In the spring of 1333, Edward III of England laid siege to the Scottish border town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, a key stronghold. The siege was designed to support the claim of Edward Balliol to the Scottish throne and to reassert English control over the region. Berwick capitulated on July 19, 1333, the same day as the Battle of Halidon Hill, marking a significant English victory.

The siege and fall of Berwick were the subjects of English and Scottish ballads that celebrated or lamented the town's capture. It became a symbol of the fluctuating border between the two kingdoms and was frequently referenced in the border poetry of the region. The event's dramatic narrative of a long siege and final surrender influenced later historical poems and the development of siege literature.