List of Manikongo of Kongo
Encyclopedia
This is a list of the rulers of the Kingdom of Kongo
known commonly as the Manikongo
s (KiKongo: Mwenekongo). Mwene (plural: Awene) in Kikongo meant a person holding authority, particularly judicial authority, derived from the root -wene which meant, by the sixteenth century at least, territory over which jurisdiction was held. The ruler of Kongo was the most powerful mwene in the region who the Portuguese regarded as the king (in Kikongo ntinu king
upon their arrival in 1483.
. Each kanda (plural: makanda) was a faction which organized people according to a common goal, often but not always rooted in a kin-based relationship. Kandas generally took the name of a person (ie. Nimi, Nlaza or Mpanzu), but could also take the name of a location or title such as Mbala (court)) or birthplace (Kwilu or Nsundi). The Kikongo prefix "ki" is added onto these names to mean "people with something in common". These factions were recorded as gerações or casas (lineages or houses) in Kongo documents written in Portuguese. Until the mid-seventeenth century, following the Battle of Mbwila
, these factions were short lived and fluctuating, but following the battle, factions were much firmer and lasted for generations, particularly the Kimpanzu and Kinlaza.
King Álvaro I was the first king of the House of Kwilu
(Portuguese: Coulo). This kanda or lineage was named for the birthplace of Álvaro, north of the capital city. The Kwilu reigned until 1614 when Antonio da Silva, Duke of Mbamba intervened to place Bernardo I on the throne, in place of Alvaro II's minor son, who would eventually take office as Álvaro III.
Another kanda, the House of Nsundi, later known as the Kinkanga a Mvika, took control of Kongo in 1622 under Pedro II, and retained it through the reign of his son, Garcia I. Garcia never held power strongly, and the Kimpanzu returned to power under Ambrosio I. Kimpanzu domination ended in 1641 when two brothers Alvaro and Garcia of the new House of Kinlaza overthrew Alvaro V and took power. The members of the Kikanga a Mvika were all killed or absorbed into the Kinlaza by 1657. The Kinlaza dynasty would reign until Kongo's catastrophic civil war following the 1665 Battle of Mbwila
, when sporadic and violent alternation followed.
The capital was destroyed in 1678. Its destruction forced the claimants from both sides of the conflict to rule from mountain fortresses. The Kinlaza retreated to Mbula where they founded the capital of Lemba. Earlier another branch of Kinlaza, under the leadership of Garcia III of Kongo founded a settlement at Kibangu. The Kimpanzu based their struggle for the throne at Mbamba Luvota in the south of Soyo. A new faction appeared in the form of the Água Rosada
kanda, headquarteredd at the mountain fortress of Kibangu. This might be considered a new house formed from both the Kinlaza and Kimpanzu, its founders were the children of a Kimpanzu father and a Kinlaza mother. All parties claimed kingship over Kongo (or what was left of it), but their power rarely spread outside their fortresses or the immediate surrounding area.
The country was finally reunited by Pedro IV
of the Água Rosada
kanda. Pedro IV declared a doctrine of shared power by which the throne would shift (in due time) from Kinlaza to the Kimpanzu and back., while the Água Rosada appear to have continued as neutral in Pedro's fortress of Kibangu.
The system functioned sporadically, with considerable fighting, until 1764 when José I of the Kinlaza faction usurped the throne and thrust the country back into civil war. The Kinlaza enjoyed a short lived second dynasty that ended in 1788. After that, the throne moved through various royal hands until the kingship was extinguished in 1914.
. During this period you will note the name of each king's kanda alongside their reign.
The Portuguese abolished the title of King of Kongo following the revolt of 1914.
Saccardo's king list has been modified in the following manner: the Kikongo names of the kings have been given in a Kikongo form following norms established in Joseph de Munck, Kinkulu kia Nsi eto (Tumba, 1956, 2nd ed, Matadi, 1971). The Christian names of the kings are given in modern Portuguese spelling. In addition Saccardo's entries have been updated by a number of sources, most notably the kinglist, unknown to him found in the Instituto Histórico e Geográfico Brasileiro (Rio de Janeiro) Manuscritos, Lata 6, pasta 2. "Catallogo dos reis de Congo" MS of c. 1758.
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...
known commonly as the Manikongo
Manikongo
The Manikongo or MweneKongo was the title of the rulers of the Kingdom of Kongo, a kingdom that existed from the fourteenth to the nineteenth centuries and consisted of land in present-day Angola and the Democratic Republic of Congo...
s (KiKongo: Mwenekongo). Mwene (plural: Awene) in Kikongo meant a person holding authority, particularly judicial authority, derived from the root -wene which meant, by the sixteenth century at least, territory over which jurisdiction was held. The ruler of Kongo was the most powerful mwene in the region who the Portuguese regarded as the king (in Kikongo ntinu king
Monarch
A monarch is the person who heads a monarchy. This is a form of government in which a state or polity is ruled or controlled by an individual who typically inherits the throne by birth and occasionally rules for life or until abdication...
upon their arrival in 1483.
Kandas, Gerações and Houses
The kingdom of Kongo had a formal state apparatus, in which most positions (rendas in Portuguese-language documents, meaning income bearing positions) were in the hands of the king, and the king himself was elected by powerful officials. Kings sought and held office with the assistance of a kandaKanda (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"...
. Each kanda (plural: makanda) was a faction which organized people according to a common goal, often but not always rooted in a kin-based relationship. Kandas generally took the name of a person (ie. Nimi, Nlaza or Mpanzu), but could also take the name of a location or title such as Mbala (court)) or birthplace (Kwilu or Nsundi). The Kikongo prefix "ki" is added onto these names to mean "people with something in common". These factions were recorded as gerações or casas (lineages or houses) in Kongo documents written in Portuguese. Until the mid-seventeenth century, following the Battle of Mbwila
Battle of Mbwila
At the Battle of Mbwila on October 29, 1665, Portuguese forces defeated the forces of the Kingdom of Kongo and decapitated king António I of Kongo, also called Nvita a Nkanga.-Origins of the War:...
, these factions were short lived and fluctuating, but following the battle, factions were much firmer and lasted for generations, particularly the Kimpanzu and Kinlaza.
Dynasties
When the Portuguese arrived in Kongo in 1483, the reigning king represented the Nimi kanda. This kanda was probably descended from Nimi a Nzima, father of the founder of Kongo. Divisions emerged within the kanda during succession disputes, for example, following the death of Afonso I in 1542, his son Pedro I and grandson Diogo I formed two opposed factions, that of Pedro was called the Kibala (court) faction, and the other, whose name is unknown that followed Diogo. Other elections in the sixteenth century probably also involved similar factions, though the details are unknown.King Álvaro I was the first king of the House of Kwilu
Kwilu
Kwilu, also known as the House of Kwilu , was a kanda or royal lineage of the Kingdom of Kongo.-Origins:Prior to the rise fo the Kwilu kanda, the Kilukeni kanda or House of Lukeni had ruled Kongo since its inception around the end of the 14th century. After the death of King Henrique I, power...
(Portuguese: Coulo). This kanda or lineage was named for the birthplace of Álvaro, north of the capital city. The Kwilu reigned until 1614 when Antonio da Silva, Duke of Mbamba intervened to place Bernardo I on the throne, in place of Alvaro II's minor son, who would eventually take office as Álvaro III.
Another kanda, the House of Nsundi, later known as the Kinkanga a Mvika, took control of Kongo in 1622 under Pedro II, and retained it through the reign of his son, Garcia I. Garcia never held power strongly, and the Kimpanzu returned to power under Ambrosio I. Kimpanzu domination ended in 1641 when two brothers Alvaro and Garcia of the new House of Kinlaza overthrew Alvaro V and took power. The members of the Kikanga a Mvika were all killed or absorbed into the Kinlaza by 1657. The Kinlaza dynasty would reign until Kongo's catastrophic civil war following the 1665 Battle of Mbwila
Battle of Mbwila
At the Battle of Mbwila on October 29, 1665, Portuguese forces defeated the forces of the Kingdom of Kongo and decapitated king António I of Kongo, also called Nvita a Nkanga.-Origins of the War:...
, when sporadic and violent alternation followed.
The capital was destroyed in 1678. Its destruction forced the claimants from both sides of the conflict to rule from mountain fortresses. The Kinlaza retreated to Mbula where they founded the capital of Lemba. Earlier another branch of Kinlaza, under the leadership of Garcia III of Kongo founded a settlement at Kibangu. The Kimpanzu based their struggle for the throne at Mbamba Luvota in the south of Soyo. A new faction appeared in the form of the Água Rosada
Agua 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, headquarteredd at the mountain fortress of Kibangu. This might be considered a new house formed from both the Kinlaza and Kimpanzu, its founders were the children of a Kimpanzu father and a Kinlaza mother. All parties claimed kingship over Kongo (or what was left of it), but their power rarely spread outside their fortresses or the immediate surrounding area.
The country was finally reunited by 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....
of the Água Rosada
Agua 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. Pedro IV declared a doctrine of shared power by which the throne would shift (in due time) from Kinlaza to the Kimpanzu and back., while the Água Rosada appear to have continued as neutral in Pedro's fortress of Kibangu.
The system functioned sporadically, with considerable fighting, until 1764 when José I of the Kinlaza faction usurped the throne and thrust the country back into civil war. The Kinlaza enjoyed a short lived second dynasty that ended in 1788. After that, the throne moved through various royal hands until the kingship was extinguished in 1914.
Elections
The selection of kings of Kongo was by a variety of principles, as kings themselves evoked different methods of selection in their letters announcing their succession. Typically the kingdom was said to pass by election, though the electors and the process they used changed over time and according to circumstances. Frequently election seems to have been a combination of elective and hereditary principals.Kings of Kongo
The following section is divided into periods based on kanda or house rulership. Most houses reigned of a distinct period with few if any intervals. This is not the case, however; after the Kongo Civil WarKongo Civil War
The 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...
. During this period you will note the name of each king's kanda alongside their reign.
Awenekongo of the Lukeni kanda
- Lukeni lua NimiLukeni lua NimiLukeni lua Nimi was the first king and founder of the Kingdom of Kongo Dia Ntotila. The name Nimi a Lukeni appeared in later oral traditions and some modern historians, notably Jean Cuvelier, popularized it...
- Nanga of KongoNanga of KongoNanga of Kongo was the second ruler or manikongo of the Central African kingdom of Kongo. The dates and events of his reign are unknown. It is known that he was a cousin of the kingdom's founder, Lukeni lua Nimi.-See also:*List of rulers of Kongo...
- Nlaza of KongoNlaza of KongoNlaza of Kongo was a manikongo of the Central African kingdom of Kongo in the early 15th century. Little is known about him or his reign other than he was one of two cousins of Kongo's founder, Lukeni lua Nimi....
- Nkuwu a Ntinu of KongoNkuwu a Ntinu of KongoNkuwu a Ntinu was the fourth manikongo of the Kingdom of Kongo and reigned during the mid 15th century.-Background:...
(or Nkuwu a Lukeni; ruled c.1450-c.1470) - João I Nzinga a NkuwuJoão I of KongoJoão I of Kongo, alias Nzinga a Nkuwu or Nkuwu Nzinga, was ruler of the Kingdom of Kongo between 1470–1506. He was baptized as João in 3 May 1491 by Portuguese missionaries.-Early reign:...
(ruled c. 1470–1509; baptized as João I May 3, 1491) - Afonso I Mvemba a NzingaAfonso I of KongoMvemba a Nzinga or Nzinga Mbemba , also known as King Afonso I, was a ruler of the Kingdom of Kongo in the first half of the 16th century. He reigned over the Kongo Empire from 1509 to late 1542 or 1543.-Pre-reign career:...
(ruled 1509–42) - Pedro I Nkanga a MvembaPedro I of KongoPedro I Nkanga a Mvemba was manikongo of the Kingdom of Kongo from 1543 until being deposed in 1545.-Background:Pedro I was the son of King Afonso I and became his immediate successor in 1543. He was part of a splinter kanda known as the Kibala or court faction or house in Kongo which had its...
of the House of Kibala (ruled 1542–45) - Diogo I Nkumbi a Mpudi (ruled 1545–61)
- Afonso II Mpemba a NzingaAfonso II of Kongo-Biography:Little is known about Afonso II or his reign. He may have been the illegitimate son of Diogo I. Six years earlier, King Diogo had cut off all relations with Portugal and expelled them from the kingdom. The Portuguese attempted to return by plotting with another claimant for the throne...
(ruled 1561) - Bernardo I of KongoBernardo I of KongoBernardo I of Kongo was a 16th century manikongo of the Kingdom of Kongo, a region encompassing areas in 21st century Angola and the Democratic Republic of Congo. He came to power after murdering his half-brother Afonso II who was less well-disposed toward the Portuguese.The rule of Bernardo I...
(ruled 1561–66) - Henrique I Nerika a MpudiHenrique I of KongoHenrique I Nerika a Mpudi was ruler of the Kingdom of Kongo from 1567 to 1568. Like his predecessor, Henrique would also die while on campaign at the frontiers of the kingdom. He was killed while fighting the BaTeke of the Anziku Kingdom.-See also:...
(ruled 1567–68)
Awenekongo of the Kwilu kanda
- Álvaro I Nimi a Lukeni lua MvembaÁlvaro I of KongoÁlvaro I Nimi a Lukeni lua Mvemba was a Manikongo , or king of Kongo, from 1568 to 1587.-Biography:Álvaro's father was an unknown Kongo nobleman who died, leaving his mother to remarry to King Henrique I. When Henrique I died fighting on the eastern frontier, he had left Álvaro as his regent...
(ruled 1568–March 1587) - Álvaro II Nimi a Nkanga (ruled March 1587–9 August 1614)
- Bernardo II Nimi a NkangaBernardo II of KongoBernardo II Nimi a Nkanga was a manikongo of the Kingdom of Kongo who ruled from 12 August 1614 until August of 1615. He was the son of King Álvaro II.Like the last two kings of Kongo, Bernaro II belonged to the Kwilu kanda or royal House of Kwilu....
(ruled 12 August 1614 – August 1615) - Álvaro III Nimi a MpanzuÁlvaro III of KongoÁlvaro 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...
(ruled August 1615–4 May 1622)
Awenekongo of the Nkanga a Mvika kanda
- Pedro II Nkanga a MvikaPedro II of KongoPedro II Nkanga a Mvika was a ruler of the kingdom of Kongo during the kingdom's first conflict with the Portuguese colony of Angola. He was the founder of the royal House of Nsundi and could trace his descent to one of Afonso I's daughters.-Career:...
(ruled 26 May 1622–3 April 1624) - Garcia I Mvemba a NkangaGarcia I of KongoGarcia I Mvemba a Nkanga was a manikongo of Kongo whom ruled from April 27, 1624 to March 7, 1626.-Early Reign:Garcia I was the son of King Pedro II. He was the second and last king from the House of Nsundi begun by his father in 1622. When Pedro II died in 1624, Garcia succeeded peacefully to...
(ruled 27 April 1624 – March 1626)
Mwenekongo of the Kwilu kanda
- Ambrósio I Nimi a NkangaAmbrósio I of KongoAmbrósio I Nimi a Nkanga was a mwenekongo of the Kingdom of Kongo who ruled from March 1626 to March 7, 1631.-Rise to Power:Ambrósio I was the nephew of Álvaro III and as such was a member of the royal House of Kwilu. When Alvaro III died on May 4 of 1622, he had only a young son to leave as heir...
(ruled March 1626–7 March 1631) - Álvaro IV Nzinga a NkuwuÁlvaro IV of KongoÁlvaro 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...
(ruled 8 February 1631–24 February 1636)
Awenekongo of the Mpanzu kanda
- Álvaro V Mpanzu a NimiÁlvaro V of KongoÁlvaro 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...
(ruled 27 February 1636–14 August 1636)
Awenekongo of the Nlaza kanda
- Álvaro VI Nimi a Lukeni a Nzenze a NtumbaÁlvaro VI of KongoÁlvaro 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...
(ruled 27 August 1636–22 February 1641) - Garcia II Nkanga a Lukeni a Nzenze a NtumbaGarcia II of KongoGarcia 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...
(ruled 23 February 1641 – end of 1660) - António I Nvita a NkangaAntónio I of KongoAntónio I Nvita a Nkanga was a mwenekongo of the Kingdom of Kongo who ruled from 1661 to his defeat and death at the Battle of Mbwila on October 29, 1665. He was elected following the death of King Garcia II...
(ruled start of 1661–29 October 1665)
Awenekongo during the Civil War
- Afonso II of Kongo and NkondoAfonso II of Kongo and NkondoAfonso II of Kongo and Nkondo was a ruler of the kingdom of Kongo in the period following the Kongo Civil War. He was a member of the House of Kimpanzu and may have been supported in his claim for the throne by partisans in Soyo...
of the House of Kimpanzu (ruled November – December 1665) - Álvaro VII Mpanzu a MpanduÁlvaro VII of KongoÁlvaro VII was king of the Kingdom of Congo from 1665 to 1666.When the death of Antonio I at the Battle of Mbwila was announced, a relative of the dead sovereign, Álvaro, was proclaimed king....
of the House of Kinlaza (ruled December 1665 – June 1666) - Álvaro VIII Mvemba a MpanzuÁlvaro VIII of KongoAlvaro VIII , of the House of Kinlaza, was king of the Kingdom of Congo, from 1666 to 1669.-Biography:Alvaro VIII was elevated to the throne by Paulo da Silva, Count of Soyo, which marched on São Salvador and killed his predecessor, King Alvaro VII.In 1667, he sent his ambassador, Anastasius, to...
of the House of Kimpanzu (ruled June 1666 – January 1669) - Pedro III Nsimba NtambaPedro III of KongoPedro III Nsimba Ntamba was a ruler of the Kingdom of Kongo during its tumultuous civil war period.King Pedro III 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 of Kinlaza and Kimpanzu had been fighting bitterly...
of the House of Kinlaza (ruled January – June 1669) - Álvaro IX Mpanzu a Ntivila of the House of Kimpanzu (ruled June 1669 – end of 1670)
- Rafael I Nzinga a Nkanga of the House of Kinlaza (ruled end 1670 – mid 1673)
- Afonso III Mvemba a NimiAfonso III of KongoAfonso III Mvemba a Nimi was a ruler of the kingdom of Kongo during its civil war period.King Afonso III first enters written record as the ruler of the Marquisate of Nkondo. He governed that area from late 1669 until mid 1673. After which, he claimed the throne of divided Kongo...
of the House of Kimpanzu (ruled mid 1673–mid 1674) - Daniel I Miala mia Nzimbwila of the House of Kimpanzu (ruled mid 1674 – mid 1678)
Awenekongo of Kibangu
- Garcia III Nkanga a Mvemba (ruled end 1669 – start 1685)
- André I Mvizi a Nkanga (ruled 1685)
- Manuel Afonso Nzinga a Elenke of the House of Kimpanzu (ruled 1685–1688)
- Álvaro X Nimi a Mvemba Agua Rosada of the House of the Agua Rosada (ruled 1688 – December 1695)
- Pedro IV Afonso Agua Rosada Nusamu a MvembaPedro IV of KongoNusamu 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....
of the House of the Agua Rosada (ruled December 1695- Februaru 1709)
Awenekongo of Lemba (Mbula) for the House of Kinlaza
- Pedro III Nsimba NtambaPedro III of KongoPedro III Nsimba Ntamba was a ruler of the Kingdom of Kongo during its tumultuous civil war period.King Pedro III 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 of Kinlaza and Kimpanzu had been fighting bitterly...
(ruled June 1669-1680) - João Manuel II Nzuzi a Ntamba (ruled 1680–1716)
Mwenekongo of Mbamba Lovata for the Kimpanzu
- Manuel de Vuzi a Nóbrega (ruled 1678-1715)
Awenekongo after the Reoccupation of São Salvador
- Pedro IV Nusamu a MvembaPedro IV of KongoNusamu 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....
of the House of the Agua Rosada (ruled Kibangu December 1695 – early 1709; ruled reunited kingdom from São Salvador February 1709–21 February 1718) - Manuel II Mpanzu a Nimi of the House of Kimpanzu (ruled February 1718–21 April 1743)
- Garcia IV Nkanga a Mvandu of the House of Kinlaza from Mbula (ruled 27 July 1743–31 March 1752)
- Nicolau I Misaki mia Nimi of the House of Kimpanzu (ruled 27 August 1752–post 1758)
- Afonso IV Nkanga a Nkanga of the House of Kinlaza
- António II Mvita a Mpanzu of the House of Kimpanzu
- Sebastião I Nkanga kia Nkanga of the House of Kinlaza
- Pedro V Ntivila a Nkanga of the House of Kimpanzu (ruled September 1763–1764)
- Álvaro XI Nkanga a Nkanga of the House of Kinlaza from Nkondo (ruled May 1764–1778)
- José I Mpasi a Nkanga of the House of Kinlaza (ruled 1778–1785)
- Afonso V of Kongo of the House of Kinlaza from Nkondo (ruled 1785–1787)
- Álvaro XII of Kongo of the House of Kinlaza from Nkondo (ruled 1787–unknown)
- Alexio I Mpanzu a Mbandu (ruled unknown–1793)
- Joaquim I of Kongo (ruled 1793–94)
- Henrique II Masaki ma Mpanzu (ruled 10 January 1794–1803)
- Garcia V Nkanga a Mvemba (ruled 1803 – start 1830)
- André II Mvizi a LukeniAndré II of KongoAndré II Mvizi a Luken was the first child of the manikongo Garcia V Nkanga Mvemba and his third wife, Lusana Mbandu, a princess regent Luunda. After marriage, she gave a coup in Luunda Empire, and joined the Kongo Empire, thus narrowing the circle imperial Africa, taking all what is now the...
(ruled start 1830–1842) - Henrique III Mpanzu a Nsindi a Nimi a Lukeni (ruled 1842 – January 1857)
- Álvaro XIII of Kongo also known as Ndongo (ruled January 1857–7 August 1859)
- Pedro VI of Kongo also known as Elelo (ruled 7 August 1859 – February 1891; signed treaty of vassallage with Portugal in 1888)
Awenekongo after becoming a vassal of Portugal
- Álvaro XIV of Kongo also known as Agua Rosada (ruled February 1891 – November 1896)
- Henrique IV of Kongo also known as Tekenge (ruled 1896–1901)
- Pedro VII of Kongo also known as Mbemba (ruled 1901–10)
- Manuel Nkomba of Kongo (ruled 1910–11)
- Manuel III of Kongo also known as Kiditu (ruled 1911–1914)
The Portuguese abolished the title of King of Kongo following the revolt of 1914.
Further reading
This list is constructed primarily from that found in Graziano Saccardo, Congo e Angola con la storia dell'antica missione dei cappuccini (3 vols, Milan, 1982–83), vol. 3, pp. 11–14. Saccardo bases his reconstruction on several kinglists produced over time, by António da Silva, Duke of Mbamba in 1617, by António de Teruel in 1664, by Pedro Mendes in 1710 and by Francisco das Necessidades in 1844. In addition many of the kings wrote letters and signed them with both their names and their numbers, and Saccardo has found many of these to verify the kinglists.Saccardo's king list has been modified in the following manner: the Kikongo names of the kings have been given in a Kikongo form following norms established in Joseph de Munck, Kinkulu kia Nsi eto (Tumba, 1956, 2nd ed, Matadi, 1971). The Christian names of the kings are given in modern Portuguese spelling. In addition Saccardo's entries have been updated by a number of sources, most notably the kinglist, unknown to him found in the Instituto Histórico e Geográfico Brasileiro (Rio de Janeiro) Manuscritos, Lata 6, pasta 2. "Catallogo dos reis de Congo" MS of c. 1758.
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...
- KandaKanda (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"...
- 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...
- KimpanzuKimpanzuThe 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.-Origins:...
- 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....
- Água RosadaAgua RosadaÁgua 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...
- History of AngolaHistory of AngolaAngola is a country in southwestern Africa. Its name derives from the Kimbundu word for king, 'N'gola'. It was first settled by Bushmen hunter-gatherer societies before the northern domains came under the rule of Bantu states such as Kongo and Ndongo. From the 15th century Portuguese colonists...