Nathaniel Bacon, engraving

Nathaniel Bacon (c. 1640 – October 26, 1676) was a wealthy diplomat of the Virginia Colony and also the cousin of Governor Berkeley, famous as the instigator of Bacon's Rebellion of 1676, which collapsed when Bacon himself died of Tuberculosis.^[1] Download high resolution version (640x904, 166 KB)From Library of Congress page: http://memory. ... Download high resolution version (640x904, 166 KB)From Library of Congress page: http://memory. ... Events December 1 - Portugal regains its independence from Spain and João IV of Portugal becomes king. ... is the 299th day of the year (300th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Events January 29 - Feodor III becomes Tsar of Russia First measurement of the speed of light, by Ole Rømer Bacons Rebellion Russo-Turkish Wars commence. ... The 1609 charter for the Virginia colony from sea to sea The Virginia Colony refers to the English colony in North America that existed during the 17th and 18th centuries before the American Revolution. ... Bacons Rebellion or the Virginia Rebellion was an uprising in 1676 in the Virginia Colony, led by Nathaniel Bacon. ...

Early life

While the exact year of Bacon's birth is debated, he was born in the 1640s, in Suffolk, England. Bacon was educated at the University of Cambridge, and left England for the Virginia colony in 1673,^[1] in response to a property dispute with his wife's family.^[2] Events and Trends The personal union of the crowns of Spain and Portugal ends due to a revolution in the latter (1640). ... This article is about the English county. ... The University of Cambridge (often Cambridge University), located in Cambridge, England, is the second-oldest university in the English-speaking world and has a reputation as one of the worlds most prestigious universities. ...

When he arrived in Virginia, Bacon settled on the frontier near Jamestown, Virginia, and was appointed to the council of Governor William Berkeley.^[3] At Jamestown Settlement, replicas of Christopher Newports 3 ships are docked in the harbour. ... For the 15th-century marquess, see Marquess of Berkeley. ...

Bacon's Rebellion

Before the "Virginia Rebellion," as it was then called, began in earnest, in 1674, a group of so-called "freeholders" on the Virginia frontier demanded that Native Americans living on treaty-protected lands be driven out or killed.^[3] Later that same year, a group of Virginia militiamen raided a settlement and killed some thirty natives. Acting against Berkeley's orders, a larger force surrounded and attacked a fortified Susquehannock village, killing the chiefs whom Berkeley had persuaded to negotiate. ^[4] The Susquehannocks retaliated in force, attacking plantations and killing several hundred settlers.^[3] Bacons Rebellion or the Virginia Rebellion was an uprising in 1676 in the Virginia Colony, led by Nathaniel Bacon. ... The Board of Chosen Freeholders is the legislative body in each of the 21 counties in New Jersey. ... This article is about the people indigenous to the United States. ... Lebanese Kataeb militia A Militia is an army composed of ordinary [1] citizens to provide defense, emergency or paramilitary service, or those engaged in such activity. ... Susquehannock The Susquehannock people were natives of areas adjacent to the Susquehanna River and its tributaries from the southern part of what is now New York, through Pennsylvania, to the mouth of the Susquehanna in Maryland at the north end of the Chesapeake Bay. ...

Seeking to avoid war, Berkeley advocated a policy of containment, proposing the construction of several defensive fortifications along the frontier. Dismissing the plan as expensive and inadequate, settlers on the frontier also questioned the plan as a possible excuse to raise tax rates.^[3]

In the meantime, Bacon had emerged as a rebel leader, accusing Berkeley of corruption.^[5] When Berkeley refused to grant Bacon a military commission to attack the natives, Bacon mustered his own force of 400-500 men and attacked the Doeg and Pamunkey tribes, who previously had not been involved in the conflict. Berkeley had Bacon removed from his governing council and arrested; Bacon's men quickly secured his release, and forced Berkeley to hold legislative elections. The recomposed House of Burgesses enacted a number of sweeping reforms, limiting the powers of the governor and restoring suffrage rights to landless freemen.^[3] Doeg, herdsman to King Saul. ... The Pamunkey Native American tribe has been in existence since pre-Columbian times. ... Patrick Henry before the House of Burgesses in an 1851 painting by Peter F. Rothermel The Virginia House of Burgesses formed, the first legislative body in colonial America. ... Wikisource has original text related to this article: Oath of a Freeman // Freeman The term freeman was generally an English or American Colonial expression in Puritan times, which referred to those persons who were not under legal restraint – usually for the payment of an outstanding debt, because of their continual...

On July 30, 1676, Bacon and his makeshift army issued a Declaration of the People of Virginia,^[4] demanding that natives in the area be killed or removed, and an end of the rule of "parasites."^[3] The declaration also criticized Berkeley's administration, accusing him of levying unfair taxes, of appointing friends to high positions, and of failing to protect outlying farmers from Indian attack. After months of conflict, Bacon's forces burned Jamestown to the ground on September 19, 1676.^[4] is the 211th day of the year (212th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Events January 29 - Feodor III becomes Tsar of Russia First measurement of the speed of light, by Ole Rømer Bacons Rebellion Russo-Turkish Wars commence. ... The Declaration of the People of Virginia (or simply Declaration of the People) was a list of demands issued by Nathaniel Bacon on July 30, 1676, in which he proclaims Virginias colonial governor corrupt and expresses his displeasure at the governments condescending, in his opinion, policy towards Native... is the 262nd day of the year (263rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Events January 29 - Feodor III becomes Tsar of Russia First measurement of the speed of light, by Ole Rømer Bacons Rebellion Russo-Turkish Wars commence. ...

Before an English naval squadron could arrive, Bacon's death on October 26, 1676 led to the collapse of the rebellion. Governor Berkeley returned to power, seizing the property of several rebels and hanging 23 men.^[3] After an investigative committee returned its report to King Charles II, Berkeley was relieved of the governorship, and returned to England.^[4] Charles II later commented, "That old fool has put to death more people in that naked country than I did here for the murder of my father." is the 299th day of the year (300th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Events January 29 - Feodor III becomes Tsar of Russia First measurement of the speed of light, by Ole Rømer Bacons Rebellion Russo-Turkish Wars commence. ... Charles II (29 May 1630 – 6 February 1685) was the King of England, Scotland, and Ireland. ...

Identification controversy

No one knows for certain when he was born. An earlier attribution of him as the Nathaniel Bacon born in 1646 or 1647 appears to be spurious, based on no firm foundation, although widely repeated in later literature including Encyclopædia Britannica. The 1922 edition of the Dictionary of National Biography does not give him a specific birthdate but does say he was "of Friston Hall". Although, from a contemporary document, his father is said to be "Thomas Bacon", his mother is not named and is unknown. She is not Elizabeth Brooke (even though this is repeated in many books), who in fact married a man named Nathaniel Bacon although that Nathaniel was a generation older than the one whom this article is about. The Encyclopædia Britannica is a general English-language encyclopaedia published by Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. ... The Dictionary of National Biography (or DNB) is a standard work of reference on notable figures from British history. ...

References

Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 187th day of the year (188th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 187th day of the year (188th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

Further reading

• Bailey, T., Kennedy, D., & Cohen, L. (eds.). (2002). The American Pageant, 12th ed. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company. ISBN 0-618-10349-X.