Sir William Berkeley and the forging of colonial Virginia /

In this definitive biography of one of early America's most prominent figures, Billings (Univ. of New Orleans) depicts a conscientious and skilled statesman. William Berkeley is not simply an opportunist and the tyrant of Bacon's Rebellion (only 12 pages are given to the rebellion). Before becoming royal governor of Virginia (1642-52; 1662-77), Berkeley had ample service as a courtier to Charles I. He acquired great wealth as a large landholder, agriculturalist, and industrialist and from revenues allotted him by the crown and colony. Berkeley had to deal with three Anglo-Dutch wars, two Indian conflicts, repercussions of the English Civil War, and Bacon's Rebellion. He shaped a deferential social order headed by the great planters and guided economic diversification and political reform. A major factor in Berkeley's downfall was his fair treatment of the Indians, alienating the interior planters. Billings uncovers many obscure sources in his exhaustive research on both sides of the Atlantic. His superbly written biography is the first full study of Berkeley and fills a void in Anglo-Virginia history. ^BSumming Up: Highly recommended. All US history collections. H. M. Ward emeritus, University of Richmond