Williamite War

Williamite War, 1689-1691, fought between supporters of James II and William III, who had invaded England on 5 November 1688 and become joint sovereign with his wife Mary (James's daughter) on 13 February 1689. In Ireland the Lord Lieutenant Richard Talbot, Earl of Tyrconnell, committed himself to James. Protestant resistance in Bandon, Co. Cork, and other parts of the south was quickly suppressed, and a Protestant force was also defeated in Co. Down. But the city of Derry, where citizens had closed the gates against a Jacobite army on 7 December 1688, withstood a lengthy siege (18 April-13 June), while Enniskillen Protestants defeated Jacobite forces at Belleek (7 May) and Newtownbutler (31 July). A Williamite army under Marshal Schomberg landed at Belfast in August 1689, but failed to move beyond Ulster until William arrived and took personal charge on 14 June 1690. Victory at the Battle of the Boyne allowed the Williamites to take Dublin. In 1691 the Williamites captured Athlone and won a major victory at Aughrim (12 July). The Jacobites under Sarsfield held out in Limerick, surrendering on terms (the Treaty of Limerick) on 3 October. The Williamite victory, followed by the enactment of the Penal Laws, confirmed Protestant ascendancy in Ireland.