Sir William Berkeley and the Forging of Colonial Virginia (Southern Biography (Paperback)) - Softcover

Warren M. Billings (Author)

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0807134430 ISBN 13: 9780807134436

Publisher: LSU Press, 2010

Synopsis

Sir William Berkeley (1605--1677) influenced colonial Virginia more than any other man of his era, diversifying Virginia's trade with international markets, serving as a model for the planter aristocracy, and helping to establish American self-rule. An Oxford-educated playwright, soldier, and diplomat, Berkeley won appointment as governor of Virginia in 1641 after a decade in the court of King Charles I. Between his arrival in Jamestown and his death, Berkeley became Virginia's leading politician and planter, indelibly stamping his ambitions, accomplishments, and, ultimately, his failures upon the colony. In this masterly biography, Warren M. Billings offers the first full-scale treatment of Berkeley's life, revealing the extent to which Berkeley shaped early Virginia and linking his career to the wider context of seventeenth-century Anglo-American history.

About this title

About the Author

Warren M. Billings is Distinguished Professor of History Emeritus at the University of New Orleans and the author or editor of many books, including A Little Parliament: The Virginia General Assembly in the Seventeenth Century and A Law unto Itself?: Essays in the New Louisiana Legal History.

Edition details

• Publisher: LSU Press
• Publication date: 2010
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0807134430
• ISBN 13: 9780807134436
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 250