Philip, King (?-1676), became chief, or sachem, of the Wampanoag in 1662. His Native American name was Metacom, though he is sometimes called Metacomet. He was the son of Massasoit, who had aided the Pilgrim settlers of Plymouth Colony.
As Philip saw the increasing amounts of land taken by the English settlers, he grew concerned that the colonists would in time destroy his people. Soon after he became chief, he began preparations to drive out all the white settlers in New England. The conflict known as King Philip’s War began in 1675. King Philip formed an alliance with neighboring tribes and almost succeeded in wiping out the settlements. But after the defeat of his forces by the English colonists, Philip was hunted down and killed in a swamp near present-day Bristol, Rhode Island, on Aug. 12, 1676. Captured warriors were then sold into slavery, while even those who had helped the English were confined in internment camps. The war then ended in southern New England, but fighting continued in northern New England until 1678.
See also Indian wars (King Philip’s War (1675-1676)); Massasoit.
