The Battle of Aughrim was the decisive engagement of the Williamite War in Ireland, effectively ending Jacobite resistance with approximately 7,000 killed.
Key Facts
- Date (New Style)
- 22 July 1691
- Date (Old Style)
- 12 July 1691
- Total killed
- 7,000 people
- Location
- Near Aughrim, County Galway, Ireland
- War context
- Williamite War in Ireland
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
The Williamite War in Ireland arose from the contest between the exiled Catholic King James II and the Protestant William III for the English crown. Irish Jacobite forces, largely Catholic and loyal to James, continued to resist Williamite authority and sought to maintain James's cause on Irish soil through military engagement.
On 12 July 1691 (old style), Jacobite and Williamite armies met near the village of Aughrim in County Galway. The battle was one of the bloodiest ever fought in Britain and Ireland, resulting in approximately 7,000 deaths. The Williamite forces defeated the largely Irish Jacobite army, making Aughrim the decisive confrontation of the war.
The Jacobite defeat at Aughrim effectively ended James II's cause in Ireland. Although the city of Limerick continued to hold out until the autumn of 1691, organised Jacobite military resistance was broken, and the battle marked the decisive shift of Ireland under Williamite control.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Side B
1 belligerent