Historical place archive
Browse historical events and people recorded at Boyne in England. The records below are rendered directly from the World History Database into this page's initial HTML.
James only fought a delaying action and chose instead to place his line of defence on the River Boyne, around 30 miles from Dublin. James II is forced to flee to Dublin, his hopes of restoration ended. Fought between two rival claimants of the English, Scottish and Irish thrones - the Catholic King James and the Protestant King William, who had deposed James in 1688
William III of Orange's army reaches the River Boyne before the decisive battle against James II.
William III of Orange is wounded in the shoulder by Jacobite artillery while examining the Boyne crossings on the eve of battle.
After his defeat, James did not stay in Dublin, but rode with a small escort to Duncannon and returned to exile in France, even though his army left the field relatively unscathed
For the Jacobites, the war was fought for Irish sovereignty, religious toleration for Catholicism, and land ownership. A turning point in James unsuccessful attempt to regain the crown and ultimately helped ensure the continuation of Protestant supremacy in Ireland.
In Irish folk memory, James was derisively nicknamed Seamus a chaca - a title that translates literally to "Shitty James" or "James the shit".
James enjoyed the support of his cousin, Louis XIV, who did not want to see a hostile monarch on the throne of England, Louis sent 6,000 French troops to Ireland to support the Irish Jacobites.
Jamess loss of nerve and speedy exit from the battlefield of the Boyne enraged his Irish supporters, who fought on until the Treaty of Limerick in 1691. James II is forced into exile in France. James II is finally defeated by William III.
The Battle is fought on 1 July for control of a ford on the Boyne at Oldbridge, near Drogheda.
The Catholic upper classes had lost almost all their lands after Cromwell's conquest, as well as the right to hold public office, practice their religion, and sit in the Irish Parliament.
The Jacobites were 23,500 strong, James had several regiments of French troops, but most of his manpower was provided by Irish Catholics.
William III of Orange defeats the army of James II at the Battle of the Boyne, strengthening the Williamite position in Ireland.
The Battle of the Boyne is fought near Drogheda as William III of Orange's army forces a crossing against the Jacobite position.
William III of Orange commands a multinational Williamite army at the Boyne, including English, Dutch, Danish, French Huguenot and other allied troops.
After his defeat, James did not stay in Dublin, but rode with a small escort to Duncannon and returned to exile in France, even though his army left the field relatively unscathed
The Williamites triumphantly march into Dublin two days after the Battle of the Boyne, the Jacobite army abandoned the city and marched to Limerick, behind the River Shannon, where they were besieged
After victory at the Boyne, William III of Orange enters Dublin while the Jacobite army withdraws toward the west of Ireland.
Provenance
These entries are generated from stored World History Database records whose country and place fields match England and Boyne. Names, dates, event labels and descriptions are reviewed and normalised as the database develops. Historical place names may not match modern administrative boundaries.
This database is a research index. For formal scholarly citation, verify individual claims against appropriate primary, archival, academic or specialist sources.