Metacomet

Metacomet (c. 1638 in Massachusetts – August 12, 1676), also known as Pometacom, Metacom, and by his adopted English name King Philip, was sachem (elected chief) to the Wampanoag people from 1662–1676. He was the second son of the sachem Massasoit (c. 1581 – 1661), after his older brother Wamsutta (c. 1634–62). Metacomet became sachem after Massasoit's death. Metacomet was killed on August 12, 1676, near Mount Hope, Rhode Island. Some scholars say his death marked the end of King Phillip's War (1675–1678). Metacomet's initial goal was to live in peace with the colonists. His main responsibility was trade with the colonists. This peace changed later on after consistent negative interactions with the colonists. In King Philip's War (1675–1678), Metacom led a coalition of Algonquian tribes of the Northeastern Woodlands—the Wampanoags, the Pocomtucs, the Nipmucs, and the Narragansetts—against the Puritan settlers of the New England Colonies and their Indian allies: the Mohegans, the Pequots, and Christian Indians. Metacomet was killed during the war on August 12, 1676.