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Historical Figure

Metacomet

Also Known As Pometacom; Metacom; King Philip
Indigenous Leaders and Resistance Figures

Metacomet, who lived from around 1638 to 12 August 1676, also known as Pometacom, Metacom and by his adopted English name King Philip, was sachem, or elected chief, of the Wampanoag people from 1662 to 1676, succeeding his father Massasoit after the brief rule of his older brother Wamsutta. He initially sought to live in peace with the English colonists of New England, serving mainly as the Wampanoag's trade representative, but after years of worsening relations he led a coalition of Algonquian peoples of the northeastern woodlands, including the Wampanoag, Pocomtuc, Nipmuc and Narragansett, against the Puritan settlers of the New England colonies and their Native allies, the Mohegan, Pequot and Christian Indians, in the conflict that became known as King Philip's War. Metacomet was killed near Mount Hope, Rhode Island on 12 August 1676, a death some scholars mark as the effective end of the war, though fighting continued in northern New England into 1678.

Facts
Birth Year
1638 1
The cited article gives circa 1638 in Massachusetts; year only, no exact date is attested.
Death Year
1676 1
Role
Sachem (elected chief) of the Wampanoag people from 1662 to 1676; led Native American resistance against English colonial expansion in King Philip's War. 1
Death Date
1676-08-12 1
Birthplace
Massachusetts (Wampanoag homeland); no specific site is recorded 1
Only the general region is recorded; no specific site of birth is attested.
Death Place
Miery Swamp, near Mount Hope, Bristol, Rhode Island 1
Classification
Gender
Male 1
Role
Role (category)
Monarch / Royalty 1
FAQs

What happened to Metacomet's family as the war turned against him?

Encyclopedia.com, in its entry on King Philip, as Metacomet was called by the English, says that Philip saw his army melt away. With a few faithful followers he was pursued from place to place; meanwhile, his wife and son were captured and sold into slavery.
Connections

In Era

Metacomet led the Wampanoag-allied resistance known as King Philip's War (1675-1676) against the New England colonies.

Source Wikipedia: Metacomet
In the Other Atlases

Originated In

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject originated.

Source Wikidata: Metacomet
Sources
1. Wikipedia: Metacomet
Wikipedia
  • Lead section
    Metacomet (c. 1638 in Massachusetts, August 12, 1676)
  • Death section
    Hunted by a group of rangers led by Captain Benjamin Church, King Philip was fatally shot by a praying Indian named John Alderman, on August 12, 1676, in the Miery Swamp near Mount Hope in Bristol, Rhode Island.
  • Lead section, sachem clause
    was sachem (elected chief) to the Wampanoag people from 1662-1676
  • Lead section, aliases clause
    also known as Pometacom, Metacom, and by his adopted English name King Philip
  • Metacomet: Gender
    Metacomet, who lived from around 1638 to 12 August 1676, also known as Pometacom, Metacom and by his adopted English name King Philip, was sachem, or elected chief, of the Wampanoag people from 1662 to 1676, succeeding his father Massasoit after the brief rule of his older brother Wamsutta.
View the Source
Wikidata: Metacomet
Wikidata Q729648, class allow-list match (w-wdresolver-0926)View the Source

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