History UsefulNotes / Pocahontas

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* AgeLift: Even before the Disney version, media oftentimes portray Pocahontas meeting John Smith in her late teens or as a young adult.

* Disney's ''Disney/{{Pocahontas}}'' is the first thing that comes in mind for many. It features the historical liberties that were already commonplace in previous adaptations of the story, such as Pocahontas being age-lifted and having a fictional romance with John Smith. Disney's main innovations to the traditional Pocahontas story were to portray their affair as ForbiddenLove, and adding in a plotline in which they must PreventTheWar between their respective peoples. Additionally, the (probably fictional) story about Pocahontas saving John Smith is meant to be their first meeting, but Disney has them meet differently so that Pocahontas saving John Smith can be TheClimax.

* [[Disney/{{Pocahontas}} Disney]]'s take on Pocahontas is oftentimes the first thing that comes in mind for many. [[ArtisticLicenseHistory A lot of liberties]] were taken, such as the eponymous heroine {{age lift}}ed and Capt. John Smith had a HistoricalBeautyUpdate, and the plot gradually focuses on the romance between them.

* A ballet play titled ''Pocahontas'' was composed by Creator/ElliottCarter in 1938-39.

* NobleSavage: Her default portrayal in fiction, of course. Any work that does not portray her this way is spoofing or deconstructing her historical reputation.

!!Tropes portayed about her in fiction:

* Barker's ''Indian Princess'' [[FollowTheLeader spawned a series of imitators]]. The genre was [[GenreKiller killed off]] by John Brougham's 1855 burlesque ''Po-ca-hon-tas, or The Gentle Savage'', which parodied earlier fictional depictions of Pocahontas and the NobleSavage trope in general. Notably, it featured Pocahontas ending up with John Smith, while [[NoFourthWall John Rolfe protests the historical inaccuracy]].

* ''The Indian Princess'' [[FollowTheLeader spawned a series of imitators]]. The genre was [[GenreKiller killed off]] by John Brougham's 1855 burlesque ''Po-ca-hon-tas, or The Gentle Savage'', which parodied earlier fictional depictions of Pocahontas and the NobleSavage trope in general. Notably, it featured Pocahontas ending up with John Smith, while [[NoFourthWall John Rolfe protests the historical inaccuracy]].

* The earliest stage dramatization of her was ''The Indian Princess; [[EitherOrTitle or]], La Belle Sauvage'', by James Nelson Barker, in 1808, and was based on Captain John Smith's ''The Generall Historie of Virginia''. It [[FollowTheLeader spawned a series of imitators]], ending with John Brougham's 1855 burlesque ''Po-ca-hon-tas, or The Gentle Savage''. Parodying earlier fictional depictions of Pocahontas and the NobleSavage trope in general, ''Po-ca-hon-tas'' was a huge hit, and is credited with being a GenreKiller for such "Indian plays."

* The earliest stage dramatization of her was ''The Indian Princess; [[EitherOrTitle or]], La Belle Sauvage'', by James Nelson Barker, in 1808, and was based on Captain John Smith's ''The Generall Historie of Virginia''.
* The 1855 burlesque ''Po-ca-hon-tas, or The Gentle Savage'' parodied earlier fictional depictions of Pocahontas and the NobleSavage trope in general. It was a huge hit, and is credited with being a GenreKiller for the "Indian plays" it was spoofing.

* The earliest stage dramatization of her was ''The Indian Princess; [[EitherOrTitle or]], La Belle Sauvage'', by James Nelson Barker, in 1808, and was based on Captain John Smith's ''The Generall Historie of Virginia"''.

* The earliest stage dramatization of her was ''The Indian Princess; [[EitherOrTitle or]], La Belle Sauvage'', by James Nelson Barker, in 1808, and was based on Captain John Smith's ''"The Generall Historie of Virginia"''
* A ballet play titled ''Pocahontas'' was composed by Creator/ElliottCarter in 1938-39 .

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* ''WebVideo/AdamRuinsEverything'' [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0EPY1CKFecs debunks]] the Disneyfied story of Pocahontas and explains how John Smith fabricated the story about his encounters, and how it affected future adaptations.

* HistoricalBeautyUpgrade: Some early portraits of her were less flattering. The portrait at the Smithsonian, which is the page image, is often the basis of her looks, if one is thinking something else other than how she looks on the Disney adaptaion.

* AgeLift: Even before the Disney version, media oftentimes portray her in her late teens or as a young adult.

* HistoricalBeautyUpgrade: Some early portraits of her were less flattering. The portrait at the Smithsonian, which is the page image, is give as the basis of her looks.

She gave birth to a son Thomas in 1615, and the following year the family went to England. Pocahontas was a sensation in London and entertained [[UsefulNotes/TheHouseOfStuart King James I and VI]], his queen, and his court at Whitehall, where she was given royal honours. To Pocahontas, all these honours pale in comparison to her desire to return to her homeland but, unfortunately, illness struck her while she was preparing to return to Virginia (either tuberculosis, pneumonia, or smallpox were suspected), and she succumbed to it in the spring of 1617. She was buried in the chapel of the parish church in Gravesend. Her son Thomas returned to his mother's homeland and became an important settler; many prominent Virginians, such as the First Lady [[UsefulNotes/WoodrowWilson Edith Wilson]], claim to be his descendants.

According to Captain John ''Smith's Generall Historie of Virginia'', published in 1624, in 1608, while helping to establish the settlement of Jamestown, Virginia, he was captured by the natives and was set before a stone altar to be killed. Just before his head was about to be bashed, Pocahontas [[ProtectedByAChild saved his life by holding his head in her arms]]. While it was considered heroic, many historians [[UnreliableNarrator are skeptical about the story]], which is not found in Smith's detailed personal narrative written at the time. In 1613, Pocahontas was captured by Capt. Samuel Argall and was taken to Jamestown. There, she was converted to Christianity and adapted the name Rebecca. In 1614, with her father's approval, she married a tobacco planter named John Rolfe. [[labelnote:Sorry, shippers]] As much as you love the [=PocaSmith=] pair, RealLife can be one big [[ShipSinking ship sinker]]. Plus, if you ship the real Pocahontas with Smith, it would count as [[PaedoHunt totally creepy]] by modern standards, as the real life Smith was in his late twenties and Pocahontas was pre-teen at the time she saved him.[[/labelnote]]

According to Captain John ''Smith's Generall Historie of Virginia'', published in 1624, in 1608, while helping to establish the settlement of Jamestown, Virginia, he was captured by the natives and was set before a stone altar to be killed. Just before his head was about to be bashed, Pocahontas [[ProtectedByAChild saved his life by holding his head in her arms]]. While it was considered heroic, many historians [[UnreliableNarrator are skeptical about the story]], which is not found in Smith's detailed personal narrative written at the time. In 1613, Pocahontas was captured by Capt. Samuel Argall and was taken to Jamestown. There, she was converted to Christianity and adapted the name Rebecca. In 1614, with her father's approval, she married a tobacco planter named John Rolfe. [[labelnote:Sorry, shippers]] As much as you love the [=PocaSmith=] pair, RealLife can be one big [[ShipSinking ship sinker]]. Plus, if you ship the real Pocahontas with Smith, it would count as [[PaedoHunt totally creepy]] by modern standards, as the real life Smith was in his late twenties and Pocahontas was pre-teen at the time she saved him.[[/labelnote]] [[AltarDiplomacy Eight years of peace]] between the Native Americans and the English followed the marriage.

According to Captain John ''Smith's Generall Historie of Virginia'', published in 1624, in 1608, while helping to establish the settlement of Jamestown, Virginia, he was captured by the natives and was set before a stone altar to be killed. Just before his head was about to be bashed, Pocahontas [[ProtectedByAChild saved his life by holding his head in her arms]]. While it was considered heroic, many historians [[UnreliableNarrator are skeptical about the story]], which is not found in Smith's detailed personal narrative written at the time. In 1613, Pocahontas was captured by Capt. Samuel Argall and was taken to Jamestown. There, she was converted to Christianity and adapted the name Rebecca. In 1614, with her father's approval, she married a tobacco planter named John Rolfe. [[labelnote:Sorry, shippers]] As much as you love the [=PocaSmith=] pair, RealLife can be one big [[ShipSinking ship sinker]]. Plus, if you ship the real Pocahontas with Smith, it would count as [[PaedoHunt totally creepy]] by modern standards, as the real life Smith was in his late twenties and Pocahontas was pre-teen at the time she saved him.[[/labelnote]] Eight years of peace between the Native Americans and the English followed the marriage.

** The DirectToVideo sequel, ''[[Disney/PocahontasIIJourneyToANewWorld Journey to a New World]]'' gets slightly more historically accurate, with her going to England, meeting the king, and falling in love with John Rolfe. One significant inaccuracy in this film is that Creator/WilliamShakespeare got inspired to writing ''Theatre/Hamlet'' after seeing her, which in real life, the play was already written decades prior..

* ''Pocahontas and John Smith'', a 1924 {{silent film}} directed by Bryan Foy

* ''Pocahontas: The Legend'', a 1995 Canadian film