Pocahontas was kidnapped in 1613 and used as leverage by the English. Rolfe was on the negotiating committee, and a deal was struck with Chief Powhatan. It was also agreed that Pocahontas, now seventeen, would remain with the English. More specifically, she would marry John Rolfe. This union certainly served as a pragmatic political tool to promote peace, similar to marriages among the monarchies of Europe. From all accounts, however, it appears that in the course of their three-year friendship, the two had genuinely fallen in love.
