10. Sieges of Harlech Castle
Harlech Castle, built from 1282-1289 in Wales by Edward I of England, occupies a promontory on the Irish Sea. During the Wars of the Roses, the castle was held by troops loyal to the House of Lancaster against the forces of the House of York for seven years. The ability to resupply the castle by sea gave the besieged an advantage, and the castle’s battlements were discouraging to those considering direct attacks. It became the last of the Lancastrian fortresses during the conflict before finally falling to the enemy in 1468, with the Yorkist troops supported by French allies. The end of the Wars of the Roses was marked by the ascension of the Tudors to the British throne.
It was again the site of a prolonged siege during the English Civil War, when forces supporting King Charles I occupied the castle. Since the siege nearly two centuries earlier the castle had fallen into disrepair. Its garrison, though small, attempted to refurbish the castle, but in 1647, after a nine-month siege, the men manning the fortress surrendered. The victorious forces of Parliament celebrated their triumph by partially destroying the nearly 400-year-old castle, creating the ruins as they exist today. Stones from several structures within the castle were re-used to build homes nearby.