Background
King James II
James II succeeded Charles II as King of England, Scotland and Ireland in 1685. He was the last Catholic monarch to reign over the kingdom. He was succeeded by King William of Orange, who was married to his Protestant daughter, Mary II.
Copyright managed by the Library Council.King James II
Copyright managed by the Library Council.
Copyright managed by the Library Council.
King James II
James II succeeded Charles II as King of England, Scotland and Ireland in 1685. He was the last Catholic monarch to reign over the kingdom. He was succeeded by King William of Orange, who was married to his Protestant daughter, Mary II.
Copyright managed by the Library Council.In 1685, James II became King of England, Scotland and Ireland. James was a Catholic but the majority of the population of England were Protestant. When James's wife gave birth to a son, the English Parliament feared that the next king would also be Catholic. Parliament invited James's daughter Mary, who was a Protestant, to take over the throne. Mary and her husband, William of Orange, landed in England in 1688 and prepared to overthrow James.
James looked to France and Ireland for support as he had little support in England. Louis XIV, the French king, was a great enemy of William's. The Irish army and the majority of the population were loyal to James. He decided to gather an army in Ireland and launch an invasion of England from there.
Siege of Derry and Battle of the Boyne
Battle of the Boyne
William of Orange defeats his father-in-law, James II, at the Battle of the Boyne in 1690.
Battle of the Boyne
Battle of the Boyne
William of Orange defeats his father-in-law, James II, at the Battle of the Boyne in 1690.
Before securing his base in Ireland, James had to subdue the Protestant minority in the north of the country. They had declared their support for William's army. The Irish army, under the Earl of Tyrconnell, managed to drive the Protestant forces into Enniskillen and Derry. A three-month long siege of Derry followed, which the Irish army failed to break. Williamite forces arrived to provide additional strength and James's Irish army was defeated in the north.
In June 1690, William arrived in Carrickfergus with a fresh army and began to march to Dublin. James's Irish army, strengthened by French troops, blocked his path at the Boyne near Drogheda. The famous Battle of the Boyne took place on 1 July 1690. James's forces were not strong enough to defeat William's army and soon retreated towards the west. By the end of July, most of the Irish army had assembled in Limerick.