The siege ended Lancastrian control of the Tower of London during the Wars of the Roses, securing London for the Yorkist cause in 1460.
Key Facts
- Siege start
- Early July 1460, after Yorkists entered London on 2 July
- Surrender date
- 19 July 1460
- Yorkist besieging force
- 2,000 men under Earl of Salisbury
- Lancastrian commander
- Lord Scales
- Siege method
- Bombards used to breach curtain wall; supply blockade
- Related battle
- Battle of Northampton, Yorkist victory on 10 July 1460
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Yorkist nobles exiled in Calais invaded southeast England in June 1460 and entered London on 2 July with broad popular support. The Lancastrian garrison of the Tower, under Lord Scales, responded by firing cannon and wildfire indiscriminately into London's streets, killing and wounding civilians, which turned city sentiment firmly against the garrison.
While the main Yorkist army marched north to confront the Lancastrian royal forces, roughly 2,000 men under the Earl of Salisbury, assisted by London aldermen and militia wielding bombards from a royal depot, besieged the Tower. They breached part of the curtain wall and maintained a tight blockade, cutting off supplies to Scales and his garrison throughout July 1460.
Starved into submission, the garrison surrendered on 19 July 1460. Lord Scales attempted to flee by boat in disguise but was recognised and killed by a mob. The fall of the Tower consolidated Yorkist control of London and followed their capture of King Henry VI at the Battle of Northampton on 10 July, substantially advancing the Yorkist position in the Wars of the Roses.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Earl of Salisbury.
Side B
1 belligerent
Lord Scales.