BattlefieldsSiege of St Andrews Castle 1546–1547
Tudor

Siege of St Andrews Castle 1546–1547

1546–1547
Fife, Scotland
Also known as: St Andrews Castle 1546 · Murder of Cardinal Beaton
Era
Tudor
Battle Type
Siege
Location
Fife, Scotland
Status
Unregistered
The Combatants

Who Fought

Defeated
Protestant rebel garrison (Castilians)
Forces
garrison c.120–150.
VS
Victor
France and Scotland
Forces
Franco-Scottish siege force c.2,000–4,000
Outcome
Protestant rebels held St Andrews Castle after murdering Cardinal Beaton; besieged by regent; French fleet arrived and forced surrender; survivors including John Knox sent to French galleys
The Battle

History & Significance

The siege of St Andrews Castle was a pivotal episode in the Scottish Reformation. Cardinal Beaton had ordered the burning of the Protestant reformer George Wishart in 1546; his assassins then held St Andrews Castle for over a year as Protestant pilgrims arrived to join them. The eventual French intervention and the surrender of the castle sent John Knox to the French galleys — an experience that radicalised him. Knox's later return to Scotland as a preacher fundamentally altered its religious history.

Questions & Answers

Frequently Asked Questions

Aubrey Research

Explore the landscape around Fife

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 Fife