caption death_date death_place birth_place image_size nationality birth_date known_for image article_title name occupation death_cause
no . dowd 2002 6 this interpretation was painted by john authentic mix stanley . images of pontiac are known to exist april ; 49 -rrb- 20 , 1769 -lrb- aged 48 & ndash near cahokia , illinois country great lakes region , new france 200px ottawa c. 1720 pontiac 's war pontiac-chief-artist-impression-414px . jpg pontiac -lrb- person -rrb-
 pontiac war leader assassination
pontiac -lrb- person -rrb-

pontiac , or obwandiyag , -lrb- c. 1720 -- april 20 , 1769 -rrb- was an ottawa war chief who became noted for his role in pontiac 's war -lrb- 1763 -- 1766 -rrb- , an american indian struggle against british military occupation of the great lakes region and named for him .
it followed the british victory in the french and indian war , the north american front of the seven years ' war .
pontiac 's importance in the war that bears his name has been debated .
nineteenth-century accounts portrayed him as the mastermind and leader of the revolt , but some subsequent scholars argued that his role had been exaggerated .
historians today generally view him as an important local leader who influenced a wider movement that he did not command .
the war began in may 1763 when pontiac and 300 followers attempted to take fort detroit by surprise .
his plan foiled , pontiac laid siege to the fort , where he was eventually joined by more than 900 warriors from a half-dozen tribes .
meanwhile , messengers spread the word of pontiac 's actions , and the war expanded far beyond detroit .
in july 1763 , pontiac defeated a british detachment at the battle of bloody run , but he was unable to capture the fort .
in october he lifted the siege and withdrew to the illinois country .
although pontiac 's influence had declined around detroit because of the unsuccessful siege , he gained stature as he continued to encourage resistance to the british .
seeking to end the war , british officials made pontiac the focus of their diplomatic efforts .
in july 1766 , pontiac made peace with british superintendent of indian affairs sir william johnson .
the attention that the british paid to pontiac resulted in resentment among other native leaders , as the war effort was decentralized and pontiac claimed greater authority than he possessed .
increasingly ostracized , in 1769 he was assassinated by a peoria warrior .
