Atlas of Battles

siege, early modern

Siege of Leith

Siege of Leith was a siege conducted in December 1559 at Leith, in what is now United Kingdom.

See it on the globe Read the article

Siege of Leith map, 1560. The colour original is in the archive of Petworth House, Sussex. Copies are displayed in South Leith Parish Church and Huntly House Museum, Edinburgh. The above image is anno
Siege of Leith map, 1560. The colour original is in the archive of Petworth House, Sussex. Copies are displayed in South Leith Parish Church and Huntly House Museum, Edinburgh. The above image is anno. Unknown (1560), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.

Record

DateDecember 1559 (month precision)
PlaceLeith, United Kingdom
55.974N, 3.172W
KindSiege, early modern
ResultCatholic/French withstood siege.; Mary of Guise died during the peace process.; Treaty of Edinburgh signed with withdraw of English and French troops from Scotland.; Auld Alliance between Scotland and France was dissolved.
BelligerentsCatholic Scots; FranceProtestant Scots; England
CommandersQueen Mary of Guise; Henri Cleutin; Sébastien de Luxembourg; Jacques de la BrosseJames Hamilton; William Grey; James Croft; William Wynter
StrengthFrench soldiers in Leith (28 May 1560): 2,300; others 2,000; French evacuated from Scotland in July 1560: 3,613 men, 267 women, 315 childrenEnglish total (25 May 1560): 12,466
Casualties and losses7 May 1560: 157 May 1560: English: 800; Scottish: 400
Siege of LeithSiege of LeithCleanse the CausewayBattle of BoroughmuirBattle of PinkieBattle of Wester KinghornBattle of PrestonpansCleanse the CausewayBattle of Wester KinghornGlasgowNewcastleAberdeenDundeeAyrPerthDumfriesCarlisle100 km55.974N, 3.172W
The recorded site, with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.

Nearest engagements

Elsewhere in 1559

Siege of Leith is one of 831 engagements of the 16th century in the atlas and one of 599 in present-day United Kingdom.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q7510186, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Siege of Leith, revision 1379302236, read 2026-11-14, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0; the article's text is not reproduced here. Present-day country and state from Natural Earth. Dates before 1582 follow the Julian calendar as recorded.