ALEXANDER III. succeeded his father, A. II., on the Scottish throne, at the age of 8, and, two years later, in 1251, he married the princess Margaret, eldest daughter of Henry III. of England. The tender age of the sovereign enabled Henry to prosecute successfully for some time his schemes for obtaining entire control over the Scottish kingdom ; but long before lie reached manhood, A. displayed so much energy and wis dom as to give assurance that when the administration of affairs should come under his personal direction, it would be vain to think of reducing him to submission. Very shortly after he had come of age, his energies were summoned to the defense of his king dom against the formidable invasion of Haco, king of Norway (1208), who claimed the sovereignty of the western isles. In attempting a landing at Largs, on the coast of Ayr, the Norwegian prince sustained a total defeat; and A., as the result of this important victory, secured the allegiance both of the Hebrides and of the Isle of Man. The alliance tween Scotland and Norway was strengthened in 1282 by the marriage of A.'s only
daughter, Margaret, to Eric, king of Norway. This princess died in the following year, leaving an infant daughter, Margaret, commonly designated the Maiden of Norway, whose untimely death, on her way to take possession of her throno, was the occasion of so many calamities to Scotland. During the concluding years of A.'s 'reign, the kingdom enjoyed a peace and prosperity which it did not taste again for many generations. The justice, liberality, and wisdom of the king endeared his memory to his subjects, while the mis fortunes that followed his death heightened the national sense of his loss. His only son, A., who had married the daughter of Guy, count of Flanders, died without issue in 1284. A. contracted a second marriage in 128.5 with Joleta, daughter of the count de Dreux. The hopes of the nation were soon after clouded by his untimely death. Riding on a dark night between Burntisland and Kinghorn, he fell with his horse over a precipice, and was killed on the spot.