1676
After commanding two unauthorized but successful forays against the Indians, Bacon was elected to the House of Burgesses. Berkley was forced to allow the Burgesses to meet, but had Bacon arrested when he attempted to take the seat to which he was elected. Freed soon after, Bacon rallied his supporters and marched on Jamestown, then the colonial capital. Bacon then forced Berkley to commission Bacon for further action against the Native Americans.
The govenor then fled to the coast, but soon returned and proclaimed Bacon and his compatriots to be outlaws and traitors. After an brief but intense fight, Bacon regained control of Jamestown. However, fearing his position in the capital to be untenable, Bacon had the city burned to the ground.
But soon Berkley would return yet again and mete out vengeance upon the insurectionists until he was recalled to England. Although the common farmers had won a small victory in the removal of Berkley and the cessation of Indain raids, the planter elite still held onto their grip of power for many years to come.
Sources: Infoplease Encyclopedia
Colonial National Historical Park