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44-570: The Kingdom of Kongo reached its apex during the reign of its most powerful king Garcia II . King Garcia II had come to power after the death of his brother, Álvaro VI , whom he had assisted in seizing the throne of Kongo from the House of Kimpanzu. Together, the brothers forged a new dynasty named for the Nlaza kanda , thus the House of Kinlaza . The ascension of this dynasty, which traced its legitimacy to

88-585: A Lukeni a Nzenze a Ntumba , also known as Garcia Afonso for short, ruled the Kingdom of Kongo from 23 January 1641 to 1661. He is sometimes considered Kongo's greatest king for his religious piety and his near expulsion of the Portuguese from Angola . Yet, he is also notorious for enriching himself through his leading role in the Atlantic slave trade . Garcia and his brother Álvaro Nimi were born in

132-490: A battle that killed King Daniel I and burnt most of the city to the ground in 1678. The destruction of the capital forced claimants from both sides of the conflict to rule from mountain fortresses. The Kinlaza retreated to Mbula while the Kimpanzu were headquartered at Mbamba Luvota in the south of Soyo. São Salvador became the grazing place of wild animals, where rival claimants would crown themselves then retreat before drawing

176-422: A completely anti-Portuguese agenda. Despite the rising tension between the states, the spark that would set them to war again would be a dispute over the tiny border town of Mbwila . The chiefdom had sworn fealty to both Kongo and Angola in the past. In 1665, a dispute between the claimant to the chiefdomship and his aunt drew Kongo and Angola into confrontation, Kongo supporting the claimant with Angola supporting

220-739: A rebellion in the small southern district of Nsala in 1642, the slaves captured from this paying for Dutch expenses in taking Luanda. In 1643, as the relations between the Dutch West India Company and the Portuguese broke down, Garcia's forces assisted in driving the Portuguese from their positions on the Bengo River . However, the Dutch again refused to press home the attack, allowing the Portuguese to regroup further inland at Massangano . Garcia could not commit more forces to

264-478: A thorn in Kongo's side since 1622. King Garcia II's gambit of assisting the Dutch in their short war with Portugal over the port of Luanda had turned out badly. Now Portugal was stronger than ever with control of Luanda, source of Kongo's nzimbu shell money. More and more, Kongo had to rely on Dutch support, which was not as forthcoming with Soyo as a competitor. These events set Garcia II's successor, António I , on

308-728: The House of Nsundi (or the Kinkanga a Mvika), tried to overthrow him the next year. The Portuguese intervened on their behalf and also tried to attack Kongo. However, Garcia defeated the brothers and prevented the Portuguese, who remembered their crushing defeat following the Battle of Mbumbi in 1622, from crossing the Loje River. By 1657, Garcia II had annihilated or absorbed all of the House of Nsundi. Garcia died in 1660, leaving his second son António I of Kongo to succeed him. Pedro III of Kongo Pedro III Nsimba Ntamba

352-445: The 16th century, took the throne after the death of António I. The ascension of Afonso, a Kimpanzu partisan, played into Soyo's plans. The Kinlaza were quick to act against him and forced him out in place of Álvaro VII . The deposed king fled to Nkondo, where he continued to claim kingship over Kongo. King Álvaro VII turned out to be a tyrant, hated by both political rivals and the common people. In an unprecedented move, Soyo marched on

396-442: The 19th century but left Soyo in a much more precarious position. King Rafael remained on the throne as Soyo turned its focus toward protecting its own border and getting papal recognition. The victory at Kitombo is celebrated in certain parts of Angola on Saint Luke's Day (October 18). The Kimpanzu continued to rule the kingdom despite its tenuous situation. The more powerful provinces like Nsundi and Mbata were splitting off, and

440-488: The Antonians were routed. Constantino da Silva was taken and beheaded as he tried to surrender. The defeated Antonians fled to Bula and sought the help of João II, who had still refused to recognize any king of Kongo other than himself. King João II marched his forces south to see what if anything could be gained at the expense of Pedro IV. On Saint Francis Day, October 4, the armies of João II and Pedro IV clashed within

484-504: The Dutch would assist him in driving the Portuguese out of Angola, as these terms had been laid down as early as 1622 when Pedro II of Kongo had proposed the Kongo-Dutch alliance. However, the Dutch were not as willing to press their attack home once they had taken Luanda. Instead, they hoped to make it a trading post and allowed the Portuguese to continue to possess their inland territories. Dutch soldiers, however, helped Garcia defeat

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528-493: The House of Kinlaza had chosen Pedro as its candidate. Though like many reigns during this period, his was short lived, lasting only until June 1669. He was then forced out of Kongo by the rival House of Kimpanzu, and fled to Lemba where he ruled in exile. While in exile, Pedro III still had a large amount of supporters, and in 1674, his forces returned to the capital of Kongo, São Salvador (or M'banza-Kongo). He or his agents then killed his usurper, Alfonso III of Kongo. However he

572-704: The Mbula territory. King Pedro IV was again victorious, and João II fled back to Lemba. King Pedro IV was so elated that he proclaimed St. Francis his savior and renamed his base São Francisco de Kibangu. After these battles, Pedro dedicated himself to reunifying Kongo and making peace between the Kinlaza and Kimpanzu. A general pardon was given to all Kimpanzu. Manuel Makasa, youngest brother of Kibenga, became Pedro's son-in-law and heir. King Pedro died in 1718 leaving an at least partially reunified kingdom with its capital back at São Salvador. Prince Mauel Masaka became king under

616-561: The Portuguese governor, drafted a treaty demanding from Garcia the Island of Luanda, all lands south of the Bengo River, the rights to all mines in Kongo, payment of an indemnity , and other major concessions. Garcia proposed a different treaty that insisted on the restoration of his rights to the south of the Bengo River as well as other demands. The treaty was presented in 1649 and, while Garcia did pay an indemnity, neither side signed

660-422: The Portuguese in fear of the reinforced Portuguese driving them out of Luanda. Although the allies were successful at the Battle of Kombi in 1647, they were unable to dislodge the Portuguese from their forts. Further reinforcements from Brazil in 1648 forced the Dutch to withdraw. In the years following the Dutch war, Garcia sought to make amends with the Portuguese and settle relations. Salvador Correia de Sá ,

704-591: The Queen Ana Afonso de Leão , the matriarch of the Kinlaza. In the midst of the Kongo Civil War (and perhaps because of it as well) a religious movement developed spearhead by a young noblewoman from the Mbidizi valley. Born Beatriz Kimpa Vita , the young woman's family lived in the sphere of influence of the Kinlaza. She claimed to be possessed by the spirit of Saint Anthony , hence the name of

748-475: The aunt. The two powers met at the Battle of Mbwila on October 29, 1665. In the ensuing battle, Kongo was badly defeated. King António I and many of the Kinlaza nobility were killed in the battle; the royal crown and sceptre were sent to Portugal as trophies. The boy heir to the Kongo throne was captured and taken to Luanda along with the head of António. The royal possessions of the king, which he feared to leave in Kongo because of rival partisans, were also lost on

792-410: The battlefield. Robbed of their king, heir and symbols of leadership, the kingdom quickly descended into civil war as Kinlaza and Kimpanzu partisans vied for the throne. The Battle of Mbwila did not have a drastic change on the borders of Central Africa. Kongo and Angola had no more control over this remote settlement than it had before the battle. The party that did prosper as a result of Kongo's defeat

836-531: The brothers came to the king's aid. Garcia was particularly valiant during the desperate battle in the County of Soyo , when the royal army was backed up against the river. The brothers were awarded for their bravery: Garcia was named Marquis of Kiova, a small territory on the south bank of the Congo River , while his brother was promoted to Duke of Mbamba. However, in 1636 Álvaro V sought to remove and execute

880-462: The brothers, and in defense they defeated and beheaded the king. Álvaro was then crowned King Álvaro VI and named Garcia as Duke of Mbamba. On 22 January 1641, Álvaro died under mysterious circumstances. Before an election to replace his brother could be held, Garcia moved forces from Mbamba to the capital and forcibly became king. Within a few weeks, Paulo, the Count of Soyo and longtime ally, died and

924-515: The campaign against Portugal due to increasing hostility with Daniel da Silva. Thus, in 1645, he sought to drive Daniel from Soyo, but was defeated trying to take the Soyo fortified position at Mfinda Ngula. His son and would-be heir, Afonso, was captured while leading the Kongo forces, and a campaign to free him in 1646 failed. Because of these wars, Kongo could only send small forces when the Dutch declared war in alliance with Queen Njinga of Matamba on

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968-409: The capital and assisted the people in Álvaro VII's overthrow and murder. In June, another Kinlaza king was elected. This time, the election would take place under the auspices of Soyo. Álvaro VIII was elected to the throne and ruled for three years. He allowed the Portuguese to search for gold in his kingdom, but no gold or silver was to be found in the realm. The House of Kinlaza kept tacit control of

1012-558: The capital was held by the Kimpanzu King Daniel I . In the ensuing battle, Pedro III killed Daniel I, and destroyed the city in the process. Afterwards, all claimants for the throne would reside in opposing mountain fortresses, namely Lemba, Kibangu, and Mbamba Luvota. In 1680, King Pedro III was still ruling Lemba, where he claimed the Kongo throne in opposition to the House of Kimpanzu partisans residing in Soyo's southern province of Luvota. Manuel de Nóbrega, brother of

1056-492: The early 17th century. Both brothers attended the Jesuit college at São Salvador (modern M'banza-Kongo ) soon after it was opened in 1620, where they studied with the Jesuit priest João de Paiva. As students, they joined the lay brotherhood of St. Ignatius . During his youth, Garcia obtained the nickname "Kipaku" ("Quipaco") of uncertain meaning. In 1634, when King Álvaro V was threatened by Daniel da Silva, Duke of Mbamba ,

1100-436: The ire of opposition partisans. Even after its resettlement, the city would never regain its prominence. Without a center for trade and politics, the once powerful kingdom ceased to exist for two decades. This did not keep the partisans from trying to kill each other, however. King Pedro III was assassinated in 1680 under a banner of truce by Manuel de Nóbrega in revenge for the death of his brother, King Daniel I. King Pedro III

1144-428: The kingdom for good. King Pedro had been working toward reunification of Kongo since before the rise of the Antonians. He had gained the fealty of nearly all claimants through political rather than military means. Even the Kimpanzu acknowledged him. On February 15, 1709 King Pedro marched on São Salvador at the head of his army carrying only a cross. In the ensuing battle between Pedro IV and Pedro Constantino da Silva,

1188-483: The mountain fortress until his death in December 1695. It would be his brother, Pedro IV, that would oversee the restoration of Kongo. Meanwhile, Manuel de Nóbrega, brother of King Daniel I, ruled Mbamba Lovata in the name of the Kimpanzu and with the sanction of the powerful queen Suzana de Nóbrega  [ pt ] . Manuel de Nóbrega used the power of Soyo to make war on all Kinlaza partisans within reach including

1232-424: The movement. She claimed that Saint Anthony came to her in visions and declared her mission was to reunite the kingdom of Kongo. She later traveled to each of the mountain fortresses of the Kinlaza (Kibangu and Bula) She proclaimed her mission was to persuade the different claimants to resettle São Salvador and make an end to the bloodshed. After being rebuffed by all of them, she gathered her followers and marched into

1276-558: The name Manuel II of Kongo . After him, Garcia IV Nkanga a Mvemba succeeded peacefully to the throne according to Pedro's compromise agreement. King Garcia the IV was a member of the Mbula faction of Kinlaza. After him, the Kinlaza of Bula stopped making independent claims for the throne of Kongo. King Pedro IV's descendants remained in Kibangu claiming the title of prince but never pressing to become king of Kongo. Peace reigned more or less for

1320-477: The next 50 years with very few intervals. The throne rotated mainly between the Kinlaza of the east and the Kimpanzu of the west. Despite the settlement and restoration of the monarchy, Kongo was long past its glory days. It never regained its prominence economically or politically, disintegrating into fiefdoms recognizing the King of Kongo but not truly under his control. Garcia II of Kongo Garcia II Nkanga

1364-492: The power of the king waned as trade was rerouted to more stable areas outside of Kongo such as Soyo and Loango . King Rafael I was succeeded by the Marquis of Nkondo, Afonso III of Kongo . He only reigned shortly before the rise of King Daniel I . King Daniel I ruled four years before the Kinlaza made a final disastrous play for the throne. The deposed King Pedro III marched on São Salvador with Jaga mercenaries, resulting in

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1408-511: The promise of mineral rights and opportunity to punish Soyo for dealings with the "heathen" (non-Catholic) Dutch, Angola sent an army under the command of João Soares de Almeida. After an initial victory against Soyo in which its ruler Count Estêvão da Silva was killed, the Angolan army was crushed at the Battle of Kitombo by a Soyo force led by Prince Pedro da Silva, brother of the dead count. The victory stopped Portuguese ambitions in Kongo until

1452-504: The ruins of the ancient capital in October or November 1704. With the assistance and protection of Pedro "Kibenga" Constantino da Silva, a half-Kimpanzu/half-Silva brigand nominally loyal to Pedro IV, Dona Beatriz crossed over from mere religious zealot to political liability. King Pedro IV, at the urging of Capuchin missionaries, had Dona Beatriz arrested for heresy and burned at the stake. King Pedro then left to take São Salvador and reunify

1496-536: The slain King Daniel, swore vengeance and orchestrated a plot to kill Pedro III. Under the auspice of a truce, treacherously negotiated by the Prince of Soyo, Pedro III was lured into a trap expecting to make peace through marriage to the sister of Antonio II Baretta da Silva, the ruler of Soyo . Instead, Pedro III was killed. Later, it was alleged that Manuel himself had emerged from the Soyo wedding train dressed as

1540-515: The throne maternally as opposed to the paternal pedigree of the House of Kimpanzu and House of Nsundi was greeted with hostility from the beginning. Rival claimants for the throne of Kongo, by then the most powerful state in Central Africa, united behind the Kimpanzu. When King Garcia II came to power, the Kimpanzu were entrenched in the county of Soyo giving support to the remaining Nsundi and Kimpanzu partisans inside Kongo while claiming

1584-503: The throne, but Soyo proved to be the true master of the kingdom. King Pedro III , another Kinlaza partisan with less sympathy toward Soyo, came to power in January 1669. Soyo sent a force yet again into Kongo and removed the king from power. This time, the da Silvas would place a Kimpanzu ruler on the throne. King Pedro III fled to Lemba (also known as Mbula or Bula), but that would not be the end of his dealings in Kongo. King Álvaro IX

1628-430: The title of Princes and later Grand Princes. By the end of Garcia's reign, Soyo was completely independent of Kongo and there was open hostility between the House of Kinlaza and the House of Kimpanzu including plots on the king's life and military engagements. In 1661, King Garcia II died leaving the throne to his second eldest son António. King António I was determined to remove the Portuguese from Angola, as they had been

1672-662: The treat Garcia turned his attention to internal affairs following the Dutch period. Capuchin missionaries, who arrived from Italy and Spain, helped provide more clergy for the Church in 1645. Although Garcia initially welcomed the clergymen, he became suspicious and accused them of plotting against Kongo in 1652. In the same year, he imprisoned Dona Leonor, an elderly and well respected queen, for her involvement in an alleged plot. Leonor died in prison, which caused Garcia to lose considerable public confidence. In 1655 Garcia again attempted to take Soyo. Two sons of Pedro II, as members of

1716-461: Was a ruler of the Kingdom of Kongo during its tumultuous civil war period. He was the elder brother of King Joāo II and one of many partisans of the House of Kinlaza . Since 1666, the two royal kandas , or lineages, Kinlaza and Kimpanzu, had been fighting bitterly over the Kingdom of Kongo. In 1669, Pedro III became King of Kongo. The Kongo Civil War had been well underway at this point, and

1760-492: Was again forced out of the capital. In 1676 Pedro III once again invaded the capital, but the forces of Estêvão II of Soyo drove him out. To advance his military standing, Pedro III began to recruit Yaka people as soldiers. These were mercenaries who had previously served Loanga and Great Makoko . Others of this group had been raiding Kongo for about 20 years, and were known to have practiced cannibalism. In 1678, Pedro III returned to São Salvador with an army. At this point

1804-558: Was put in power by Soyo in hopes that a Kimpanzu might be easier to control. However, even among the Kimpanzu, nobles were beginning to resent Soyo's meddling in Kongo. In 1670 Álvaro IX was overthrown by Rafael I, the Marquis of Mpemba. Unlike the previous king, Rafael I was a Kinlaza and unwilling to be controlled by the Silvas. Once on the throne the ambitious king sought Portuguese help in removing his overseers in Mbanza-Soyo. With

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1848-485: Was replaced by his and Garcia's enemy Daniel da Silva. Concurrently, the Dutch armada invaded and took the Portuguese colony of Luanda . Garcia immediately moved his armies south to assist the Dutch, as Kongo had a long-term pact to help the Dutch drive the Portuguese out of Angola . In 1642, he received an embassy from the Dutch and signed an alliance and agreement, but refused to accept a Calvinist preacher from them due to his Catholic background. Garcia hoped that

1892-408: Was succeeded by his younger brother, João II. King João II fought tirelessly to dominate another Kinlaza stronghold, Kibangu, but to no avail. Kibangu eventually fell to forces from within opposed to the succession of Manuel I of Kibangu . Two brothers from the Água Rosada kanda, the product of a Kimpanzu father and Kinlaza mother, overthrew Manuel in 1688. The oldest brother, King Álvaro X , ruled

1936-505: Was the county of Soyo, home to many Kimpanzu partisans. Soyo, ruled by the Silva kanda, had been refuge to the Kimpanzu hiding out in the Luvota region in its south. With no strong opposition in Kongo to them, the da Silvas were able to impose their will on both Kinlaza and Kimpanzu claimants to the throne. King Afonso II of Kongo and Nkondo , not to be confused with Afonso II of Kongo from

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