Opechancanough was a chief of the Powhatan Confederacy in Virginia in the early 1600s who led resistance against English settlers. He captured John Smith and later attempted to force the English out of Powhatan territory through warfare but was ultimately captured. As a leader, Opechancanough tried to preserve his people's self-respect and chose death over enslavement by the English during the Powhatan struggle for survival against colonization.