of the regime change in London, among the Irish Catholics, James II was still “Righ Seamus” (King James) Louis XIV firmly supported James when he landed in Ireland at Kinsale in March 1689 Not only did Louis XIV see this as a real “second front” in his struggle with William, but he also seems to have been personally committed to James’s cause In England William and Mary had to support the Protestant succession to the throne, but the Irish Parliament James summoned came out for freedom of conscience One of the causes of the Glorious Revolution was that James was building an Irish army in Ireland to offset the forces in England that were more under the control of the Protestant Parliament Richard Talbot, the earl of Tyrconnell, had been charged in 1685 to form the Irish troops and ruled Ireland in the name of James as his lord-lieutenant Unfortunately, not enough authority was given to Patrick Sarsfield, a natural leader who inspired his troops quite beyond what Tyrconnell could This seems to have aroused Tyrconnell’s jealousy, which undermined James’s hopes of using Ireland as a launching point to regain England In August 1689, William sent an army across the Irish Sea to face James in Ireland It was commanded by Friedrich Hermann, the first duke of Schomberg Like Sarsfield, who had fought for the French in the Dutch War of 1672, Schomberg was a veteran of the wars in Europe Ironically, Schomberg had fought in the French Army as well, but when Louis XIV revoked in 1685 the Edict of Nantes, giving toleration to French Protestants (Huguenots), Schomberg left French service to become commanding general of the margrave of Brandenburg, Frederick William In 1688, he accompanied William to England, and was there made the duke of Schomberg However, his military record in Ireland proved disappointing to William William landed at Belfast on June 14, 1690 Having secured Ulster, the traditional Protestant stronghold of northern Ireland, William moved south toward Dublin, the heart of the Catholic south that supported James On the strategic defensive now, James decided to meet William along the line of the Boyne River, using it as a natural defensive rampart against William’s southern advance William’s army numbered about 36,000 men, while James could muster only about 25,000 men Moreover, William’s army was given a strong boost by his Dutch Guards, veterans of the years of warfare against Louis XIV On July 1, the two armies met along the banks of the Boyne William decided to force a crossing of the river about four miles from the city of Drogheda Boyne, Battle of the 47 William III, prince of Orange, at the Battle of the Boyne William commanded a force of some 36,000 men during the conflict Immediately, the strategic deficiencies of James’s army showed themselves when William was able to open the battle with an artillery barrage from a cannon he took with him from England James had no such strength in artillery William, Schomberg, and other military advisers had decided to cross the Boyne at the village of Oldbridge, where there was some natural shelter for his troops At the same time, part of the Williamite army made a feint north up the river, hoping to force a response from James to protect his line of retreat In the morning of July 1, the troops began their march under Schomberg’s son, Charles de Schomberg The fighting under Schomberg, while not decisive, succeeded in tying down some 6,000 of James’s soldiers Four hours after the combat had started in the north, William’s troops under Schomberg began the main crossing at Oldbridge, with the Dutch Guards bearing the brunt of the offensive In what would become one of the most brutal battles of the era, the Dutch Guards, supported by regiments of French