 In March 1650, the English army under the command of Oliver Cromwell surrounded Kilkenny in a siege.Many people died from epidemic and hunger, many more fled before the city finally surrendered.From 1685 to 1689 under the rule of the Catholic king James II of England, the abbey flourished, but in 1690, under the rule of the Protestant king William III of England, both Kilkenny and the abbey were once again occupied by the English.