Editing Leith (section)

===1500s===
The town was burnt by the [[Edward Seymour, 1st Earl of Hertford|Earl of Hertford]] (on the orders of [[Henry VIII]]) in retaliation for the rejection of the [[Treaty of Greenwich]] by the [[Parliament of Scotland]] in 1543. [[Mary of Guise]] ruled Scotland from Leith in 1560 as [[Regent]] while her daughter, [[Mary, Queen of Scots]] remained in France. Mary of Guise moved the Scottish Court to Leith, to a site that is now Parliament Street, off Coalhill. According to the 18th-century historian [[William Maitland (historian)|William Maitland]], her palace was situated on Rotten Row, now Water Street. Artifacts from the demolished residence are held by the [[National Museum of Scotland]], and her sculptured coat of arms, dated 1560, can be seen in [[South Leith Parish Church]]. When the large French garrison stationed in Leith was attacked by [[Lords of the Congregation|Scottish Protestant lords]], reinforced by troops and artillery sent from England, Mary of Guise was forced to shut herself in [[Edinburgh Castle]]. In June 1560, Mary of Guise died, and the [[Siege of Leith]] ended with the departure of the French troops in accordance with the Treaty of Leith, also known as the [[Treaty of Edinburgh]].

[[File:Mound on Leith Links.jpg|thumb|left|'Giant's Brae' on Leith Links]]

Two mounds on [[Leith Links]], known as "Giant's Brae" and "Lady Fyfe's Brae", identified as Somerset's Battery and Pelham's Battery respectively, are believed to be artillery mounds created for the siege in April 1560 and are listed as scheduled monuments, but may be natural hillocks.<ref>Harris, Stuart, 'The Fortifications and Siege of Leith', ''PSAS'', 121 (1991), 361–62 & fn.21</ref> The best documented day of the siege was 7 May 1560, when the English and Scots charged the walls of Leith with ladders that turned out to be too short. John Knox records the delight of Mary of Guise at the failure of the attack, and English sources report 1000 casualties.<ref>''Calendar State Papers Scotland'', vol. 1 (Edinburgh, 1898): ''HMC Hatfield Manuscripts'', vol. i: ''Sadler Papers'' (Edinburgh, 1809): ''Forbes Full View'', vol. 1 (London, 1740): ''History of Reformation'', John Knox, etc.,</ref>

[[File:Lamb's House, Burgess Street - geograph.org.uk - 1536797.jpg|thumb|[[Lamb's House]] in 2009]]

On 19 August 1561, Mary, Queen of Scots, arrived in Leith and, finding no welcoming party to receive her, made a brief stop at the house of Andrew Lamb, before being collected and escorted by coach to [[Holyrood Palace]], to begin her ill-fated six-year-long reign.<ref>[[David Hay Fleming]], ''Mary, Queen of Scots'' (London, 1897), p. 44: ''Inventory of the Ancient Monuments of the City of Edinburgh'' (Edinburgh: HMSO, 1951), p. 257.</ref> Mary's court came to the sands of Leith to enjoy equestrian tournaments of "[[running at the ring]]" performed by courtiers and diplomats in exotic costumes.<ref>John Guy, ''Mary Queen of Scots: My Heart is My Own'' (Fourth Estate, 2009), p. 154.</ref>
[[File:Remains of the Citadel, Leith.jpg|thumb|Remains of the Citadel]]

After the [[Act Anent the demission of the Crown in favour of our Sovereign Lord, and his Majesty's Coronation 1567|abdication of Mary Queen of Scots in 1567]], during the ensuing civil war, troops fighting for [[James VI of Scotland]] against his mother's supporters in Edinburgh Castle based themselves in Leith from 1571 to 1573, a period called the [[Marian civil war|"Wars between Leith and Edinburgh"]]. In January 1581 The Shore was the scene of a mock combat, involving an assault on the Pope's [[Castel Sant'Angelo]] built on boats, for the marriage of [[Elizabeth Stuart, 2nd Countess of Moray]] and [[James Stewart, 2nd Earl of Moray|James Stewart]] for the entertainment of guests including James VI.<ref>''Calendar State Papers Scotland: 1574–1581'', vol. 5 (Edinburgh, 1907), p. 611.</ref> In 1590, James's wife, [[Anne of Denmark]], was lodged in the [[John Chisholm (soldier)|King's Wark]] when she arrived.<ref>''Calendar State Papers Scotland'', vol. 10 (Edinburgh, 1936), pp. 186, 863: David Stevenson, ''Scotland's Last Royal Wedding'' (John Donald: Edinburgh, 1997), p. 100.</ref>