Siege of Limerick (1690/1691)
| date | August - September 1690 (1st siege) August - October 1691 (2nd siege) |
|---|---|
| place | Limerick , Ireland |
| output | Surrender of the city |
| Parties to the conflict | |
|---|---|
|
Troops of Wilhelm III. |
|
| Commander | |
|
General Lauzun |
|
| Troop strength | |
| 14,000 (2nd siege) | 25,000 (1st siege) 20,000 (2nd siege) |
| losses | |
|
approx. 400 (1st siege) |
approx. 5,000 (1st siege) |
1688–1691
Dromore - Derry - Bantry Bay - Newtownbutler - Carrickfergus - Newry - Cavan - Boyne - Athlone (1) - Limerick (1) - Cork - Athlone (2) - Aughrim - Limerick (2)
The siege of Limerick in 1690 and 1691 was the third and final siege of the city in the 17th century and took place during the War of the Two Kings .
After the Battle of the Boyne , the Jacobite Army found itself in the same position as the Irish Confederation in the last siege of Limerick 40 years earlier - they controlled only a small area west of the River Shannon between the cities of Limerick and Galway . The main Jacobite army had withdrawn to Limerick after the defeat at the Battle of the Boyne. Some of the seasoned officers, notably Richard Talbot, 1st Earl of Tyrconnell wanted to join the army of William III. as long as there was still a good chance of negotiating reasonable surrender terms. But they were overruled by other commanders under Patrick Sarsfield, 1st Earl of Lucan , who wanted to continue fighting. The French Jacobite commander Lauzun also wanted to surrender because he was of the opinion that the defenses of the city of Limerick of roasted apples destroyed ( knocked down by roasted apples ) could be. In Limerick, 14,500 soldiers and around the city about 2,500 cavalrymen were under the command of Sarsfield. Army morale was high, not least because of an Irish prophecy that said the Irish would achieve a great victory over English troops outside the city of Limerick. That motivation may seem strange from today's perspective, but prophecy was a big part of Irish culture at the time.
The first siege (1690)
William III and his 25,000 strong army reached Limerick on August 7, 1690. They occupied Ireton's Fort and Cromwell's Fort outside the city, which had been built during the last siege of Limerick . The siege weapons of William III. were however still on the way from Dublin to Limerick, where they were intercepted and destroyed by Sarsfield's cavalry at Ballyneety (County Limerick) . This meant that William had to wait another 10 days before he could fire on Limerick, as new siege weapons first had to be brought in from Waterford . By now it was late August and William wanted to end the war in Ireland before winter so he could return to the Netherlands . That's why he decided to launch an uncompromising assault on the city.
His siege cannons were able to cut a small breach in the city wall around Irish Town , so that on August 27, the infantry attack on Limerick could start. The gap was first stormed by Danish grenadiers , but the French Jacobite officer Boisseleau had an earth wall built within the walls and secured with barricades. The Danes and the eight regiments that followed suffered heavy losses from musket fire and cannon fire. Jacobite soldiers who had no weapons, as well as the civilian population (including women), pelted the intruders with stones and bottles from the city wall. A Jacobite regiment of dragoons also made a sortie and attacked William III's army. outside the gap. After three and a half hours of fighting, William withdrew his army. 3,000 of his men lost their lives attempting to storm Limerick, including some of the best units from the Netherlands, Germany and France. Limerick only complained of 400 dead soldiers. Due to the approaching bad weather, William interrupted the siege and withdrew to the winter quarters, where another 2,000 soldiers died from disease and epidemics. William left Ireland shortly afterwards.
The second siege (1691)
It was not until August 1691 that the army returned to Limerick to continue the siege. In the meantime the military situation had completely changed. The main Jacobite army was defeated at the Battle of Aughrim in July 1691 and lost 4,000 men, including the commandant, the Marquis de St. Ruth . Thousands of other soldiers were captured or deserted. Galway also surrendered in July and the remaining soldiers withdrew to Limerick. In contrast to the previous year, however, morale was low and the willingness to surrender high. In contrast, the defenses around Limerick had been fortified and expanded since 1690. Overall, the troop strength in Limerick was just under 14,000 men.
But General Godert de Ginkell had the city surrounded by his 20,000 men and finally managed to shoot a gap in the city wall around English Town . A surprise attack by the attacking army drove the Irish defenders from the earthworks around Thomond Bridge back to Irish Town . But the French troops in Irish Town refused to open the city gates for the fleeing Irish troops, so that around 800 soldiers were killed - some of them drowned in the River Shannon.
After this incident, Patrick Sarsfield, 1st Earl of Lucan, took control of the city, replaced the French commanders and began surrender negotiations. Sarsfield and Ginkell eventually signed the Limerick Treaty , which ended the siege. Sarsfield eventually left Ireland with 10,000 soldiers and 4,000 women for France - this escape became known as the Wild Geese Escape .