On this day in 1614, Pocahontas, a prisoner of English settlers in Jamestown, married colonist John Rolfe.

Little Snow Feather, the Native Princess. Pocahontas was a Native princess, daughter of Powhatan, chief of the Algonquians in the Tidewater area of Virginia. She was born around 1595 and named Matoaka, which means Little Snow Feather, but was better known as Pocahontas ~ Naughty One.

First White Men. Pocahontas probably saw white men for the first time in1607, when the English landed at Jamestown and established the first English colony.

The Legend. Legend tells that Pocahontas first met Captain John Smith in 1607, while he was leading an expedition and was taken captive by the Natives who lived there.

What Pocahontas Did... According to Smith, he was about to be put to death when a small Native child ran out. She took Smith's "head in her arms and laid her owne upon his to save him from death." Powhatan proclaimed Smith a friend and adopted him as a son. Whether or not the story is true, Pocahontas and Smith became friends.

The Years Went By... Relations with the Algonquians continued to be friendly. Pocahontas was a frequent visitor to the Jamestown colony, and a friend to John Smith. When the relationship between the Natives and the settlers worsened, Pocahontas' visits tapered off. In 1609, John Smith was injured in a gunpowder explosion and had to return to England.

Kidnapped. Pocahontas was apparently married to a Native and lived in Potomac country when she was kidnapped by Englishmen, who held her for ransom: an exchange for English prisoners and corn. Powhatan sent part of the ransom and asked that his daughter be treated well.

Prisoner of the Settlement. Pocahontas was eventually moved to a new settlement where she met a successful tobacco planter named John Rolfe. A year later, the English brought 150 armed men and Pocahontas into Powhatan's territory to obtain her entire ransom. The Natives fought back; the Englishmen burned houses, destroyed villages, and killed several Native men.