Mary Rowlandson

About the Author

Mary Rowlandson (c. 1637–1711) was a Puritan settler in colonial New England whose life took a dramatic turn during King Philip's War, when she was captured by Narragansett Indians in 1676 and held for eleven harrowing weeks. Her firsthand account of this ordeal, published as The Sovereignty and Goodness of God, became one of the earliest and most influential captivity narratives in American literature, blending raw personal testimony with profound religious reflection on divine providence amid suffering. As a mother of four and wife to a Puritan minister, Rowlandson's writing captures the tensions of frontier life, cultural clashes, and unyielding faith, offering invaluable insights into 17th-century colonial experiences and the complex dynamics between English settlers and Native American tribes.