Alexandre de Rainier de Droue, Marquis de Boisseleau

Alexandre de Rainier de Droue, Marquis de Boisseleau (1650-1698) was a French aristocrat and soldier. He is known for his service on the Jacobite side during the Williamite War in Ireland. He was one of many French soldiers sent to Ireland by Louis XIV to assist his cousin James II to keep hold of his Irish Crown. He fought alongside James' Irish Army in several military actions, most notably during the Siege of Limerick.

In November 1689 the Marquis de Boisseleau led a Jacobite force in the unsuccessful Raid on Newry.[1] The following summer he was present at the Battle of the Boyne. Although this was a major defeat for the Jacobite cause, his own reputation was enhanced due to his conduct on the battlefield.[2]

The same year he was instrumental in the successful defence of Limerick during the Siege of Limerick. When many of his fellow French officers and Irish commanders wanted to abandon Limerick which they considered indefensible, Boisseleau sided with a group of Irish and British Jacobites led by Patrick Sarsfield who felt that the town could still be held. Boisseleau was appointed Governor of the city by King James' representative in Ireland the Richard Talbot, 1st Earl of Tyrconnell.[3]

References
  1. Childs p.179-80
  2. McNally p.191
  3. Childs p.244

Bibliography
  • Childs, John. The Williamite Wars in Ireland. Bloomsbury Publishing, 2007.
  • McNally, Michael. Battle of the Boyne 1690: The Irish Campaign for the English Crown. Osprey Publishing, 2005.
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