Pontiac Attacks Fort Detroit: Frontier War Erupts
Chief Pontiac of the Ottawa nation attempted to seize Fort Detroit by concealment on May 7, 1763, entering with 300 warriors carrying weapons hidden under blankets. Major Henry Gladwin, warned by an informant, had his garrison under arms. Pontiac withdrew without attacking but besieged the fort for five months. The broader uprising, involving Ojibwe, Huron, Potawatomi, Shawnee, Delaware, and other nations, captured eight of twelve British forts in the Great Lakes region and killed over 2,000 settlers. The rebellion convinced the British government to issue the Royal Proclamation of 1763, drawing a line along the Appalachian Mountains and forbidding colonial settlement to the west. Colonial resentment of this boundary became one of the grievances that fed the American Revolution.
May 7, 1763
263 years ago
Key Figures & Places
What Else Happened on May 7
The garrison commander at Diocaesarea didn't wait for permission. When Gallus settled into Antioch's imperial palace in 351, Jewish rebels seized the city's wea…
The Roman Caesar didn't realize Antioch's Jews had already been pushed to the edge when he arrived in 351. Constantius Gallus had a reputation—his cousin Julian…
The dome didn't just crack—it pancaked into the nave, twenty thousand tons of brick and mortar crushing the floor where emperors had stood. A mild earthquake th…
The Second Council of Lyon convened to establish the papal conclave, mandating that cardinals be locked in a room until they elected a new pontiff. This strict …
Cardinal Pierre Roger ascended to the papacy as Clement VI, transforming Avignon into a lavish center of European art and diplomacy. His reign solidified the Av…
Joan of Arc was wounded in the chest by a crossbow bolt during the assault on the Tourelles fortification at Orleans on May 7, 1429. She pulled the bolt out her…
Talk to History
Have a conversation with historical figures who witnessed this era. Ask questions, explore perspectives, and bring history to life.