Philip (Native American chief)

Philip (Native American chief) (died 1676), sachem, or chief, of the Wampanoag tribe of Native North Americans and the second son of the Wampanoag chief Massasoit, who for nearly 40 years had been the first and staunchest ally of the Pilgrim settlers of Plymouth, in what is now Massachusetts. Originally named Metacomet, he was called Philip by the English settlers. In 1662 Philip succeeded his brother and formally renewed the treaties of his father, which he honoured for some years. The colonists, however, made continual encroachments on native lands. In retaliation Philip formed a confederation of tribes and in 1675 led an uprising now known as King Philip's War. They burned towns and killed many of the inhabitants. In return the colonists captured Native American women and children, destroyed crops, and promised impunity to Native American deserters. In December 1675 the colonists won a major victory. During the spring of 1676 the Native Americans held out, but their numbers steadily diminished, and in August, Philip was killed. The war then ended, and resistance to further colonial settlements in southern New England ceased.