Editing Leicester (section)

====Civil War====
Leicester was a Parliamentarian (colloquially called [[Roundhead]]) stronghold during the [[English Civil War]]. In 1645, King [[Charles I of England]] and [[Prince Rupert]] decided to attack the (then) town to draw the [[New Model Army]] away from the Royalist (colloquially called [[Cavaliers]]) headquarters of [[Oxford]]. [[Royalist]] guns were set up on [[Raw Dykes]] and, after an unsatisfactory response to a demand for surrender, the assault began at 3pm on 30 May 1645 by a Royalist battery opposite the Newarke. The town – which only had approximately 2,000 defenders opposed to the Royalist Army of approximately 10,000 combatants – was sacked on 31 May 1645, and hundreds of people were killed by Rupert's cavalry. One witness said, "they fired upon our men out of their windows, from the tops of houses, and threw tiles upon their heads. Finding one house better manned than ordinary, and many shots fired at us out of the windows, I caused my men to attack it, and resolved to make them an example for the rest; which they did. Breaking open the doors, they killed all they found there without distinction". It was reported that 120 houses had been destroyed and that 140 wagons of plunder were sent to the Royalist stronghold of [[Newark-on-Trent|Newark]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.british-civil-wars.co.uk/military/1645-leicester-naseby.htm |title=1645:The Storming of Leicester and the Battle of Naseby |access-date=25 March 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080509100109/http://www.british-civil-wars.co.uk/military/1645-leicester-naseby.htm |archive-date=9 May 2008 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

Following the Parliamentarian victory over the Royalist Army at the [[Battle of Naseby]] on 14 June 1645, Leicester was recovered by Parliament on 18 June 1645.