Latest / The History of Ireland: Rebellion, Empire, and Independence — Fexingo History / The Siege of Limerick 1691: The Treaty That Wasn't Kept
Transcript
- Lucas: Luna, we've covered a lot of ground in this series—from the Statute of Kilkenny to the 1798 Rebellion. But there's one moment that always gets overshadowed, and it's the moment the Jacobite cause really ended: the Siege of Limerick in 1691. Luna: Wasn't Limerick the last city to hold out for James II? Lucas: Exactly. After the Boyne in 1690, William III's army swept through the south, but Limerick—built on an island in the Shannon, surrounded by marshland—was a fortress. The Williamites tried to storm it in August 1690, but Patrick Sarsfield led a cavalry charge that drove them back. That bought the Jacobites another year. Lucas: But by the summer of 1691, the Williamites were back, this time under a Dutch general named Godert de Ginkell. He had a massive siege train and a blockade that cut off supplies. And the Jacobite command was split between the French general Marquis de St Ruth and the Irish leader Patrick Sarsfield. Luna: Sounds like a recipe for disaster. Lucas: It was. St Ruth was competent but arrogant—he dismissed Sarsfield's advice. The siege began in earnest in June, with constant bombardment. The civilian population suffered terribly: disease, starvation, and cannon fire. Luna: Before we get deeper into the siege—and this connects, I promise—I just want to say something. We've been doing these deep dives episode after episode, and we keep them ad-free by design. If you appreciate having history without commercial breaks, there's a direct way to support that: buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. It's a small gesture that keeps this independent. Now, back to Limerick. Lucas: Absolutely. So, on July 12, 1691, the Williamites attempted to cross the Shannon at a ford near Thomond Bridge. St Ruth saw his chance and launched a counterattack. But he made a fatal mistake: he rode to a hill to observe the battle, and a cannonball took his head off. Luna: Wait—St Ruth was killed in the middle of the battle? Lucas: Decapitated. The Jacobite command collapsed. Sarsfield—who had been leading the cavalry on the other flank—took over, but the army was broken. He withdrew into Limerick, and Ginkell surrounded the city. The siege settled into a grim stalemate, with both sides suffering from disease and dwindling supplies. Lucas: In September, Ginkell offered terms. Sarsfield, knowing he couldn't hold out much longer, negotiated the Treaty of Limerick. The military articles allowed the Jacobite army to march out with full honours—flags flying, drums beating—and offered them the choice to go to France. That became the 'Flight of the Wild Geese'. Luna: And the civil articles? Lucas: That's where it gets ugly. The civil articles promised Catholics the same religious freedom they had under Charles II—essentially, toleration. They could keep their property if they swore allegiance to William and Mary. But the Irish Parliament, dominated by Protestants, refused to ratify the treaty. Within a few years, the Penal Laws stripped Catholics of land, education, and political rights. Luna: So the treaty was broken almost immediately. Lucas: Completely. The Treaty Stone in Limerick today is a monument to that broken promise. For Catholics, it became a symbol of English perfidy. And for the Jacobite soldiers who sailed to France—the Wild Geese—it was the end of an era. They formed Irish brigades in the French army and fought in every major European war for the next century. Luna: What happened to Sarsfield? Lucas: He sailed with the Wild Geese. He was killed in 1693 at the Battle of Landen, fighting for France. But his legacy lived on: in Irish folk memory, Sarsfield is the hero who almost saved Limerick. And the treaty—well, it's a reminder that the Stuarts' cause was lost, and Ireland's Catholic majority was left without protection. Luna: It's incredible how one siege shaped centuries of resentment. Lucas: Exactly. The Penal Laws that followed were a direct result of that broken treaty. And the Wild Geese dispersed Irish military talent across Europe. For the next hundred years, Irish soldiers fought in the armies of France, Spain, and Austria—never again for a Stuart king. Luna: So the Siege of Limerick wasn't just a military defeat—it was a political betrayal. Lucas: That's the perfect way to put it. It's a story of courage, bad leadership, and a promise that was never kept.