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John Smith

Type Figure Region England Time c. 1580–1631 Also known as John Smith、Captain John Smith、约翰·史密斯船长

English explorer and colonist who helped found Jamestown in 1607 and chaired the colonial council;…

Timeline

  1. c. 1580–1606England · EnglandSmith left home young to serve in wars against the Ottomans in Hungary and in Mediterranean privateering, gaining extensive field survival and combat experience that laid the groundwork for later colonial exploration.
  2. 1607–1609Jamestown · VirginiaArriving in 1607 with the Virginia Company fleet, he helped establish Jamestown; during famine and conflict with natives he organized expeditions and trade, penetrating deep into Powhatan territory, playing a key role in the colony's early survival.
  3. 1609–1631London · LondonAfter returning to England wounded in 1609 he never went back to Virginia, instead writing travel accounts and promotional works; in 1624 he published a general history of Virginia, New England and the Summer Islands, systematically compiling early colonial sources, and in the 1620s continued to raise shares and promote emigration plans for the Virginia Company.

Sources