(1547-1618) chief of an Indian confederation, father of Pocahontas. At the peak of his power Powhatan controlled approximately 9, 000 Indians in the Virginia Tidewater region. After opposing the British settlement at Jamestown, Powhatan allegedly changed his mind after his daughter, Pocahontas, begged him to show mercy toward the captured English captain John Smith. Although the British attempted to placate the Indians with gifts, the Indians resented the settlers' relentless encroachment on their territory. After Pocahontas married an Englishman, Captain John Rolfe, in 1614, Powhatan signed a peace treaty with the English, and good relations prevailed between the two groups for the rest of the chief's life.
See the Introduction, Abbreviations and Pronunciation for further details.
