GeorgeвЂ™s Church, in Gravesend, England, where a life-sized bronze statue stands in her memory. The exact illness remains unknown, though it was likely pneumonia. She was survived by her husband and son Tom Rolfe. She died at around the age of 21 due to respiratory failure. In early March 1617, Pocahontas fell ill while sailing back to Virginia with her husband. She settled in England with Rolfe until her death the next year. In 1616, Pocahontas was invited to England, where she met the King and Queen.

The marriage between the two helped bring a period of peace between the colonists and the Natives. Dale agreed, as did her father, and the two were married. One of the colonists, John Rolfe, became enamored with Pocahontas and asked Sir Thomas Dale if he could marry her. She was then instructed in Christianity, baptized, and given the Christian name Rebecca. Pocahontas was taken to Jamestown, where the governor, Sir Thomas Dale, impressed by her manners and her intelligence. Argall wished to exchange Pocahontas for several Englishmen who were being held by the Powhatans for numerous supplies, including tools, that the Native Americans had stolen from them. In 1613, Pocahontas was taken hostage by English ship captain Samuel Argall. Despite this supposed salvation of Smith, relations between other Englishmen and the Native Americans remained volatile. Smith claims that Pocahontas pleaded for them to spare SmithвЂ™s life and Powhatans released him, and that by doing so, she saved the colony of Jamestown. In 1608, Captain John Smith, the leader of the colony, was captured by PowhatanвЂ™s men. Tensions continued to grow overtime between the two groups. Overall, the situation between the Powhatans and the newly arrived colonists was tenuous. She played with some of the children of the colonists and the parents grew fond of her as well. When English colonists settled in Jamestown in 1607, Pocahontas befriended them.

Pocahontas, born Matoaka, was the daughter of a Powhatan Indian chief and was born around the year 1595 in Werowocomoco, Virginia (what settlers later renamed Jamestown). Early 1850s painting depicting John Rolfe and wife Pocahontas.

Pocahontas (character)