Editing Canonicus

{{Short description|Narragansett Chief (c. 1565 – 1647)}}
{{Other uses|Canonicus (disambiguation)}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name                = Canonicus
| image               = Roger Williams and Narragansetts.jpg
| image_size          = 
| caption             = 
| office              = Chief of the [[Narragansett (tribe)|Narragansett]]
| lead                = 
| birth_date          = c. 1565
| birth_place         = 
| death_date          = {{death date and age|1647|06|04 |1565}}
| death_place         = 
| predecessor         = 
| successor           = [[Miantonomoh]]
| native_name         = 
| nicknames           = 
| death_cause         = 
| resting_place       = 
| resting_place_coordinates = 
| religion            = 
| party               = 
| education           = 
| spouse              = 
| partner             = 
| children            = 
| parents             = 
| relations           = Miantonomoh (nephew)
}}

[[File:canonicus.JPG|thumb|400px|Canonicus' mark as seen on the 1638 deed of Providence to [[Roger Williams]]]]
[[File:Providence, Rhode Island, Original Deed.jpg|thumb|The original 1636 deed to Providence, signed by Chief Canonicus]]

'''Canonicus''' (c. 1565 – June 4, 1647) was a chief of the [[Narragansett (tribe)|Narragansett]] people. He was wary of the colonial settlers, but he ultimately befriended [[Roger Williams]] and other settlers.

==Biography==

Canonicus was born around 1565,<ref name="Lossing">Benjamin J. Lossing, [[iarchive:eminentamericans02loss|''Eminent Americans, Comprising Brief Biographies of Leading Statesmen, Patriots, Orators and Others, Men and Women, Who Have Made American History.'']] New York: [[John B. Alden]], 1886; pg. 15.</ref> but nothing is known of his early life. He was chief of the Narragansett tribe when the [[Pilgrim (Plymouth Colony)|Pilgrims]] landed at [[Plimoth Patuxet|Plymouth]], and one of the first with whom they had dealings. In the words of historian Benjamin Lossing, he "regarded the advent of the white men with a jealous fear", and he challenged the Plymouth colony in 1622 in front of a force of about 5,000 men.<ref name=Lossing /> He sent a bundle of arrows in a leather wrap tied with a snake skin to Plymouth governor [[William Bradford (Plymouth governor)|William Bradford]],<ref name=Lossing /> so Bradford filled the wrap with gunpowder and lead [[round shot]] and returned it to Canonicus.<ref name=Lossing /> This first exposure to explosive powder and metal was met with "superstitious awe," in the words of Lossing:

<blockquote>
They were sent from village to village, and excited so much alarm, that the sachem sued for peace, and made a treaty of friendship; which he never violated, notwithstanding, he often received provocations that would have justified him in scattering all compacts to the winds.<ref name=Lossing /></blockquote>

The peace that resulted between the Narragansetts and the colonists extended beyond Canonicus's death in 1647.<ref name=Lossing />

[[Roger Williams]] was driven from [[Massachusetts Bay Colony]] and sought refuge with the Narragansett tribe, and Canonicus made him welcome.<ref name="appletons">{{Cite Appletons'|wstitle=Canonicus|year=1900}}</ref> In 1636, he gave Williams a large tract of land on which to establish [[Providence Plantations]], the nucleus which became the [[Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations]]. In 1637, Canonicus was largely responsible for the Narragansetts' decision to side with the colonists during the [[Pequot War]].

Canonicus was initially succeeded by his nephew [[Miantonomoh]], but Miantonomoh was killed in 1643 and Canonicus resumed leadership.<ref>''An American Biographical and Historical Dictionary: Containing an Account of the Lives, Characters, and Writings of the Most Eminent Persons in North America from Its First Settlement, and a Summary of the History of the Several Colonies and of the United States'' By William Allen, Edition: 2, Published by W. Hyde & Co., 1832 [https://books.google.com/books?id=8t8UAAAAYAAJ]</ref> He made a formal treaty on April 19, 1644, acknowledging the sovereignty of King Charles. The influence of his counsels lasted for many years after his death, and the Narragansett tribe maintained peaceful relations with the colonists until [[King Philip's War]] in 1675.<ref name="appletons"/> Canonicus's nephew [[Pessicus]] (1623-1676) changed his name to Canonicus to honor his uncle.<ref>King Philip's War: The Conflict Over New England
By Daniel R. Mandell, pg. 55</ref><ref>Pessicus, 1623 - 1676  https://yipp.yale.edu/bio/bibliography/pessicus-1623-1676</ref> Canonicus's son Mixan (or Mexanno) died in 1657, but Mixan’s wife, [[Quaiapen]], was the last Narragansett leader killed in King Philip's War.

==Descendants of note==
* [[Jim Thorpe]] (1887-1953), James "Jim" Francis Thorpe (baptized as Jacobus Franciscus Thorpe) was an Olympic champion called the "world's greatest athlete"

== Legacy ==
* Inducted into the Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame, 1997<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.riheritagehalloffame.com/inductees_detail.cfm?iid=363|title = Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame: Miantonomi and Canonicus (Satchems), Inducted 1997}}</ref>
* Four [[United States Navy]] ships have been named [[USS Canonicus|USS ''Canonicus'']].
* [http://www.canonicus.org Camp Canonicus], an [[American Baptist Churches USA|American Baptist]] camp in [[Exeter, Rhode Island]].
* There is an avenue named after Canonicus in [[Newport, Rhode Island|Newport]], Rhode Island.
* There is a street named after Canonicus in [[Tiverton, Rhode Island|Tiverton]], [[Rhode Island]].
*The name of [[Conanicut Island]].
* Portrayed by [[Michael Greyeyes]] in the National Geographic Channel's miniseries ''[[Saints & Strangers]]''

== See also ==
{{Portal|United States|Rhode Island|Biography}}

* [[List of early settlers of Rhode Island]]

==Footnotes==
{{Reflist|2}}

== External links ==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20040314162955/http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/c2/canonicus-i.htm ''Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships'': ''Canonicus''] (ship namesake paragraph)

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:1560s births]]
[[Category:1647 deaths]]
[[Category:17th-century Native American people]]
[[Category:Narragansett people]]
[[Category:Native American leaders]]
[[Category:Native American people from Rhode Island]]
[[Category:People from colonial Rhode Island]]