The 105-day siege of Derry was the first major engagement of the Williamite War in Ireland, ending when supply ships broke the Jacobite blockade.
Key Facts
- Duration
- 105 days
- Siege start date
- 18 April 1689
- Siege end date
- 1 August 1689
- Gates shut by apprentices
- 13 apprentices, 7 December 1688
- Jacobite commander present
- James II appeared before the walls in person
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Following the Glorious Revolution, Jacobite forces loyal to James II sought to secure Ireland. On 7 December 1688 a preliminary attempt to take Derry was foiled when thirteen apprentices shut the city gates in defiance of James's garrison, an act of open rebellion that set the stage for a full siege.
On 18 April 1689, James II personally appeared before Derry's walls with an Irish army led by Jacobite and French officers and summoned the town to surrender. The defenders refused. After a failed storm of the walls, the besiegers turned to starvation, maintaining a blockade for 105 days until supply ships broke through and forced the Jacobites to lift the siege on 1 August 1689.
The failure of the siege denied Jacobite forces control of a strategically vital northern stronghold and marked the first significant Williamite success in Ireland. The town's resistance became a celebrated symbol for the Protestant community in Ireland and is commemorated annually to the present day.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Side B
1 belligerent
James II.