On July 1, 1690, two armies consisting of Danish, French, Dutch, Huguenot, German, English, and even Irish troops met on the banks of the River Boyne near Drogheda. Both were led by men who insisted that only they were the rightful King of England. The main force of both armies never participated in the fight. Boyne’s battle was by no means decisive. It wasn’t even about Ireland, but it became one of the most iconic events in Irish history.
1688 – The Glorious Revolution
To explain the Battle of the Boyne, one has to start at the root of the cause. King James II of England, a Stuart, aroused the suspicions of the Westminster Parliament for his reactionary politics and his definite inclination towards the Catholic Church. Following the success of his brother Charles II as king, James was already 51 years old and was not expected to last. Or build a dynasty: he had no children. And next in line for the throne was Mary, Charles’s niece, married to William, an obscure European nobleman now Stadtholder from the (staunchly Protestant) Netherlands.
While his religious beliefs might have been tolerable for a time, James’s claim to be the absolute ruler immediately made the collective feathers of the Houses of Parliament fashionable. Less than 40 years ago, the head of a king was cut off for similar aspirations. Four months after the accession of James II, the first rebellion under the Duke of Monmouth (his nephew, though illegitimate) failed. The “bloody assassins” followed, ringing home the reality of outright royalty.
The final straw came on June 10, 1688, in the form of the Prince of Wales, as if James had magically managed to create an heir! The Catholic succession was assured.
William then put all his eggs in one basket, sailed to England, and landed at Brixham on November 5, 1688. Securing the support of English dissidents, William marched on London and succeeded in expelling James from England. The “Glorious Revolution” was a success and on February 13 William and Mary were crowned joint sovereigns, after signing the Bill of Rights and making absolute monarchy impossible.
Jacobites versus Williamites
The Glorious Revolution tore Britain apart politically: supporters of the “Old King” vowed to resist political change by force. They became collectively known as the Jacobites, with James being the English version of the biblical name Jacob. Not surprisingly, King William’s supporters became known as Willamites.
Viewing this conflict as a religious matter is a futile exercise, although James’s Catholicism caused suspicion and ultimately led to his undoing. Political issues were much more important. And the Protestant William had the support of Pope Innocent XI. And William’s European allies came mainly from the Augsburg League, an anti-French clique of nobility, but which also included the Catholic states.
Battlefield ireland
Ireland became a battlefield almost by accident: after leaving England, James II had de facto presented William with the crown on a silver plate. His only hope of restoration was tied to a return to his kingdom. And only one part was considered safe and comprehensive enough: Catholic Ireland, effectively ruled by the Jacobite Tyrconnel.
Tyrconnel was determined to hold onto power in Ireland and played a diplomatic game of cat and mouse involving William, James and Louis XIV of France.
With French blessings and military support, James II landed at Kinsale on March 12, 1689, bent on reconquering Ireland, then Scotland, then England. Several Jacobite successes followed and the Siege of Derry began on April 16, the Williamites apparently losing on a large scale. And James even managed to establish his own parliament in Dublin.
But the military campaign of the Duke of Schomberg, at the time a Brandenburg general “on loan” to William, almost reversed the situation. And on June 14, 1690, William III entered Ireland at the head of 15,000 soldiers (mostly Dutch and Danish), using the port of Carrickfergus and heading south towards Dublin via Newry and Drogheda.
James II decided to thwart this plan by defending Dublin on the River Boyne. Occupying Drogheda and Oldbridge Estate to the west seemed like a good idea at the time.
The Battle of Boyne in 1690
The situation on the morning of July 1, 1690 was clear: William III wanted to get to Dublin and had to find a way to cross the Boyne. Easier said than done, with Drogheda occupied and fortified by Jacobite troops, a crossing near Oldbridge Estate seemed the only achievable goal. Then William marched his various troops there.
Hoping to find him was the army loyal to James II, led by the man himself. And this is the first reason why the battle became famous: it was the only time that both kings were on the battlefield, facing each other (although at a distance).
The battle itself, while bloody enough, was not a massive engagement. Many troops only “fought” out of musket range, others were (literally) bogged down, reduced to scowling at an enemy on an impassable patch of land. And while the Jacobites had (in theory) a very defensible position, the Croa- tiamites more than straightened the odds by having and employing artillery, as well as enlisting experienced soldiers. In a few hours, these soldiers, despite losing the Duke of Schomberg, managed to force a passage through the Boyne, counterattack and establish a safe passage across the river, towards Dublin.
And here he earned a new iconic status: William of Orange crossing the Boyne became the iconic image he still is today. And James fleeing from Pell-Mell to the south, finally to France and never again to return, he does not forget either. Nor is it his comment to Lady Tyrconnel that his compatriots certainly ran well. In response to which she observed that he seemed to have surpassed them.
But it must be added that James was not too far off the mark, especially the ‘Irish Gaelic’ regiments again demonstrated their tendency to simply go home when their commanding officer was killed. The “cause” was a very nebulous concept to them.
The subsequent failure of the Jacobite cause
As the Battle of Boyne was by no means decisive, the war continued. Mainly thanks to William’s biggest mistake: instead of opting for peace and reconciliation, he lashed out at the Jacobites and drew up punitive terms under which his surrender could be recognized. Obviously, winning hearts and minds was not very high on his agenda, and thus, he managed to toughen up the enemy’s resistance. Which only ended over a year later in Limerick.
The Jacobites made two more serious attempts to regain the throne for the Stuarts: in 1715 and again in 1745, the last under the ineffective but highly romantic “Bonnie Prince Charlie.” After the massacre of his troops during the Battle of Culloden (Scotland), the Jacobite cause was left without force. But Culloden became as iconic for Scotland as the Battle of the Boyne for Ireland.
The Battle of Boyne as a Protestant Icon
Despite its ultimate historical insignificance, the Battle of the Boyne became a Protestant and Unionist icon, this was mainly due to the presence of both kings on the battlefield. The image of James running away from the victorious William was too good to resist. Even if the Protestant William fought the Catholic James with the unlikely backing of Pope Innocent XI!
The Orange Order, founded in the 1790s to preserve Protestant ancestry, made the celebration of the battle the central event on its calendar. What is still today, although the highlight of the marching season is July 12, the wrong day. July 12 is a public holiday in Northern Ireland and massive parades are held in commemoration of William’s victory (only one Orange Order parade is held in the Republic, in Rossnowlagh). An impressive event, albeit highly divisive and sectarian in character.
And always playing and playing the drums »The girdle that my father wore» …
And a tour of (Protestant) Belfast is sure to find you face to face with the iconic image etched in Irish minds: “King Billy” in a red coat, astride a white horse, pointing his sword toward victory and a glorious future. dominated by Protestants. This representation may not be historically correct, but every Irish schoolboy will instantly recognize it. In both parts of the division. It represents not only the Protestant victory but also the close connection with England.
