Rupert and Newcastle were defeated the next day at the decisive Battle of Marston Moor, and the siege resumed until the city was surrendered on easy terms on 16 July.

When civil war broke out in 1642, the Royalists in Yorkshire were briefly besieged in the city, until the Earl of Newcastle (later elevated to marquess) came to their aid with an army from the northern counties.

Newcastle also sent detachments southward into Lincolnshire, but these were defeated at Gainsborough and Winceby by Parliamentarian cavalry under Oliver Cromwell and Sir Thomas Fairfax.

Newcastle took the bulk of his army north to face this new threat, leaving John Belasyse as Governor of York with 1,500 horse and 1,800 foot.

On 11 April, Thomas Fairfax and Parliamentarian infantry under Sir John Meldrum stormed Selby, capturing Belasyse and most of his army.

Under Newcastle's Lieutenant General of Horse, Lord Goring, they moved south into Derbyshire and subsequently crossed the Pennines into Lancashire.

The Foss had been dammed close to its confluence with the Ouse shortly after the Norman conquest, causing the river behind to form a large lake that protected the northeastern approaches into the city.

The Parliamentarians constructed a bridge of boats over the Ouse at Acaster Malbis several miles south of York to allow communications between their two armies.

Most of the activity over this period was undertaken by the garrison, who made a sortie to burn down several houses in the nearby village of Acomb (spelled Ackham in contemporary accounts), to deny shelter to the besiegers, and mounted other raids.

There was also an outer ring of several "sconces" (small detached earthwork forts, each with a garrison of perhaps a company of infantry and two or three cannon) at a distance from the walls.

Vane carried instructions to the generals at York to detach forces to resist the Royalists under Prince Rupert of the Rhine, who was threatening to overrun the Parliamentarian-held county of Lancashire.

Leven and his commanders had already expressed their opposition to this, and when Vane arrived on 9 June, they maintained their resolve to capture York rather than dissipate their strength in half-measures.

Vane (who was also instructed to sound out the allied leaders on their views as to whether King Charles was to be deposed) eventually agreed with the generals' strategy.

Although the breach was the site of constant bickering between the attackers and the garrison (as the Earl of Manchester wrote, "We are now so near them that we are very ill neighbours one to another"), the Parliamentarians did not renew the assault.

At first the garrison was unaware that the besiegers had departed, but sentries later reported that their Scots and Parliamentarian opposite numbers were no longer answering calls and shouting insults as they usually did.

Meanwhile, Rupert had bypassed the Scots and Parliamentarian armies in a highly successful flanking manoeuvre, and gained touch with the city from the north.

He earned the thanks of the city by refusing to allow religious zealots in the victorious Scots and Parliamentarian armies to vandalise the many churches (including York Minster.)