Pocahontas

📷 Wikimedia Commons — domaine public — Unidentified Artist; copy after Simon van de Passe — 1616

1596 — 1617

royaume d'Angleterre, Tsenacommacah

PoliticsCultureRenaissanceRenaissance and early European colonization of North America (late 16th – early 17th century)

Daughter of Chief Powhatan, leader of the Algonquian confederacy of Virginia, Pocahontas (c. 1596–1617) is a central figure in the encounter between the Powhatan peoples and the English settlers of Jamestown. Her story, passed down through colonial written sources and her people's oral tradition, symbolizes both the dialogue and the tensions between two worlds.

Key Facts

Born around 1596 within the Powhatan Confederacy in Virginia, daughter of the paramount chief Wahunsenacah (known as Powhatan)
Around 1607, played a mediating role during the first contacts with the English settlers of Jamestown, according to the written accounts of John Smith (colonial sources, not corroborated by oral tradition)
Captured by the English in 1613 and held hostage at Henrico, Virginia
Converted to Christianity, took the name Rebecca, and married English settler John Rolfe in 1614
Died in England at Gravesend in 1617, during a voyage to London organized as a colonial propaganda venture

Works & Achievements

Pocahontas Peace (Powhatan-English Coexistence Treaty) (1614)

An informal diplomatic agreement made possible by Pocahontas's marriage to John Rolfe, securing several years of peace between the Powhatan Confederacy and the Jamestown colony. This peace allowed the colony to survive and grow.

Baptism and Conversion to Christianity (1614)

Baptized under the name Rebecca, Pocahontas was the first Native American of high birth to publicly convert to Anglican Christianity. This act was presented in England as proof of colonization's civilizing mission.

Diplomatic Journey to England (1616-1617)

Funded by the Virginia Company, this voyage aimed to promote English colonization in Virginia. Pocahontas, presented as living proof of the colonial project's success, met King James I and the Bishop of London.

Oral Heritage of the Pamunkey Nation (17th century — continuous transmission)

The memory of Matoaka is preserved and claimed by her descendants of the Pamunkey Nation, recognized as a federal tribe in 2015. This oral heritage provides a counterweight to the colonial narrative of her history.

Anecdotes

Pocahontas, whose real name was Amonute, also carried a secret name: Matoaka. The nickname 'Pocahontas' means 'the playful one' or 'she who plays with vivacity' in Algonquian, reflecting her lively and curious nature from childhood. Europeans only recorded this detail in their accounts much later.

In 1607, Captain John Smith claimed in his memoirs that Pocahontas saved his life by placing her head over his at the moment her father was about to execute him. Historians still debate this episode: it may have been an adoption ritual rather than an actual execution, misinterpreted by Smith due to his lack of knowledge of Powhatan culture.

In 1613, Pocahontas was captured by the colonist Samuel Argall, who intended to use her as a hostage to negotiate the release of English prisoners held by her father. During her captivity at Henrico, she received a Christian education and learned English — a transformation that would profoundly alter her fate.

In 1616, Pocahontas traveled to England with her husband John Rolfe and their son Thomas. She was presented at the court of King James I as a 'converted savage princess.' Her portrait was engraved and widely circulated, making her one of the first Native American women whose likeness was reproduced in Europe.

Pocahontas died at Gravesend, England, in 1617, at around 21 years of age, just as she was preparing to return to Virginia. The cause of her death remains uncertain — pneumonia, tuberculosis, and poisoning have all been suggested. Her son Thomas grew up in England before returning to Virginia, carrying on her lineage.

Primary Sources

The Generall Historie of Virginia, New-England, and the Summer Isles — John Smith (1624)

Pocahontas, the King's most deare and wel-beloved daughter, being but a child of twelve or thirteen years of age, whose compassionate pitiful heart gave me much cause to respect her, got his head in her armes, and laid her owne upon his to save him from death.

Letter from John Rolfe to Governor Thomas Dale (1614)

It is Pocahontas, to whom my hearty and best thoughts are, and have a long time bin so entangled, and inthralled in so intricate a laborinth, that I was even awearied to unwinde my selfe thereout.

A True Discourse of the Present Estate of Virginia — Ralph Hamor (1615)

Pocahontas, the nonpareil of his kingdome... at the instant of our men's departure, she came accidentally to our fort... where she was kindly entertained and brought to Sir Thomas Dale.

Oral account of the Pamunkey Nation (transmitted Powhatan tradition) (17th century, oral transmission)

In the memory of the elders, Matoaka was a courageous young woman who sought to maintain peace between her people and the strangers who came from the sea, at the risk of her own freedom.

A Map of Virginia — John Smith (1612)

The people... are governed by their Kings, which they call Werowances... The great King is called Powhatan... He hath as many women as he will, whereof when he is weary of them, he bestoweth them on those that best deserve them.

Key Places

Werowocomoco (Virginia, United States)

Capital of the Powhatan Confederacy and home of the paramount chief Wahunsenacah, Pocahontas's father. According to colonial accounts, this is where the foundational encounter between Pocahontas and John Smith took place.

Jamestown (Virginia, United States)

The first permanent English settlement in North America, founded in 1607 on Powhatan lands. Pocahontas visited the colony regularly in its early years, bringing food and information.

Henrico (Virginia, United States)

The English colonial settlement where Pocahontas was held captive in 1613, baptized under the name Rebecca, and instructed in the Christian faith. It was here that she met John Rolfe, whom she married in 1614.

London (England)

Pocahontas stayed here in 1616–1617, was received at the royal court, and met English aristocracy. Her presence generated considerable interest in London society.

Gravesend (Kent, England)

An English port on the Thames where Pocahontas died in March 1617, before she could board a ship to return to Virginia. She is buried there in St. George's Church.

Gallery

Portrait of Pocahontas

Wikimedia Commons, Public domain — unknown (which William Sheppard was this? There is a William Sheppard who lived around 1641-1660, and there is Will