Virginia Cavaliers (historical) facts for kids
The Virginia Cavaliers were people in the Colony of Virginia who supported the King of England. They were called "royalists" and were active during the time of the English Civil War and when the King was put back on the throne.
Contents
Virginia's Early History
In 1624, the Virginia Company, which ran the Virginia colony, lost its special permission from the King. This happened because many people in the company were Puritans. Puritans often disagreed with the King and had a lot of power in the English Parliament. King James I also didn't like that the company had given the colonists more power to govern themselves. So, the company's permission was taken away.
Virginia then became a "royal colony," meaning it was directly controlled by the King. This continued until the American Revolution. However, the change didn't affect the colony much at first. King Charles I, who became king soon after, was very busy with problems in England. He paid less attention to Virginia than the company had, so the colonists continued to have a lot of self-government. Many new people came from England, and the colony grew quickly.
Governor Sir William Berkeley
One of the most important leaders in Virginia's early history was Sir William Berkeley. He became governor in 1642 and stayed in charge until 1677. He only stopped for a few years when England was not ruled by a king. Berkeley was a strong-willed man. He was a very loyal supporter of the King. During his first time as governor, he often treated Puritans badly, and many of them moved to Maryland to find safety.
_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg)
The English Civil War and Virginia
Around the time Berkeley became governor, a big war started in England. This was the English Civil War. It was fought between the King's supporters, called Cavaliers, and the Parliament's supporters, called Roundheads. Many Puritans were part of the Parliament's side. A strong leader named Oliver Cromwell became very important on the Parliament's side.
The war got very serious. In 1649, King Charles I was put on trial and then executed by his own people. This was a huge event in English history.
While newer colonies like Massachusetts supported Parliament, older colonies like Virginia stayed loyal to the King. Virginia, Bermuda, Antigua, and Barbados were known for their loyalty. Because of this, the English Parliament passed a law in 1650. This law stopped all trade with these loyal colonies. It called the colonists "rebels" and "traitors." The law also allowed English ships to capture any other ships that tried to trade with these colonies.
Governor Berkeley and most Virginians were loyal to the King. Berkeley even invited the King's young son to come to America and become king of Virginia. But Parliament sent ships and soldiers to Virginia to make them obey. The Virginians didn't fight back much. They agreed to follow Parliament. In return, they actually gained more freedom to govern themselves than ever before. A Puritan governor named Richard Bennett was put in charge.
This short time when Parliament ruled England had two big effects on Virginia. First, Virginia had almost complete self-government. Not only the assembly (like a local parliament), but also the governor and his advisors were chosen by the people. The colonists never forgot this taste of being truly independent.
Second, the victory of Parliament in England caused some Cavaliers to move from England to Virginia. These new arrivals made the group of wealthy Cavalier leaders in Virginia even stronger. Even though they were a small part of the population (about 10%), they had a lot of political power.
Virginia's Growth
An old paper from 1649 described Virginia as a wonderful place. It said Virginia had 15,000 English people and 300 African slaves. It also mentioned many animals, fish, farm products, and fruits. This paper was written to encourage more people to move to Virginia. Many important families, like the ancestors of George Washington and James Madison, moved to Virginia during this time. By 1670, Virginia's population had grown to 38,000 people. About 6,000 of these were indentured servants (people who worked for a set time to pay for their trip), and 2,000 were African slaves.
The King Returns in 1660
In 1660, the King was put back on the throne in England. This was called the Restoration. Charles II, the son of the executed King Charles I, became king. Oliver Cromwell, who had ruled England, had died. His son tried to rule but couldn't, so Charles II became king. Charles II was known for liking fun and not being as strict about religion as his father.
However, King Charles II was not thankful to the people of Virginia for their loyalty. In fact, his return marked a time of trouble and unhappiness in Virginia. Charles II started giving important jobs in the colony to people who just wanted power and money. Years later, he even gave away almost all the land in Virginia to his friends, even land that was already settled and farmed.
The Navigation Acts were also put back into effect. These laws said that colonists could only export goods on English ships and only to England. They also had to buy imports only from England. This meant that English merchants could set prices for both exports and imports, making them rich while the colonists became poorer. The price of tobacco, which was like money in Virginia, dropped so low that many farmers struggled.
To make things worse, Governor Berkeley, who had been popular before, seemed to change. He became very loyal to the King and seemed to care less about the people of Virginia. He was accused of working with officials to cheat people and make money for himself. The colonists lost much of their self-government. In 1661, Berkeley made sure that a group of representatives (called the House of Burgesses) who liked him were elected. He kept them in power for fifteen years and refused to allow new elections.
Famous Virginia Cavaliers
- William Berkeley
- Sir Thomas Lunsford
- Henry Norwood
- John Washington, who was the great-grandfather of George Washington
