1263
Ballban consolidates the Delhi Sultanate
Ghiyas ud din Balban, a former slave-soldier of exceptional ability, seized effective control of the Delhi Sultanate as regent and later sultan. He crushed the Mewati bandits, fortified the northwest frontier against Mongol raids, and imposed a court ceremonial of Persian formality that awed visitors and terrified rivals. His spy network reached into every noble household, and his justice was so severe that even his own relatives trembled.
Battle of Largs ends Norse claims on Scotland
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.
Alexander Nevsky dies returning from the Horde
The prince of Vladimir and hero of the Neva died in the town of Gorodets on his way home from negotiating with the Golden Horde on behalf of Rus taxpayers. The Orthodox church would canonize him; Russian memory would later recast him as a national symbol of resistance. His pragmatic collaboration with the Mongols, however distasteful, preserved Novgorod and Vladimir from the total destruction visited on other Rus cities.
Haakon IV of Norway dies at Kirkwall
The Norwegian king who had brought Iceland and Greenland under his crown died of fever in Orkney after the indecisive Battle of Largs. His death accelerated Norwegian withdrawal from the Scottish islands. Within three years, the Treaty of Perth would cede the Hebrides and Man to Scotland. His reign had seen Norway's territory reach its greatest medieval extent, encompassing a North Atlantic empire from Bergen to the Arctic.