CCEA A-Level History 4010
England 1509–58AS Unit 1
England 1603–49AS Unit 1
Britain in the Age of Reform 1830–80AS Unit 1
Italy and Germany 1815–71AS Unit 1
Germany 1919–45AS Unit 1
Spain and Europe 1556–98AS Unit 2
The Ascendancy of France in Europe 1660–1714AS Unit 2
Ireland 1823–67AS Unit 2
France 1815–70AS Unit 2
Russia 1914–41AS Unit 2
Italy's Quest for Great Power Status 1871–1943AS Unit 2
Crown and Parliament in England 1625–1714A2 Unit 1
Ireland Under the Union 1800–1900A2 Unit 1
The Causes and Consequences of Great Power Conflict 1848–1945A2 Unit 1
The American Presidency 1901–2000A2 Unit 1
Clash of Ideologies in Europe 1900–2000A2 Unit 1
England 1558–1603A2 Unit 2
Ireland 1685–1714A2 Unit 2
Ireland 1778–1803A2 Unit 2
Partition of Ireland 1900–25A2 Unit 2
Ireland 1685–1714
The Battle of the Boyne
- 3 things to know
- A2 Unit 2
Overview
The two armies and their commanders, the crossing and the course of the battle, and its military and political significance.
What you need to know
Answer each one before you reveal it.
Why did James II decide to stand at the Boyne?
What was the flanking move at Rosnaree?
Questions from this subtopic
Each one with the model answer underneath.
- 1
When and where did William III land in Ireland, and with what army?
Model answer
William III landed at Carrickfergus on 14 June 1690 with about thirty-six thousand men, a professional multinational force drawn from the coalition against France and including Dutch, Danish, Huguenot, German, English and Ulster Protestant troops.
- 2
What French help did James II have in 1690?
Model answer
Louis XIV sent about six thousand French troops to Ireland under the Count of Lauzun in the spring of 1690, in exchange for an Irish brigade of similar size sent to serve in France under Mountcashel.
- 3
Give the date of the Battle of the Boyne and explain the confusion over it.
Model answer
The battle was fought on 1 July 1690 by the calendar then in use in Ireland, which corresponds to 11 July in the modern calendar, and the later commemoration on the twelfth of July arises from that calendar change.
- 4
Why did James II decide to stand at the Boyne?
Model answer
The Boyne was the last good defensive line between William and Dublin, and abandoning it would have meant giving up the capital without a fight, which James II could not afford politically.
- 5
What was the flanking move at Rosnaree?
Model answer
William sent a large detachment upstream to cross at Rosnaree on the Jacobite left, and James II responded by sending most of his army, including the French infantry, to meet it, which left the main crossing thinly held.
- 6
What happened at Oldbridge?
Model answer
William's main force forded the river at Oldbridge under fire, and although Jacobite cavalry counter-attacked repeatedly and held them for a time, weight of numbers carried the crossing.
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