History Main / TheSiege

* In ''Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick'', Azure City, a bastion of good partially ruled under the watch of paladins, is attacked by a massive army of hobgoblins led by [[TheDragon Redcloak]], an evil goblin cleric and [[BigBad Xykon]], an evil human lich sorcerer. The protagonists find themselves defending the city alongside the paladins. [[spoiler:The good guys actually ''lose'' with heavy casualties, including the leader of the protagonists. A very, very long arc was dedicated to the fallout of the battle, including the only recent resurrection of said leader.]]

* ''Eikou no Napoleon-Eroica'' has two examples:

* ''Literature/RebuildWorld'': One of the later arcs of the Web Novels has Akira, most of TheSquad he has teamed up with by that point, as well as the RagtagBunchOfMisfits Hunter Gang Akira's been building up with Sheryl, defending their territory in the slums from a mechanized force of the Lion Steel MegaCorp on the outside, as well as several PrivateMilitaryContractors hired by them attacking from the inner part of the technically neutral city of Kugamayama on the other. It's a multi-phase battle with the defenders trying to protect the fortified HomeBase gang headquarters, seeing whole swaths of the slums flattened. It ends with TheCorruption brought by the gone mad leader of the Lion Steel forces assimilating technology and corpses into monsters to attack all sides, [[spoiler:finally prompting the Kugamayama City defenders to be NeutralNoLonger. This was all the result of TheConspiracy by multiple parties to try and demonstrate the power of the Lion Steel co to help recruit an A.I. into the company, and they pay everyone hush money]].

* ''Film/{{The War Lord|1965}}'': In the 11th century, a band of Frisians make several attempts to storm the tower of Norman feudal warlord Chrysagon de la Cruex (Creator/CharltonHeston) and save their little prince who's held hostage inside, with the help of the angry villagers who want the bride Chrysagon took out of DroitDuSeigneur back. They use various methods including an attempt at infiltration by night (sabotaging the drawbridge's chains doing so), destroying the door with a BatteringRam made with a tree trunk, [[IncendiaryExponent burning the tower's door]] and finally using a siege tower. They fail every attempt, although they could have overwhelmed Chrysagon's forces on the last attempt had Chrysagon's brother Draco not brought [[TheCavalry reinforcements]] with a catapult.

** Also in the game background the Ultramarines' defence of their polar fortress againt the Tyranids that had invaded their home planet. Most of their 1st company died holding the place untill the Imperial Navy could drive off the Hive Fleet by having a battleship perform a HeroicSacrifice and explode it's warp core right in the middle of the fleet.
** The entirety of [[Literature/IronWarriors Storm of Iron]], which features Iron Warriors attacking a seemingly pointless fort on an ugly planet that closely resembles the arse end of nowhere. [[spoiler:It's a gene-seed repository, one of the most important places in the entire Imperium. And TheBadGuyWins. You can panic now.]]

* The climax of the entire ''Literature/HarryPotter'' series takes place in the last third or so of ''[[Literature/HarryPotterAndTheDeathlyHallows Deathly Hallows]]'', when [[spoiler:Voldemort and his Death Eaters storm Hogwarts itself.]]
* The entire premise of ''Literature/{{Legend|1984}}'' by Creator/DavidGemmell: the garrison of the fortress of Dros Delnoch must hold out against [[TheHorde the Nadir army]] to buy enough time for their country to levee an army.
* In the book ''Literature/{{Azincourt}}'' by Bernard Cornwell it goes into great detail over the siege of Harfleur. The siege is a shambles, the British end up with dysentery, the French keep rebuilding the walls and to top it all a ship gets past the blockade to resupply them. When King Henry V finally takes the small town he lost so many forces he can't possibly hope to defeat the French in open battle but to save face forces his men to march around France attempting to avoid their army...[[ItWasHisSled that doesn't work out so well]].

* In ''The Power That Preserves'' (the third book in the ''Literature/ChroniclesOfThomasCovenant'' series) Lord Foul's army of monsters does this to Revelstone.
* The original ''[[Literature/MistbornTheOriginalTrilogy Mistborn]]'' trilogy has a few such examples.
** In ''Mistborn: The Well of Ascension'' the protagonists are besieged in Luthadel by three armies at once; the fact that the besieging armies are all working against each other is the only reason Luthadel lasts so long.

* The main conflict in ''Literature/{{Redwall}}'' is a siege laid upon Redwall Abbey by a vicious one-eyed rat named Cluney the Scourge. Cluney's forces [[spoiler: actually manage to get in and have to be thrashed afterwards.]]
** There are many, many other sieges in the series, either against Redwall or the Badger Lord's fortress of Salamandastron.
* ''Literature/TheReynardCycle'': The climax of ''The Baron of Maleperduys'' features a fairly spectacular one. Our heroes are hopelessly outnumbered and the bad guys have artillery in a world where castles are not built to withstand cannon fire. It ends when TheCavalry arrives, revealing that what had appeared to be a hopeless situation was actually [[spoiler: a trap that Reynard set, using himself and his friends as living bait.]]

** Also famously averted in the back story as well. The incident which first made Tywin Lannister infamous was a series of battles with defiant lords who had been used to the Lannisters being [[PuppetKing Puppet Lords]] and having things their own way. In one of the battles, with the Reynes of Castamere, the Reynes and their garrison retreated into a series of mines, knowing that the Lannisters would suffer high casualties trying to storm the narrow, unfamiliar mines and weren't equipped for a siege, so the Reynes thought they could outwait the Lannisters or negotiate. Instead Tywin ordered the exits of the mines sealed and [[KillItWithWater diverted a local river to flow into the mines]]. No need for a siege if every single man, woman, and child of your enemies has drowned in the darkness. The act immediately returned the Lannisters to being one of the great powers in the Kingdom, and made Tywin TheDreaded. From that day forward nobody was eager to find out what kind of method he'd come up with to make them regret it if they crossed him.

* Late in ''[[Literature/{{Daemon}} Freedom]]'' anti-Daemon mercenaries carry out one against a Daemon community.

* ''Literature/TheChroniclesOfDorsa'': Once the shadows infect most of the people in Port Lorsin, they attack the royal palace at its heart, sending waves of bodies against it

* Act V of ''VideoGame/DiabloII'' has you battling the forces of Hell which are pounding on the gates of Harrogath and pursuing Baal as he seeks the Worldstone.
* Act III of ''VideoGame/DiabloIII'' has you defending Bastion's Keep near the crater of Mount Arreat against a full-on demonic onslaught by the forces of Azmodan.
* Happens a lot in pretty much every installment of ''VideoGame/FireEmblem'', defending for a certain number of turns in some levels and seizing castles in the siege missions.
* During the Cataclym expansion of ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft'', the Dragon Soul raid is this. All of the Twilight's Hammer and the Black Dragonflight are bringing their forces to tear down the Wyrmrest Temple and bring the [[TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt Hour of Twilight.]] It's up to you and 9/24 other heroes to not only stop that from happening, but finally put an end to Deathwing.

* ''[[VideoGame/JakIIRenegade Jak II]]'': Haven City, [[CityNoir such as it is]], has been under siege by the [[HordeOfAlienLocusts Metal Heads]] for hundreds of years, and is believed to be the only city left on the entire planet, making it humanity's last hope. Pity that the Baron's plan to defeat them would also destroy the entire universe.
** In the next game, ''VideoGame/Jak3Wastelander'', the Freedom League are under siege by Krimzon Guard robots and Metal Heads, and later, Spargus comes under siege from the [[spoiler:Dark Makers]] - it's an interesting change, because in Haven the civilians would run and scream when confronted with enemies, while in Spargus there's no town guard because ''everyone'' is armed.

* The expansion to ''VideoGame/BaldursGateII'', ''VideoGame/ThroneOfBhaal'', throws the player into one of these almost from the beginning. As soon as the player gets out of the initial pocket plane, he or she winds up in the city of Saradush, which is being besieged by a massive army led by a nigh-invulnerable fire giant. The player can even be hit by random artillery fireballs fired by the besieging army when moving around the city.

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[[folder:Web Original]]
* ''Blog/RaceForTheIronThrone'' by Steven Attewell in his Chapter-By-Chapter analysis of ''Literature/AClashOfKings'' describes the entire history of siege warfare in the chapter commentary of the Battle of Blackwater. Notable for the way it covers how siege warfare complicates conventional ideas of UsefulNotes/TheLawsAndCustomsOfWar.
--> ''Due to the high casualty rate that came from assaulting a city or a castle...it was generally understood that those men who survived would be free to do whatever they wanted to the civilian population...it was generally understood that it was almost impossible for a general to prevent his army from committing massacres in the event of a successful assault...Even a generals as feared and respected as [[UsefulNotes/TheDukeOfWellington Sir Arthur Wellesley]], the future Duke of Wellington, found it impossible to control his army following the successful assault on Badajoz, leading to the death of thousands of civilians at the hands of a "pack of hell hounds vomited up from infernal regions for the extirpation of mankind."''
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Normally, the scenario has a very simple formula: our heroes in their fortified position manage to hold back one or even the first few waves of enemies. However, soon after their minor victory, [[DiabolusExMachina the enemies somehow break through in the successive strikes]] and invade the main fortress. [[RealLife Unlike most historical sieges]] a breach in the wall grants an immediate advantage to the [[TheSwarm seemingly endless invading army]] whilst the defenders barely muster proper defenses to hold the breach. Sometimes, this means the bad guys take the citadel, forcing our protagonist into a [[RunAwayOrDie tactical tetreat]]. Other times, it leads to a {{Last Stand}} or even a {{Pyrrhic Victory}} for the defenders.

Normally, the scenario has a very simple formula: our heroes in their fortified position manage to hold back one or even the first few waves of enemies. However, soon after their minor victory, [[DiabolusExMachina the enemies somehow break through in the successive strikes]] and invade the main fortress. [[RealLife Unlike most historical sieges]] a breach in the wall grants an immediate advantage to the [[TheSwarm seemingly endless invading army]] whilst the defenders barely muster proper defenses to hold the breach. Sometimes, this means the bad guys take the citadel, forcing our protagonist into a {{Tactical Retreat}}. Other times, it leads to a {{Last Stand}} or even a {{Pyrrhic Victory}} for the defenders.

Normally, the scenario has a very simple formula: our heroes in their fortified position manage to hold back one or even the first few waves of enemies. However, soon after their minor victory, [[DiabolusExMachina the enemies somehow break through in the successive strikes]] and invade the main fortress. [[RealLife Unlike most historical sieges]] a breach in the wall grants an immediate advantage to the [[TheSwarm seemingly endless invading army]] whilst the defenders barely muster proper defenses to hold the breach. Sometimes, this means the bad guys take the citadel, forcing our protagonist into a {{TacticalRetreat}}. Other times, it leads to a {{Last Stand}} or even a {{Pyrrhic Victory}} for the defenders.

Normally, the scenario has a very simple formula: our heroes in their fortified position manage to hold back one or even the first few waves of enemies. However, soon after their minor victory, [[DiabolusExMachina the enemies somehow break through in the successive strikes]] and invade the main fortress. [[RealLife Unlike most historical sieges]] a breach in the wall grants an immediate advantage to the [[TheSwarm seemingly endless invading army]] whilst the defenders barely muster proper defenses to hold the breach. Sometimes, this means the bad guys take the citadel, forcing our protagonist into a {{TacticalRetreat}}. Other times, it leads to a {{LastStand}} or even a {{PyrrhicVictory}}.

Normally, the scenario has a very simple formula: our heroes in their fortified position manage to hold back one or even the first few waves of enemies. However, soon after their minor victory, [[DiabolusExMachina the enemies somehow break through in the successive strikes]] and invade the main fortress. [[RealLife Unlike most historical sieges]] a breach in the wall grants an immediate advantage to the [[TheSwarm seemingly endless invading army]] whilst the defenders barely muster proper defenses to hold the breach. Sometimes, this means the bad guys take the citadel, forcing our protagonist into a {{TacticalRetreat}}. Other times, it leads to a {{LastStand}} or even a {{PyhrricVictory}}.

Normally, the scenario has a very simple formula: our heroes in their fortified position manage to hold back one or even the first few waves of enemies. However, soon after their minor victory, [[DiabolusExMachina the enemies somehow break through in the successive strikes]] and invade the main fortress. [[Unlike most historical sieges RealLife]] a breach in the wall grants an immediate advantage to the [[seemingly endless invading army TheSwarm]] whilst the defenders barely muster proper defenses to hold the breach. Sometimes, this means the bad guys take the citadel, forcing our protagonist into a {{TacticalRetreat}}. Other times, it leads to a {{LastStand}}

** In the Horus Hersey, the Chaos Space Marines laid siege to Terra, and the Emperor and his remaining forces were forced to drive them off with all they had. The Imperial forces drove the Chaos forces off and killed Horus, but at the price of Sanguinius being slain and the Emperor nearly being killed as well.

* ''Film/TheKiller'' features one of these as its final shootout, with the title character and his CowboyCop ally defending the Killer's last place of sanctuary, a church, against a virtual army of assassins sent by his ex-boss to murder them all.