William had deposed James, his uncle and father-in-law, from the throne in the Glorious Revolution of 1688 but James had escaped to France, then Europe's premier military superpower, who had rearmed the fallen monarch and fellow Catholic in the interests of seeing William, an enemy of Louis XIV, brought down.

Revitalised, James had begun his campaign to regain the English crown in Ireland in 1689.

William was wary of the threat still posed by James and had lost confidence in the aged Duke of Schomberg’s inert stewardship of Ireland, eventually electing to take charge of matters himself.

He arrived in Carrickfergus on 14 June 1690 with 1,000 horses and the support of the Grand Alliance of Dutch, Danish, German and French Protestants, his 36,000-strong army the largest invading force the country had ever seen.

With James seeking to capture Dublin, the opposing forces met near Drogheda at a key strategic ford on the River Boyne in County Meath, some 30 miles north of the Irish capital.

Remembering The Troubles in pictures Show all 15 1 /15 Remembering The Troubles in pictures Remembering The Troubles in pictures A British soldier attacks a protester in Derry on Bloody Sunday Getty Remembering The Troubles in pictures The Northern Ireland Civil Rights movement marches in London in 1968 to demand the same voting rights afforded to the rest of Britain Getty Remembering The Troubles in pictures The Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association marching on the streets of Derry in 1968 BBC Remembering The Troubles in pictures The Battle of the Bogside in Derry in August 1969 was among the first violent episodes of the Troubles The Battle of the Bogside in Derry in August 1969 was among the first violent episodes of the Troubles Getty Remembering The Troubles in pictures British soldiers take cover behind their armoured cars as they use CS gas to disperse rioters in Derry on Bloody Sunday PA Remembering The Troubles in pictures Hugh Gilmore (third left) clutches his stomach after being shot by a British soldier on Bloody Sunday. Gilmore was one of 14 to be shot dead on 30 January 1972 PA Remembering The Troubles in pictures A man receives attention after being shot on Bloody Sunday in Derry PA Remembering The Troubles in pictures A young man is led away by paramedics after being injured on Bloody Sunday PA Remembering The Troubles in pictures The British Embassy at Merrion Square in Dublin is bombed following a march to protest three days after the Bloody Sunday shootings Getty Remembering The Troubles in pictures Independent MO for Mid-Ulster Bernadette Devlin talks to the press after she hit Home Secretary Reginald Maudling for lying about the Bloody Sunday shootings in his statement to the House of Commons the day after the incident. Devlin had been in Derry at the time of the shootings and was moved to strike the Home Secretary after he claimed that British soldiers had only fired at protesters in defence Getty Remembering The Troubles in pictures Members of a Catholic community in Newry stage a protest against the Bloody Sunday shootings AFP/Getty Remembering The Troubles in pictures Relatives mourn over the coffin of a victim of Bloody Sunday on 1 April 1972 Getty Remembering The Troubles in pictures Thousands attend the annual Bloody Sunday memorial march in Derry on 30 January 1995 PA Remembering The Troubles in pictures UK prime minister Tony Blair and the Irish taoiseach Bertie Ahern sign the Good Friday Agreement in 1998 PA Remembering The Troubles in pictures A view over residential Derry in 2019 shows a mural on Rossville Street, where soldiers opened fire on Bloody Sunday Getty

The Jacobite Irish Catholics who fought under Richard Talbot at James's side did so seeking Irish sovereignty, greater tolerance to practice their religion, and an opportunity to reclaim the land and freedoms lost to them under Oliver Cromwell.

The Williamites feared the consequences of a Catholic resurgence and took up arms to protect the new status quo. Interestingly, their cause even had the backing of the Pope, who was opposed to King Louis's imperialistic warmongering.

The ensuing battle itself was less bloody than other skirmishes of its type, with only 2,250 soldiers killed out of the 60,000 who fought that day in a clash lasting approximately four hours.

William of Orange claiming the throne of England by defeating James II at the Battle of the Boyne who fled to France on 1 July 1690 (Hulton Archive/Getty)

William was wounded in the shoulder by musket fire early on while surveying the field, but he fought on, crossing the river and forcing the Jacobite retreat.

With the day won, William marched on to Dublin where he would sign the 1691 Treaty of Limerick as James was forced to abandon his ambitions for good, returning to France in exile, never to set foot in the British Isles again.

William’s victory hailed the Protestant Ascendancy, an age still honoured by Orange Order marches in Northern Ireland on 12 July (the anniversary of the Boyne under the Gregorian calendar). These commemorative processions have been held since 1791 and often been blighted by violence, although the peace has largely prevailed since the turn of the 21st century.

The date of the Battle of the Boyne can never be forgotten as, oddly, it remains an immovable fixture in the calendar of Apple iPhones.