Wild Geese were Irish soldiers who fled from Ireland to fight in other countries from the late 1600’s through the 1800’s. Ships’ captains who ferried the soldiers to overseas ports referred to them as Wild Geese.
Most of the Irish supported James II in his attempt to regain the English throne from William III. After the Treaty of Limerick (1691), which ended the war between James and William, about 11,000 Irish soldiers followed their leader, Patrick Sarsfield, to France. There, they founded the Irish Brigade and fought for France in the wars of the 1700’s. During the War of the Spanish Succession (1701-1714), Irish soldiers fought under the French flag in the battles of Blenheim (1704), Ramillies (1706), Oudenaarde (1708), and Malplaquet (1709).
Other Irish soldiers joined the armies of Austria, Italy, Russia, and Spain. Wild Geese fought in the American Civil War (1861-1865), some for the North, others for the South. They also fought in wars against Indigenous (native) Americans.
See also Ireland, History of (The Williamite War).
