Big Chief Elizabeth

The Adventures and Fate of the First English Colonists in America

Nonfiction, History, Americas, United States, Colonial Period (1600-1775)
Cover of the book Big Chief Elizabeth by Giles Milton, Farrar, Straus and Giroux
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Giles Milton ISBN: 9780374706036
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux Publication: April 1, 2011
Imprint: Farrar, Straus and Giroux Language: English
Author: Giles Milton
ISBN: 9780374706036
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Publication: April 1, 2011
Imprint: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Language: English

In April 1586, Queen Elizabeth I acquired a new and exotic title. A tribe of Native Americans had made her their weroanza—a word that meant "big chief". The news was received with great joy, both by the Queen and her favorite, Sir Walter Ralegh. His first American expedition had brought back a captive, Manteo, who caused a sensation in Elizabethan London. In 1587, Manteo was returned to his homeland as Lord and Governor, with more than one hundred English men, women, and children, to establish the settlement of Roanoke, Virginia. But in 1590, a supply ship arrived at the colony to discover that the settlers had vanished.

For almost twenty years the fate of Ralegh's colonists was to remain a mystery. When a new wave of settlers sailed to America to found Jamestown, their efforts to locate the lost colony of Roanoke were frustrated by the mighty chieftain, Powhatan, father of Pocahontas, who vowed to drive the English out of America. Only when it was too late did the settlers discover the incredible news that Ralegh's colonists had survived in the forests for almost two decades before being slaughtered in cold blood by henchmen. While Manteo, Sir Walter Ralegh's "savage," had played a pivotal role in establishing the first English settlement in America, he had also unwittingly contributed to one of the earliest chapters in the decimation of the Native American population. The mystery of what happened to the Roanoke colonists, who seemed to vanish without a trace, lies at the heart of this well-researched work of narrative history.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

In April 1586, Queen Elizabeth I acquired a new and exotic title. A tribe of Native Americans had made her their weroanza—a word that meant "big chief". The news was received with great joy, both by the Queen and her favorite, Sir Walter Ralegh. His first American expedition had brought back a captive, Manteo, who caused a sensation in Elizabethan London. In 1587, Manteo was returned to his homeland as Lord and Governor, with more than one hundred English men, women, and children, to establish the settlement of Roanoke, Virginia. But in 1590, a supply ship arrived at the colony to discover that the settlers had vanished.

For almost twenty years the fate of Ralegh's colonists was to remain a mystery. When a new wave of settlers sailed to America to found Jamestown, their efforts to locate the lost colony of Roanoke were frustrated by the mighty chieftain, Powhatan, father of Pocahontas, who vowed to drive the English out of America. Only when it was too late did the settlers discover the incredible news that Ralegh's colonists had survived in the forests for almost two decades before being slaughtered in cold blood by henchmen. While Manteo, Sir Walter Ralegh's "savage," had played a pivotal role in establishing the first English settlement in America, he had also unwittingly contributed to one of the earliest chapters in the decimation of the Native American population. The mystery of what happened to the Roanoke colonists, who seemed to vanish without a trace, lies at the heart of this well-researched work of narrative history.

More books from Farrar, Straus and Giroux

Cover of the book My Grandfather's Gallery by Giles Milton
Cover of the book Ugly Girls by Giles Milton
Cover of the book Heaven by Giles Milton
Cover of the book The Grammarians by Giles Milton
Cover of the book The Burial at Thebes by Giles Milton
Cover of the book How to Be Alone by Giles Milton
Cover of the book Left Handed Women by Giles Milton
Cover of the book Dreamhunter by Giles Milton
Cover of the book The Collected Stories of Jean Stafford by Giles Milton
Cover of the book Flu by Giles Milton
Cover of the book The Mighty Franks by Giles Milton
Cover of the book In the Long Run by Giles Milton
Cover of the book Lions & Liars by Giles Milton
Cover of the book Radiance of Tomorrow by Giles Milton
Cover of the book Rapture by Giles Milton
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy