Boyne, Battle of the

Battle fought on 1 July 1690 in eastern Ireland, in which the exiled King James II was defeated by William III and fled to France. It was the decisive battle of the War of English Succession, confirming a Protestant monarch, and has become the most commemorated battle in modern Irish history. It took its name from the River Boyne which rises in County Kildare and flows 110 km/69 mi northeast to the Irish Sea.

After obtaining aid from Louis XIV of France, James landed in Ireland where he had numerous supporters. King William also landed an army in Ireland, collected more forces from Londonderry, and marched south with about 36,000 troops. James's forces had taken up a position on the south side of the River Boyne, and William launched the attack by sending a force to cross the river some miles upstream so as to turn the Irish flank. The French turned to oppose this attack, and William then sent his cavalry across the river in a frontal assault on James's position. After fierce fighting the Irish foot soldiers broke but their cavalry continued to fight for some time before being routed. James fled to Dublin while his army largely became fugitives; any hopes of James's restoration to the English throne were finally dashed.

Historical significance in Northern Ireland The victory at the River Boyne in 1690 followed success at Londonderry in 1689, when its Protestant population withstood King James II's 15-week siege of the city. These two events became part of the folklore and culture of unionism. The Protestant domination of Ireland that followed victory at the Boyne meant that Protestants regarded King William (III) of Orange as the saviour of the Protestant unionist people of Ulster.

The Orange Order was set up in 1795 to uphold Protestant power in opposition to the Defenders, a Catholic secret society, and to remember William of Orange and celebrate the military successes of 1689 and 1690. The date of the Battle of the Boyne, 1 July, was further enhanced as it became a day of sacrifice for the Protestant unionists in 1916. The Ulster Regiment lost 5,000 men on the first day of the Battle of the Somme on 1 July 1916 in World War I. The Orange Order holds marches all across Northern Ireland each year, in what is known as the ‘marching season’, in remembrance of the Battle of the Boyne and other Protestant sacrifices for Britain. This culminates in the marches held on 12 July, the date of the Battle of Aughrim in 1691 that marked the final victory of the Williamite army over James II's forces. Wall paintings found in loyalist areas of Northern Ireland often contain pictures of William of Orange at the Battle of the Boyne, with the date 1690 and the words ‘Lest we forget’ or ‘Never forget’. The events of the Battle of the Boyne have become central to unionist history and culture, and their ties with Britain.