First Siege of King's Landing

The First Siege of King's Landing, the largest battle in the War of the Seven Kings, is fought between the forces loyal to Joffrey I Baratheon, the king holding the Iron Throne, and those loyal to his uncle, Renly Baratheon, who controls the Stormlands and the Reach. After gathering his Forces at Bitterbridge Renly sends Loras to Storm's End to deal with Stannis Baratheon, another claimant to the Iron Throne. Renly advances on King's Landing by land via the Rose Road, intent on seizing the city and taking control of the Iron Throne.
==Prelude==
Convinced that Joffrey Baratheon is not fit to be King, Renly Baratheon, thinking he would make a better king. After Lord Eddard Stark's Coup fails, Renly escapes the capital traveling to Highgarden to form an alliance with Reach by marrying Lord Mace Tyrell's daughter Lady Margaery Tyrell. After marrying Margaery, Renly calls the banners and gathers a massive host at Bitterbridge. His main host is numbered around 115,000 men while a reserve force of 50,000 men is at Highgarden under Lord Mace Tyrell. In Bitterbridge Renly meets with Lady Catelyn Tully, who's come to represent her son Robb and form an alliance between them in exchange for an independent North. Renly refuses stating that he doesn't want to rule a 'Broken Westeros'.
During the talks with Lady Catelyn news arrives that Stannis now styling himself as King Stannis has besieged Storm's End. In response to this Renly sends Ser Loras Tyrell with 30,000 Reachmen to drive Stannis back.
In preparation of the defense of King's Landing, the City Watch of King's Landing is tripled in size, sellswords are hired, contingents of soldiers are send from Rosby and Stokeworth, and hundreds of scorpions, spitfires, and catapults are constructed and placed on the walls. Tyrion further sends out his hundred and fifty Vale mountain clansmen to harass Stannis's flanks and kill his scouts in the kingswood. Renly's vanguard arrives at the city early, and clansmen are dispatched to exchange arrows with his forces. The vanguard is said to have twenty thousand men, flying the banners of Houses Fossoway, Estermont, Tarly and Connington, under the command of Lord Randyl Tarly.
==Battle==
===Attack on King's Landing===
The city itself is defended by some five thousand seven hundred gold cloaks, leavened with eight hundred mercenaries and three hundred knights, squires, and men-at-arms from the court and the surrounding crownlands. As acting Hand of the King, command of the defense is taken by Tyrion Lannister.
At the start of the battle, some small skirmishes arise within the city when some drunkards in Flea Bottom smash doors and climb into houses. Lord Jacelyn Bywater sends his gold cloaks to deal with them. When rich merchants and such gather in the square before the Red Keep, asking for refuge in the castle, Queen Regent Cersei Lannister commands the gates be kept close.
Tyrion tasks several groups of mounted men-at-arms, along with what few knights the city has, to harry Lord Tarly's vanguard as they arrive. Under the command of Sandor Clegane and Ser Balon Swann of the Kingsguard, they manage to help stem the tide, but as the battle drags on, they suffer grievous casualties. Tyrion and King Joffrey I Baratheon look on from the King's Gate. After King Joffrey leaves to shoot the Antler Men from the trebuchets, guarded by Ser Meryn Trant and Ser Osmund Kettleblack, Tyrion learns of Renly's men having taken the tourney grounds, who are preparing to ram the Lion's Gate. He arrives at the King's Gate where Sandor Clegane, who had already led three sorties in which he has lost half his men.
The forth sortie is lead by Sandor along with Tyrion. During this sortie Sandor fights with Brienne of Tarth and Ser Emmon Cuy of Renly's Rainbow Guard and is injured by Brienne but Renly's men retreat after their attacks falter. While this is going on Tyrion finds himself suddenly attacked by Ser Mandon Moore of the Kingsguard, who had been Tyrion's sworn shield throughout the battle. Moore is killed by Tyrion's squire, Podrick Payne.
===Attack of the Old Lion===
Having learned of Renly's approaching attack on King's Landing, Lord Tywin Lannister has marched his host east from Harrenhal. The Lannisters force marched to reach the capital in a week. They arrive at the battle scene at dusk, taking Renly's army from the rear. The Lannister 1st Army crashes into the rear of Renly's host, the green Reach and Stormlanders are no match for the seasoned Westerlands Army and the battle quickly turns into a rout but they are only saved by the Rearguard action of Lord Randyl Tarly.
Seeing that the battle has turned bad, Renly quickly orders a retreat but all cohesion is effectively gone, but the actions of Lord Tarly and the wariness of the Lannister troops gives them enough time to retreat to Grandview and then to Bitterbridge from there.
==Aftermath==
The First Siege of King's Landing is a major defeat for Renly. He retreats to Bitterbridge with most of his army. Multiple honors and rewards are given to the participants and survivors of the battle by King Joffrey and his small council:
* Lord Tywin Lannister is proclaimed "Savior of the City", and openly accepts the responsibility of the governance of the realm, officially resuming his office as Hand of the King.
* Lothor Brune, raised to knighthood and granted land and keep in the Reach for the capture of Ser Jon Fossoway and the slaying of Ser Bryan and Ser Edwyd Fossoway after fighting past half a hundred Fossoway men-at-arms.
* Josmyn Peckledon, a sword and suit of plate and a warhorse of the royal stables as well as a knighthood when coming of age, for killing two knights, wounding a third and capturing two more.
* Goodman Willit, a Swyft man-at-arms who saved his master Harys Swyft from beneath his dying horse and a dozen attackers. Granted a spear with a silver-banded haft, a hauberk of new-forged ringmail and a full helm with visor. His elder son taken as a squire and his younger one as page at Casterly Rock.
* Ser Lancel Lannister, granted the lands, castle and rights of House Grandison as Lord of Grandview.
* More than six hundred men are knighted by the Kingsguard, including sellsword Bronn, raised to knighthood as Ser Bronn of the Blackwater, and Osfryd and Osney Kettleblack.