- Bacon, Nathaniel
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born Jan. 2, 1647, Suffolk, Eng.died October 1676, Virginia ColonyBritish-born American colonial planter, leader of Bacon's Rebellion.He emigrated from England in 1673 and acquired land in Virginia, where he was appointed to the council of William Berkeley, the British governor. After a dispute over Indian policy, he defied Berkeley's orders and organized an expedition against the Indians in 1676. He then turned his forces against Berkeley, captured Jamestown, and briefly controlled most of Virginia. His death at age 29 of influenza, at the height of his power, ended the rebellion.Nathaniel Bacon, detail of an engravingBy courtesy of the Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.
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▪ American colonistborn Jan. 2, 1647, Suffolk, Eng.died October 1676, Virginia ColonyVirginia planter and leader of Bacon's Rebellion. His wife's disinheritance (her father opposed her marriage) and his involvement in a plan to defraud a neighbour of his inheritance contributed to Bacon's decision to migrate to North America. Financed by his father, Bacon acquired two estates along the James River in Virginia. Less than a year after his arrival in the colony he was appointed to Governor William Berkeley's (Berkeley, Sir William) council. When a dispute with Berkeley, who was his cousin by marriage, arose over the Indian policy, Bacon, a proponent of unlimited territorial expansion, organized an expedition against the Indians (1676). The governor, fearing a large-scale war, denounced Bacon's activities as rebellion. In turn, Bacon directed his forces against Berkeley and for a time controlled practically all of Virginia. At the height of his power, however, Bacon died, and the rebellion collapsed.* * *
Universalium. 2010.