Lady Frances Berkeley and Virginia Politics, 1675–1678
Lady Frances Berkeley and Virginia Politics, 1675–1678
This chapter examines the notion that all women inappropriately entered the public sphere by focusing on the case of Lady Frances Berkeley, wife of Virginia Governor Sir William Berkeley, and her role in the Bacon's Rebellion of 1675–1676. More specifically, it considers the traditional context within which Lady France maneuvered to achieve her political ends. The chapter first provides an overview of Lady Frances's relationship to Nathaniel Bacon before discussing Bacon's challenge to the governor's authority and their eventual confrontation, along with the rebellion spearheaded by Bacon. It also explores the role played by women, including Lady Frances and Mistress Sarah Grendon, in the events of Bacon's Rebellion and in Virginia politics more generally. It shows that Lady Frances, an aristocrat by birth and marriage, engaged in behavior recognized and accepted by her contemporaries. Whereas her specific actions sometimes evoked criticism, her political activism in general did not.
Keywords: women, public sphere, Lady Frances Berkeley, Virginia, William Berkeley, Bacon's Rebellion, Nathaniel Bacon, Sarah Grendon, political activism, politics
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