149. Pocahontas: Kidnapped in Virginia

This episode of the Empire podcast interviews Camilla Townsend, a historian, about Pocahontas. The discussion begins with a debunking of popular myths surrounding John Smith and Pocahontas's relationship, revealing Smith's admission of inappropriate behavior towards a child. The conversation then traces Pocahontas's life, detailing her role in negotiations between her father, Powhatan, and the Jamestown settlers, her eventual marriage to John Rolfe, and her trip to England as a diplomatic tool. Townsend highlights the brutal realities of early English colonization, including violence against women and children. The episode concludes with a discussion of Pocahontas's legacy and how her story is perceived differently in the US and among Indigenous communities.