The Siege of Bristol was a major siege action of the First English Civil War which occurred from 23 August to 10 September 1645, when the Parliamentarian general Thomas Fairfax captured the major port city of Bristol from Prince Rupert of the Rhine's Royalist garrison.
History[]
Following the Battle of Naseby in June 1645, the Parliamentarian general Thomas Fairfax set about clearing the West Country and the rest of South West England of Royalist forces. After a major victory at the Battle of Langport, Fairfax went on to capture Bridgwater and Sheborne Castle before laying siege to the major port city of Bristol on 23 August. The New Model Army proceeded to invest Bristol, defended by Prince Rupert of the Rhine, and, on the night of 9-10 September, the Parliamentarians stormed the city. Prince Rupert surrendered Bristol on terms and was escorted to Oxford with his men, stunning his uncle, King Charles I, who had held out hope that he might be able to obtain reinforcements from France or Ireland as long as his supply hub at Bristol remained in Royalist hands. King Charles angrily dismissed his nephew from all his offices and ordered him to leave England, leaving Chester as the only important seaport remaining to connect the Royalists with Ireland.