Battle of the Boyne
The Battle of the Boyne (Irish: Cath na Bóinne IPA: [ˈkah n̪ˠə ˈbˠoːn̠ʲə]) took place in 1690 between the forces of the deposed King James II, and those of King William III who, with his wife Queen Mary II (his cousin and James's daughter), had acceded to the Crowns of England and Scotland in 1689. The battle was fought across the River Boyne close to the town of Drogheda in the Kingdom of Ireland, modern-day Republic of Ireland, and resulted in a victory for William. This turned the tide in James's failed attempt to regain the British crown and ultimately aided in ensuring the continued Protestant ascendancy in Ireland.
| Battle of the Boyne | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Williamite War in Ireland and the Nine Years' War | |||||||
Battle of the Boyne between James II and William III, 11 July 1690, Jan van Huchtenburg | |||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||
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Williamites Dutch Republic Scotland |
Irish Jacobites France | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
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William III/II Frederick Schomberg † Godert de Ginkel Count of Solms Duke of Wurttemberg |
James VII/II Richard Talbot Antoine Caumont James FitzJames | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 36,000 | 23,500 | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 500 killed or wounded | 1,500 killed or wounded | ||||||
Location within island of Ireland | |||||||
The battle took place on 1 July 1690 O.S. William's forces defeated James's army, which consisted mostly of raw recruits. Although the Williamite War in Ireland continued until the signing of the Treaty of Limerick in October 1691, James fled to France after the Boyne, never to return.