Kongo << KONG goh >> was an African kingdom that lasted from the 1400’s to the early 1700’s. It included parts of what are now Angola and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Kongo had a well-organized government. A hereditary chief ruled each village. Each district (group of villages) was ruled by a chief chosen by the king or the governor of the province in which the district was located. By 1500, Kongo was divided into six provinces, each ruled by a governor. The king, called the Mani-Kongo, had political and religious power. He had no standing army, so he needed a strong personality to keep the kingdom together. Mbanza, near what is now Damba, Angola, was the kingdom’s capital.
Portuguese explorers reached Kongo in 1483. They converted some Kongolese, including King Nzinga Nkuwu, to Christianity. At first, the Portuguese and Kongolese treated each other as equals. They continued to do so for about 20 years, despite increasing religious conflicts. But beginning in the early 1500’s, the Portuguese enslaved many Kongolese and made them work in Portuguese colonies. King Nzinga Mbemba (also called Afonso I) asked King John III of Portugal to stop the slave traders, but John did nothing. By the early 1600’s, the slave trade had weakened Kongo, and the kingdom was breaking apart. Kongolese chiefs, encouraged by Portuguese traders, rebelled. Some provinces declared their independence.
Portugal invaded Kongo in 1665. The invaders defeated the king’s forces and killed him and many members of the nobility. By 1710, the kingdom had broken up into several small provinces.
See also Nzinga Nkuwu.
