BattlefieldsLang Siege of Edinburgh Castle falls to English guns 1573
Tudor

Lang Siege of Edinburgh Castle falls to English guns 1573

1573
Midlothian, Scotland
Also known as: Surrender of Edinburgh Castle 1573 · English artillery reduces Edinburgh Castle 1573
Era
Tudor
Battle Type
Siege
Location
Midlothian, Scotland
Status
Unregistered
The Combatants

Who Fought

Defeated
Marian garrison (Kirkcaldy of Grange)
Forces
Marian garrison
VS
Victor
King's party (Regent Morton / English assistance)
Forces
English and King's party siege force with heavy artillery
Outcome
English artillery and engineering reduced Edinburgh Castle; the walls collapsed; Kirkcaldy of Grange surrendered and was executed
The Battle

History & Significance

The Lang Siege of Edinburgh Castle ended after the Regent Morton secured English military assistance — cannon and experienced soldiers from Elizabeth I. The English artillery battered the castle into submission within weeks. Kirkcaldy of Grange — one of the finest soldiers in Scotland — was hanged. The fall of Edinburgh Castle ended the last organised Marian resistance in Scotland and consolidated Protestant government. Elizabeth I's intervention settled Scottish politics for a generation.

Questions & Answers

Frequently Asked Questions

Aubrey Research

Explore the landscape around Midlothian

Aubrey generates in-depth historical research for any location in Britain — drawing on Domesday records, scheduled monuments, Victorian OS maps, geological data and archaeological archives to tell the full story of a place.

Research a location near Midlothian