This battle can be considered to be the start of the factional bitterness between Loyalists (Catholic) and Republican (Protestant) factions. The Battle of the Boyne was fought in 1690 between two rival claimants of the English, Scottish, and Irish thrones – the Catholic King James and the Protestant King William (who had deposed James in 1688) – across the River Boyne near Drogheda on the east coast of Ireland. The battle, won by William, ultimately helped ensure the continuation of Protestant ascendancy in Ireland.