French expedition to Ireland (1796) 1796
Recorded location from Wikidata; battle sites are often approximate.
Key facts
| Year | 1796 | Wikidata P585 (point in time) |
|---|---|---|
| Era | Early modern (1500–1799) | derived from year |
| Location | Ireland | Natural Earth (modern borders) |
| Continent | Europe | Natural Earth |
| War / conflict | War of the First Coalition | Wikidata P361 |
| Participants | France, Kingdom of Great Britain | Wikidata P710 |
| Coordinates | 51.6000, -9.8000 | Wikidata P625 |
About the battle
The French expedition to Ireland, known in French as the Expédition d'Irlande (French pronunciation: [ɛkspedisjɔ̃ diʁlɑ̃d], "Expedition to Ireland"), was an unsuccessful attempt by the French Republic to assist the outlawed Society of United Irishmen in their planned rebellion against British rule during the War of the First Coalition. France intended to land a large expeditionary force in Ireland during the winter of 1796–1797 which would join forces with the United Irishmen and overthrow British rule in Ireland. The French anticipated that a successful invasion would not only be a major blow to British morale, prestige and military effectiveness but allow for Ireland to serve as a staging point for an eventual invasion of Britain. In late 1796, the French Directory gathered a force of between 12,000 and 25,000 French Revolutionary Army troops at Brest under General Lazare Hoche in readiness for a landing at Bantry Bay in December.
The operation was launched during one of the stormiest winters of the 18th century, which the French navy was unprepared to deal with. Patrolling British frigates observed the departure of the fleet and notified the Royal Navy's Channel Fleet, most of which was sheltering at Spithead for the winter.
Text adapted from the Wikipedia article French expedition to Ireland (1796) (revision 1379388655), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: excerpted from the article lead section; shortened by selecting paragraphs and trimming at a sentence boundary; formatting and citations removed. No text added.
Nearby battles
- Battle of Bantry Bay 1689 · 8 km
- Siege of Dunboy 1602 · 9 km
- Battle of Callann 1261 · 41 km
- Battle of Castlehaven 1601 · 44 km
- Battle of Macroom 1650 · 67 km
- Siege of Smerwick 1580 · 78 km
Other battles of the War of the First Coalition
- Battle of Höchst (1795) 1795
- Battle of Loano 1795
- Battle of Pfeddersheim (1795) 1795
- Capture of the Dutch fleet at Den Helder 1795
- Invasion of France (1795) 1795
- Battle of Altenkirchen 1796
- Battle of Amberg 1796
- Battle of Bassano 1796
- Battle of Ettlingen 1796
- Battle of Kehl (1796) 1796
All 84 battles of the War of the First Coalition →
Browse more: battles in Ireland · Europe · Early modern battles