The siege of Inverness took place in 1649 as part of the 17th-century Scottish Civil War that was, in turn, part of the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. On 5 February 1649, Charles II had been proclaimed king after his father's execution. It was decided} that Charles and his allies who were in exile should again try to recover the kingdom, once again led by the royalist army leader James Graham, 1st Marquess of Montrose. As a result a rising took place in the north of Scotland under Colonel Hugh Fraser, who was joined by John Munro of Lemlair, Thomas Mackenzie of Pluscardine and Sir Thomas Urquhart of Cromarty.