Establishment of Williamsburg

Date: May 1, 1699 • Location: City of Williamsburg, United States

Francis Nicholson and James Blair organize five May Day orations given by students of the College of William & Mary, leading to the establishment of Williamsburg as Virginia's new capital.

Lieutenant-General Francis Nicholson was a British Army officer and colonial administrator who served as the governor of South Carolina from 1721 to 1725. He also served as the governor of Nova Scotia from 1712 to 1715, the governor of Virginia from 1698 to 1705, the governor of Maryland from 1694 to 1698, the lieutenant-governor of Virginia from 1690 to 1692 and the lieutenant-governor of the Dominion of New England from 1688 to 1689.