Pax Britannica: A History of the British Empire
Oct 5, 2026 · 32 min · 17 segments
The Wabanaki enter the war; Praying Indians are interned on Deer Island; the United Colonies march on the Narragansett Pontifacts tour…
Samuel HumeHost
Last time, we saw the trial of the Praying Indians, Nipmuc Christians, who had believed they were under English protection.
After all, they'd willingly put themselves under colonial sovereignty, embraced English dress and culture, and, surely most importantly, were practicing Christians.
But with King Philip's War not going especially well, suspicion and fear was running rampant among colonial leaders.
Unable, and perhaps unwilling, to understand the complex ties between indigenous groups, Massachusetts Bay Colony was all too prepared to believe their Nipmuc subjects were in league with their Nipmuc enemies.
We left off with Weetamoo, sister-in-law to King Philip, arriving at the court of Canonicus, sachem of the Narragansett, the largest indigenous group in New England which had not yet thrown itself into the war.
Weetamoo sought sanctuary, and she found it, splitting her time between her role as sosquah of her community and the ordinary work of bringing in the harvest.
Meanwhile, Canonicus had to deal with the storm she'd just brought to his doorstep.
As a quick aside, you may be a bit confused about Canonicus, because Canonicus died in 1647.
Weetamoo's arrival and generous treatment caused Canonicus II an issue, because the Narragansett had previously sort of agreed, quote, "If Philip or his men fled to them, they would not receive them, but deliver them up to the English," end quote.
To quote from Lisa Brooks' Our Beloved Kin, "Was she, Weetamoo, a captive, a prisoner owned to the English, or a neighboring leader who could expect sanctuary? Was she a woman in need of protection, or a persuasive diplomat striving towards alliance in war? Had Weetamoo so transcended gender boundaries in her actions that she was considered one of Philip's men? Did the covenant require that the Narragansetts deliver up the women and children who had come from Pocasset, regardless of indigenous relationships and protocols?" This was all made way more complicated because of indigenous kinship networks.
Many Pocasset and Narragansett were related, and that was why Weetamoo and the Pocasset had arrived.
Canonicus, along with four of his leading sachems and an emissary of the United Colonies, along with a translator.
The colonists' goal was simple: a firm treaty of friendship with the Narragansetts and their commitment to hand over any Wampanoag that fled to them.
Last time, we saw the trial of the Praying Indians, Nipmuc Christians, who had believed they were under English protection.
After all, they'd willingly put themselves under colonial sovereignty, embraced English dress and culture, and, surely most importantly, were practicing Christians.
But with King Philip's War not going especially well, suspicion and fear was running rampant among colonial leaders.
Unable, and perhaps unwilling, to understand the complex ties between indigenous groups, Massachusetts Bay Colony was all too prepared to believe their Nipmuc subjects were in league with their Nipmuc enemies.
We left off with Weetamoo, sister-in-law to King Philip, arriving at the court of Canonicus, sachem of the Narragansett, the largest indigenous group in New England which had not yet thrown itself into the war.
Weetamoo sought sanctuary, and she found it, splitting her time between her role as sosquah of her community and the ordinary work of bringing in the harvest.
Meanwhile, Canonicus had to deal with the storm she'd just brought to his doorstep.
As a quick aside, you may be a bit confused about Canonicus, because Canonicus died in 1647.
Weetamoo's arrival and generous treatment caused Canonicus II an issue, because the Narragansett had previously sort of agreed, quote, "If Philip or his men fled to them, they would not receive them, but deliver them up to the English," end quote.
To quote from Lisa Brooks' Our Beloved Kin, "Was she, Weetamoo, a captive, a prisoner owned to the English, or a neighboring leader who could expect sanctuary? Was she a woman in need of protection, or a persuasive diplomat striving towards alliance in war? Had Weetamoo so transcended gender boundaries in her actions that she was considered one of Philip's men? Did the covenant require that the Narragansetts deliver up the women and children who had come from Pocasset, regardless of indigenous relationships and protocols?" This was all made way more complicated because of indigenous kinship networks.
Many Pocasset and Narragansett were related, and that was why Weetamoo and the Pocasset had arrived.
Canonicus, along with four of his leading sachems and an emissary of the United Colonies, along with a translator.
The colonists' goal was simple: a firm treaty of friendship with the Narragansetts and their commitment to hand over any Wampanoag that fled to them.
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