The Pocahontas most people know from movies and books is not the real Pocahontas. The true story is more complicated and more interesting. Pocahontas was born around 1596. Her real name was Amonute, and she was the daughter of Wahunsenacah, the powerful chief of the Powhatan Confederacy. A group of about 30 tribes living in what is now Virginia. When English settlers arrived at Jamestown in 1607, they struggled to survive. They did not know how to grow food in the new land. The Powhatan people helped them, but tensions grew as the settlers wanted more land. Pocahontas played a role in keeping communication between the groups open. She visited Jamestown and learned some English. In 1613, she was captured by English settlers and held for ransom. During her captivity, she converted to Christianity, took the name Rebecca, and met tobacco farmer John Rolfe. On April 5, 1614, they married. Their marriage created a period of peace called the "Peace of Pocahontas." It lasted about eight years. Pocahontas later traveled to England, where she was presented to royalty as an example of a "civilized savage". A deeply disrespectful term. She became ill and died in 1617 at about age 21. She never returned home. Her real story is not a fairy tale. It is a story about a young woman caught between two cultures during a difficult time in American history.