Elizabeth I sent English artillery from Berwick in May 1573 to end the long siege. William Drury commanded the English force of 1,500 men and heavy guns. The bombardment breached the castle walls after five days of sustained fire, ruining David's Tower and the main water cistern. Kirkcaldy of Grange surrendered and was hanged — having switched from Protestant hero to Marian defender. Maitland of Lethington cheated the gallows by dying in captivity. The fall of Edinburgh Castle ended the Scottish civil war.
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