King Philip’s War (1675-1676) was fought between the Wampanoag tribe and the settlers of Plymouth Colony in southern New England. The Wampanoag are an Indigenous (native) American tribe whose traditional homeland extended from what is now eastern Rhode Island to Cape Cod, Massachusetts. King Philip’s War, also known as Metacom’s Rebellion, is considered one of the deadliest wars in American history in terms of the proportion of casualties. Scholars have estimated that 1 in 10 fighters on each side died in the war. The war devastated Wampanoag and Narragansett populations and marked the end of Indigenous resistance in southern New England.
King Philip’s War had its roots in decades of history between the Plymouth Colony and the Wampanoag. In the early 1620’s, the British settlers formed partnerships with the Wampanoag to survive. The Wampanoag taught and helped the colonists and traded with them. The Wampanoag sachem (chief) Massasoit entered a peace treaty with the settlers in 1621.
Massasoit died in 1661. By that time, the settlers had become more independent, and relations with the Wampanoag were strained. More settlers were arriving and expanding westward into Wampanoag land. Many of these settlers were members of a religious movement known as the Puritans. The Puritans began converting the Wampanoag and arresting them for working on the Sabbath and for practicing traditional ceremonies.
Shortly after Massasoit’s death, his son Wamsutta, also known as Alexander, became sachem. In 1662, Wamsutta was captured and brought to meet with the Plymouth Colony’s governor, Josiah Winslow. Wamsutta was questioned for plotting war against the settlers at Plymouth. He died shortly after meeting with Winslow. Many suspected that Wamsutta was poisoned. Massasoit’s second son, Metacom, became sachem. Europeans referred to Metacom as King Philip.
In January 1675, John Sassamon, an Indigenous convert to Christianity, warned the settlers that the Wampanoag were planning an attack. The settlers then found Sassamon dead. Puritan authorities found three Wampanoag men guilty of killing Sassamon and hanged them on June 8, 1675. The Wampanoag carried out several raids against the settlers. The English sent their military to destroy Metacom’s village in what is now Mount Hope, Rhode Island.
On Sept. 9, 1675, the New England Confederation declared war against the Wampanoag and their allies. The confederation was a military alliance of the colonies of Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Haven, and Plymouth. The Wampanoag’s allies included the Abenaki, Nipmuc, Pocumtuc, and Narragansett people. The Battle of Bloody Brook took place a week later. Hundreds of Nipmuc fighters ambushed a large group of traveling colonists and militia.
On Dec. 19, 1675, Winslow led an attack against the Wampanoag and Narragansett in Rhode Island. The battle left more than 300 Wampanoag and Narragansett dead and became known as the Great Swamp Fight. Battles continued through the winter. In the spring of 1676, Canonchet, the sachem of the Narragansett tribe, was killed. The colonists began gaining ground in several battles. They began granting amnesty (pardon) to some Indigenous Americans and then trading them into slavery.
In August 1676, John Alderman, a converted Wampanoag fighting with the New England Confederation, shot and killed Metacom. The colonists displayed his head on a stake in Plymouth for years as a warning to discourage further attacks by Indigenous people. Scholars regard Metacom’s death as the end of the war, although small battles continued until the Treaty of Casco was signed on April 12, 1678. Several hundred colonists and thousands of Indigenous Americans died during the war. Most of the remaining Wampanoag and Narragansett were sold into slavery. Following the war, English settlements were largely able to expand without Indigenous resistance.
