miles away from Largs, it’s crazy to think I’ve walk over this battlefield many many times.

I love your video style; unique, easy to follow, interesting, and extremely educational. Well done friend

The illustration is brilliant.

keep up the amazing work guys, there are not near enough channels bringing history back to life. Respect.

That's why reconassiance is so important in war because you need to no the area if your planning to fight or stop surprise attacks also that commander on the hill was so bad he should of sent message to to camp as soon as possible and after he couldn't even keep a orginazed retreat

I've know this battle existed, but never knew the specifics. Went on a school trip back in Primary to the Vikingar (museum?) in Largs, but I didn't care as a kid. I go to Millport a lot, but I never knew that the Norse set up camp on the Isle of Cumbrae, interesting stuff.

I'm from Largs, I knew of the battle but not why and how it was fought, thanks .

Teacher put your video in my history class, great job!

Love you freaking videos, the battles of history ,, amazing work n tell tale..

Great video again :D

When a video of the Portuguese discovery and conquest on the indic. Congrats for the excellent work

Largs makes a great deal about it's Viking heritage. Thanks for explaining the battle so clearly.

GREAT STORY, GREAT FORMAT, GREAT PRODUCTION/NARRATION !!!!👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👍👍

Largs is a lovely seaside town now lol

A superb production. Thank you for posting.

The description in beginning of the video is my fav.

Is there anything that makes your day better than a baz battles video

Amazing!

Live quite near to large lovely town great to see it’s given some screen time

What a treat. Two vids in one day. Keep them coming.

King : preparing for war and glory Flu : I'm about to end this man whole carrier.

Thanks for doing a video on my suggestion, but I was talking about a diffrent battle that happened in largs

thanks baz !

Keep them coming, pretty please. Thank you.

Great video! I live near Largs and remember going on a school trip there for the ‘Viking Festival’ when we were about 7 years old so this brought back some memories haha!

Do videos about Belisarius

My home town. Awesome video😊

Great Video 👍

Tuna fish sandwich , chips . can of soda , and Baz Battles. HEAVEN.

I’m from Arran, thanks for another amazing video!

Winter is coming, Let's go to Orkney. Greatest Idea ever.

Love your vids mate , keeps me entertained at work

A battle in Scotland, hell yeah. They dont teach us about our own battles apart from stirling bridge and bannockburn in schools in Scotland, nice to see one on the channel.

I em glad that you guys have started to yous the letter Å one the name of the nowegian kings :)

If you hear closely 3:07 Alexander grew up using Mario's mushroom.

Battle of Alcacer Quibir aka Battle of 3 kings. Involve 3 kingdom Morocco, Portugal and Ottoman

Love the "mushroom" sound xD

I LOVE YOUR VIDEOS KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK

I like the picture of Alexander III, looks like Desperate Dan!

man! what a large battle

That Supermario mushroom sound effect at 3:05 is hilarious xD

Who would have thought largs yacht marina had such a famous place in history...the monument looks like a big pencil..its a lovely walk between Largs town and the marina

Coming along in leaps and bounds BazBattles

Battle of Bannockburn

I will never tire of the Death 'hsaaaa' sound effect.

Yayyy new video!

I was just there a month ago, the big creepy viking statue is surrounded by punters having ice cream haha.

Bergen used to be called Björgvin back in the vikingage.

Exchange ruler with taxing authority and begins to make sense

Very informative and interesting stuff.. good show.

nice to see the scots with some decent cavalry for a change , but here the fault i think is with the Norwegian king for his ships and mobility give him the flexibility of where he wants the battle to take place...with the battle actually happening as to the scot's kings timing , he was always at a disadvantage...personally a spot of raiding along the scottish coastline , burning and looting a few villages and towns .making the scots desperate for a battle...and then i would pick your spot for the fight [shrugs] or go back to raiding ..the advantage should've alsways been with the norwegians really :D

Damn those colds in medieval times man.

Great video, I actually live in a small town just down the coast from Largs. The vikings should have known better than to mess with us Scots.

nice video!

They landed in the Veil , I had no idea

The battle of Culloden would be a great video I reckon