Cockacoeske became Queen of the Pamunkey after her husband Totopotomoy died in 1656 while fighting as an ally of the English at what became known as the Battle of Bloody Run. In the wake of settler attacks upon friendly Indian tribes during Bacon’s Rebellion in 1676, she signed the Treaty of Middle Plantation in 1677. The treaty with the English subtly placed her as leader over certain tribes, defined the Indian tribes as tributaries to the English, and ushered in peaceful relations between the colonists and Indians of the Virginia coastal plain. She reigned until her death about 1686.