In 1675, a Native American who had converted to Christianity was found dead in an icy pond near Plymouth, Massachusetts. A few days later, a predominantly white jury convicted three members of the Wampanoag tribe of the murder and sentenced them to death.
The executions of the three Wampanoag set off a bloody chain of events that brought about King Philip’s War, one of the most devastating conflicts in early American history. Almost half of the settlers in New England would die during the fourteen-month war; an even higher percentage of Native Americans were killed.
The leader of the Wampanoag during the war was a sachem named Metacomet (c. 1639–1676), who was often referred to by his English name, King Philip. By the end of the war, Metacomet was among the most feared and hated men in New England; centuries later, he has been reclaimed by Native American activists as a hero of the indigenous resistance to European colonization.
Indeed, from his hideouts in the hills and swamps of Rhode Island, Metacomet mounted the last serious military threat to the survival of the English colonies in North America. After his defeat, the number of Native Americans in New England shrank rapidly and never again posed an obstacle to the English.
Relations between the settlers and the Wampanoag had deteriorated steadily since 1620, when Metacomet’s father, Massasoit (c. 1590–1661), had aided the pilgrims after their arrival at Plymouth Rock. The population of the English colonies grew rapidly after 1630, creating a demand for land that began to put a squeeze on the Wampanoag.
After becoming sachem in 1662, Metacomet began to reverse his father’s friendly policies toward the English, and his people were ready for war when the hangings of the three Wampanoag in Plymouth provided a casus belli. Metacomet and his allies attacked English settlements in Rhode Island, Connecticut, and Massachusetts, burning farms and taking hostages.
Although he won initial victories, the English turned the tide in 1676 and cornered Metacomet in Rhode Island. He was killed in August 1676; his head was mounted on a pike outside Plymouth as a warning to other would-be rebels.
ADDITIONAL FACTS
- After the war, Metacomet’s son was sold into slavery and transported to Bermuda, along with many other Wampanoag. Some of their descendants still live on Bermuda’s St. David’s Island.
- In 1998, under pressure from Native American groups, the town of Plymouth agreed to erect a plaque to King Philip, whose remains had been displayed at the town’s gates three centuries earlier.
- Metacomet’s older brother, Wamsutta, preceded him as sachem from 1660 to 1662. Wamsutta died under mysterious circumstances—possibly as a result of poisoning—shortly after being imprisoned by the English, an event that fueled Metacomet’s distrust of the colonists.
