Pocahontas was a Native American woman who had significant relationships with two Englishmen, John Smith and John Rolfe. John Smith was an adventurer and explorer who played a prominent role in the early English settlement of Virginia. He claimed to have been saved from execution by Pocahontas, and the two became close, although the nature of their relationship is a matter of debate among historians. John Rolfe was a tobacco planter who married Pocahontas after she was captured and held for ransom by the English. Their marriage was seen as a key moment in the early history of the Virginia colony, as it helped establish a fragile peace between the English and the Native Americans.

The nature of the relationship between Pocahontas and John Smith is a matter of debate among historians because the historical record is unclear and contradictory. Some historians believe that Smith's account of being saved by Pocahontas from execution was embellished or even fabricated, and that his relationship with Pocahontas was more platonic than romantic. Others argue that there may have been a romantic or sexual aspect to their relationship, but that it was kept secret or downplayed by both parties due to the cultural and political barriers between them. Ultimately, because there is no definitive evidence to support either interpretation, the nature of their relationship remains a subject of speculation and debate.

Pocahontas and John Rolfe had a son together named Thomas Rolfe. Thomas was born in 1615 in Virginia, and was the product of one of the earliest recorded intermarriages between English colonists and Native Americans. After Pocahontas's death in 1617, John Rolfe took Thomas to England to be raised by his English family. Thomas later returned to Virginia as a young adult and played a role in negotiating peace agreements between the English colonists and Native Americans.