One could argue that Pocahontas's greatest accomplishment was to bring some measure of peace between her native Powhatan tribe and the English settlers. This was achieved, in the time-honored fashion of European royalty, through marriage—in the case of Pocahontas, marriage to John Rolfe, the English tobacco farmer who, more than anyone else, turned Jamestown into a prosperous, thriving colony.
Relations between the Powhatan and the English had been in serious decline for some time, with the Powhatan becoming increasingly angry at incursions into their ancestral lands by the Jamestown settlers. Outbreaks of violence were common, but there was still a general feeling on both sides that some kind of amicable settlement was possible.
Therefore, to generate friendship and good will between the Powhatan and the English, Pocahontas agreed to convert to Christianity and marry John Rolfe. For the duration of the marriage—some three years in total—there was peace between the Powhatan and the English. However, once Pocahontas passed away, relations deteriorated sharply, leading to even greater bloodshed and suffering than before.
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