Before she was a legend, she was a girl named Matoaka. Born around 1596, she was the daughter of Wahunsenacawh, the powerful chief of a confederacy of tribes in what is now Virginia. Her childhood nickname was Pocahontas, meaning ‘playful one’ or ‘little mischief’. She was about 11 years old in May 1607 when English colonists arrived and built a settlement called Jamestown. As the daughter of the paramount chief, she held a high status among her father's 25,000 subjects, but she was not a princess in the European sense. Her world was about to change forever when, later that year, her people captured a leader of the new arrivals: Captain John Smith. What happened next would become her most famous story.
Pocahontas
The real story of Pocahontas, from her capture and marriage to John Rolfe to her tragic death in England at age 21.
Chapter 1
The Playful One
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Frequently Asked Questions
Did Pocahontas really save John Smith's life?
Historians believe this is unlikely. John Smith's own account of the event changed over time, and he only added the dramatic rescue scene years after her death. The incident was most likely a planned, symbolic adoption ceremony to make Smith a subordinate member of the Powhatan confederacy.
Why did Pocahontas marry John Rolfe?
Pocahontas married John Rolfe on April 5, 1614, while she was a captive of the English. Rolfe, a tobacco planter, sought permission to marry her for the good of the colony. Their marriage was a political alliance that secured an eight-year peace between the English colonists and the Powhatan people.
What happened to Pocahontas's son?
Pocahontas had one son, Thomas Rolfe, born in 1615. When the family tried to return to Virginia in 1617, Pocahontas died and Thomas was also too ill to travel. He was left in England to be raised by his uncle and only returned to Virginia as a young man.
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