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 honored 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 immunity 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.

"Philip (Native American chief)," Microsoft® Encarta® Online Encyclopedia 2001 http://encarta.msn.com © 1997-2001 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

New Hampshire, History, French and Indian Wars

For 50 years the settlers and Native Americans in New Hampshire maintained friendly relations. Even when most of New England was involved in King Philip's War (1675-1676) between settlers and native people led by the Wampanoag chief Philip, New Hampshire native groups tried to remain neutral. But as white settlements increased, so did tensions. The Europeans introduced livestock that often ruined crops in the Native Americans' fields, and disputes arose over access to traditional hunting and fishing grounds.

These conflicts turned to bloodshed from 1689 to 1760, when New Hampshire became a battleground between France and England in their struggle for control of North America. During a series of wars known as the French and Indian Wars, the European powers formed alliances with rival native groups. The Algonquian-speaking native people of New Hampshire, increasingly displaced from their lands by English settlers, fought with the French against the English settlers and the Iroquois, the Algonquian peoples' traditional enemy.

from: "New Hampshire," Microsoft® Encarta® Online Encyclopedia 2001 http://encarta.msn.com © 1997-2001 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.