Battle of the Boyne

Enter your search terms Submit search form

Web www.whichday.com

The Battle of the Boyne was a decisive battle in Irish history - and indeed the history of the whole of the United Kingdom. It was the final defeat of the last catholic king of England, James II.

The Battle of the Boyne, while decisive in the matter of the English succession, was just a small part of a major war which was being played out at that time between the French and the Vatican. Strangely, although nowadays viewed as a straight Protestant-Catholic conflict, there were protestants and catholics amongst the troops fighting on both sides.

The brother of Charles II, who was later to become King James II, converted to catholicism around 1668, although he kept this secret until required under the Test Act of 1673 (along with all other civil and military officials) to denounce certain Catholic beliefs as superstition, which he refused to do. In the same year he married his second wife, Mary of Modena, a catholic princess from Italy. Four years later, his daughter Mary (from his first marriage) married William III, Prince of Orange, a protestant.

In 1685, after the death of his brother (who also converted to catholicism on his deathbed), James succeeded to the throne as James II of England, Ireland and Wales and James VII of Scotland. Soon afterwards there were two rebellions, one by the Duke of Monmouth (the illegitimate son of Charles II) and the other by the Earl of Argyll. Neither was successful.

Over the next three years, James attempted to enforce religious tolerance, which alienated him from many of his subjects and led Parliament to request William of Orange to depose him. When William arrived on 5th November 1688, many of James' army defected. James was captured, but allowed to escape to France, landing in Ireland (which had remained loyal to him) in March 1689. William, in fact, was fighting against the French, who were trying to reinstate the Stuart succession to the English throne.

On June 14th, 1690, William landed at Carrickfergus, Ulster and marched South with his army, reaching the River Boyne via Dublin on the 29th. On the 1st July, the majority of William's troops crossed the ford at Oldbridge, Drogheda, beating James' raw recruits by sheer strength of numbers, although for a time they were in serious danger of defeat when James' cavalry joined the fray, as their own cavalry had not yet crossed the river. James lost his nerve and left the battle, escaping back to France as quickly as he could.

After the adoption of the Gregorian calendar in 1752, the commemoration of the victory of "King Billy" at the Battle of the Boyne, called Orangemen's Day, was moved to the date of 12th July in the new calendar.

Web design by: TheWebsiteDesign.Co.UK

Copyright ©2009 TWSD Services, All rights reserved