Kimpanzu
Encyclopedia
The Kimpanzu were members of the Mpanzu kanda
also known as the House of Kimpanzu, one of the lineages from which the kings of Kongo
were chosen during the 17th century and following Kongo's reunification under Pedro IV
.
whom came to power in 1636. He was the half-brother of the young king Álvaro IV
, though it is unclear if he shared the same father, Álvaro III
. After Álvaro IV's murder, Álvaro V took the throne.
and Garcia Nkanga
, defeated and decapitated Álvaro V and set up their own dynasty known as the House of Kinlaza. The remaining Kimpanzu who would not recognize the brothers fled south in the county of Soyo
.
The Silva kanda became allies and protectors of the Kimpanzu allowing their partisans to plot against the Kinlaza from Mbamba Luvota. Soyo was determined to gain full independence from Kongo and backed various opponents to the Kinlaza including the remnants of the House of Nsundi. This resulted in a failed assassination attempt on Garcia II. The kanda of the House of Nsundi, Nkanka a Mvika, was crushed in retribution by Garcia and ceased to exist by the 1660s. The Kimpanzu; however, were too far from his reach to be taken completely out of the picture.
kanda arranged for the throne of Kongo to rotate between the two Kinlaza branches and the Kimpanzu. They returned to power with the election of Manuel II following the death of Pedro IV in 1718. The last important Kimpanzu to hold office was the first king Pedro V, who died in 1779, even though his regent and partisans kept up pressure to allow a successor to rule. The line of kings buried in Sembo, whose cemetery was visited in 1859 by the German anthropologist Adolph Bastian were probably other unknown Kimpanzu pretenders.
Kanda (lineage)
Kanda In Kikongo any social or analytical group, but often applied to lineages or groups of associated people who form a faction, band or other group. In Kongo documents written in Portuguese, or in older Portuguese accounts of Kongo it often is translated by "geração"...
also known as the House of Kimpanzu, one of the lineages from which the kings of Kongo
Kingdom of Kongo
The Kingdom of Kongo was an African kingdom located in west central Africa in what are now northern Angola, Cabinda, the Republic of the Congo, and the western portion of the Democratic Republic of the Congo...
were chosen during the 17th century and following Kongo's reunification under Pedro IV
Pedro IV of Kongo
Nusamu a Mvemba. King of Kongo, ruled in 1694–1718. He is noted for restoring the country and ending the civil war which had raged since 1666. It was during his reign that Beatriz Kimpa Vita, the prophetess possessed by Saint Anthony had her career....
.
Origins
The Mpanzu kanda takes it name from King Álvaro VÁlvaro V of Kongo
Álvaro V of Kongo, was a ruler of the Kingdom of Kongo for a short period in the year 1636.The king was part of the Kimpanzu kanda. He was a cousin to the founding monarchs of the Kinlaza kanda that would rule the kingdom until the Kongo Civil War. King Alvaro V took power after the poisoning of...
whom came to power in 1636. He was the half-brother of the young king Álvaro IV
Álvaro IV of Kongo
Álvaro IV of Kongo was a ruler of the Kingdom of Kongo from 1631 to 1636.The king was last of the House of Kwilu monarchs which had ruled the kingdom with only one intermission since 1567. He was a son of Álvaro III and took possession of the throne at age thirteen...
, though it is unclear if he shared the same father, Álvaro III
Álvaro III of Kongo
Álvaro III Nimi a Mpanzu, also known as Álvaro III Mbiki a Mpanzu, ruled as king or manikongo of the Kingdom of Kongo from August of 1615 to May 4, 1622. Prior to becoming king, he had served as Duke of Mbamba. Like his predecessor, Bernardo II he was a son of King Álvaro II. King Álvaro III was...
. After Álvaro IV's murder, Álvaro V took the throne.
Fall from Power
The Kimpanzu dynasty in Kongo would be a short one, and civil war continued between partisans of the Count of Soyo and a noble named Gregario. The Count and his allies, two Jesuit brothers once loyal to Álvaro IV, won. The brothers, Álvaro NimiÁlvaro VI of Kongo
Álvaro VI of Kongo, sometimes called Nimi a Lukeni a Nzenze a Ntumba , was a ruler of the Kingdom of Kongo.Descended through the female line of Anna Ntumba from King Afonso I, he became Duke of Mbemba in 1634...
and Garcia Nkanga
Garcia II of Kongo
Garcia II Nkanga 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.-Early life:Garcia and his...
, defeated and decapitated Álvaro V and set up their own dynasty known as the House of Kinlaza. The remaining Kimpanzu who would not recognize the brothers fled south in the county of Soyo
Soyo
Soyo is a city located in the province of Zaire in Angola. Soyo recently became the largest oil-producing region in the country, with an estimate of .-Early history:...
.
Opposition to the Kinlaza
The Kimpanzu retreated to the mountains in the south of Soyo, then ruled by Daniel da Silva. Though nominally a province of Kongo, the county had become more and more independent of the mwenekongo as time passed. Soyo was crucial for its military might and position as an elector of kings. From 1625 until 1641, the office of Count of Soyo had been filled by men loyal to the House of Nsundi and later House of Kinlaza. But when Count Paulo died in 1641, the office was seized by Daniel da Silva. Still holding a grudge against the brothers that had removed him from his place as Duke of Mbamba, Count Daniel da Silva made Soyo a haven for Kimpanzu sympathizers.The Silva kanda became allies and protectors of the Kimpanzu allowing their partisans to plot against the Kinlaza from Mbamba Luvota. Soyo was determined to gain full independence from Kongo and backed various opponents to the Kinlaza including the remnants of the House of Nsundi. This resulted in a failed assassination attempt on Garcia II. The kanda of the House of Nsundi, Nkanka a Mvika, was crushed in retribution by Garcia and ceased to exist by the 1660s. The Kimpanzu; however, were too far from his reach to be taken completely out of the picture.
Kimpanzu after the Kongo Civil War
Kimpanzu members were closely allied to Soyo for much of the earlier civil war period, and in this time their leader, Suzanna de Nóbrega was lodged in the province of Luvota on Soyo's southern border. They vigorously opposed the House of Kinlaza politically and even militarily before, during and after the Kongo Civil War which raged from 1665 to 1709. In order to reunify Kongo, the Água RosadaAgua Rosada
Água Rosada or Álvaro XIV was ruler in Kongo from February 1891 to 1896. His father signed the vassalage of Kongo in 1888-Family:Álvaro XIV was the son of Peter V or VI, brother of Álvaro XIII and son of Henrique II. Henrique had split his Asian lands between his two sons; Álvaro and Peter. They...
kanda arranged for the throne of Kongo to rotate between the two Kinlaza branches and the Kimpanzu. They returned to power with the election of Manuel II following the death of Pedro IV in 1718. The last important Kimpanzu to hold office was the first king Pedro V, who died in 1779, even though his regent and partisans kept up pressure to allow a successor to rule. The line of kings buried in Sembo, whose cemetery was visited in 1859 by the German anthropologist Adolph Bastian were probably other unknown Kimpanzu pretenders.
See also
- Kingdom of KongoKingdom of KongoThe Kingdom of Kongo was an African kingdom located in west central Africa in what are now northern Angola, Cabinda, the Republic of the Congo, and the western portion of the Democratic Republic of the Congo...
- Kongo Civil WarKongo Civil WarThe Kongo Civil War was an internal conflict between rival houses of the Kingdom of Kongo. The war waged throughout the middle of the 17th and 18th centuries pitting partisans of the House of Kinlaza against the House of Kimpanzu...
- KinlazaKinlazaThe Kinlaza were members of the Nlaza kanda or House of Kinlaza, one of the ruling houses of the Kingdom of Kongo during the 17th century. It was one of the main factions during the Kongo Civil War along with the Kimpanzu and Kinkanga a Mvika kandas....
- KinkangaKinkangaThe Kinkanga, usually known as the Kinkanga a Mvika or House of Nsundi, was a royal kanda formed by King Pedro II, which ruled the Kingdom of Kongo from 1622 to 1631...
- List of Rulers of Kongo