Pedro I of Kongo
Encyclopedia
Pedro I Nkanga a Mvemba was manikongo
of the Kingdom of Kongo
from 1543 until being deposed in 1545.
and became his immediate successor in 1543. He was part of a splinter kanda
known as the Kibala (Portuguese: Quibala) or court faction or house in Kongo which had its roots in the House of Kilukeni
. He ruled only briefly before being overthrown by his nephew and Afonso I's grandson, Diogo I. Records of the events leading up to and following his dethronement were preserved in the inquest after Pedro's failed attempt to regain power.
. King Diogo I was reluctant to attempt removing him, allowing Pedro to plot Diogo's overthrow from within the church. The details of his plot are well known because Diogo launched an inquest into them in 1550. A copy of the inquest has survived in the Portuguese archives and was published in 1877 by Paiva Manso.
The inquest showed that Pedro had many friends in the kingdom, and that there were confederates who wished to help him. Many held junior offices, many of the senior officials were reluctant to offer any help because the feared that Diogo would remove them from office. His most important confederate and cousin, Rodrigo de Santa Maria, fled to São Tomé
, where he perhaps owned a plantation, and tried to get assistance in Portugal
and even in Rome. It was an intercepted letter that Pedro sent to his cousin to seek assistance that led Diogo to conduct the inquest and to send a copy to Portugal demanding that Santa Maria be extradited.
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...
of the Kingdom 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...
from 1543 until being deposed in 1545.
Background
Pedro I was the son of King Afonso IAfonso I of Kongo
Mvemba 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:...
and became his immediate successor in 1543. He was part of a splinter kanda
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"...
known as the Kibala (Portuguese: Quibala) or court faction or house in Kongo which had its roots in the House of Kilukeni
Kilukeni
The Kilukeni were members of the Lukeni kanda or House of Kilukeni, the ruling dynasty of the Kingdom of Kongo from its inception in the late 14th century until the 1567 with the rise of the House of Kwilu...
. He ruled only briefly before being overthrown by his nephew and Afonso I's grandson, Diogo I. Records of the events leading up to and following his dethronement were preserved in the inquest after Pedro's failed attempt to regain power.
Asylum and Conspiracy
During his overthrow, Pedro I managed to seek asylum in one of the churches of M'banza-KongoM'banza-Kongo
M'banza-Kongo , is the capital of Angola's northwestern Zaire Province. M'banza Kongo was founded some time before the arrival of the Portuguese and was the capital of the dynasty ruling at that time...
. King Diogo I was reluctant to attempt removing him, allowing Pedro to plot Diogo's overthrow from within the church. The details of his plot are well known because Diogo launched an inquest into them in 1550. A copy of the inquest has survived in the Portuguese archives and was published in 1877 by Paiva Manso.
The inquest showed that Pedro had many friends in the kingdom, and that there were confederates who wished to help him. Many held junior offices, many of the senior officials were reluctant to offer any help because the feared that Diogo would remove them from office. His most important confederate and cousin, Rodrigo de Santa Maria, fled to São Tomé
São Tomé
-Transport:São Tomé is served by São Tomé International Airport with regular flights to Europe and other African Countries.-Climate:São Tomé features a tropical wet and dry climate with a relatively lengthy wet season and a short dry season. The wet season runs from October through May while the...
, where he perhaps owned a plantation, and tried to get assistance in Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
and even in Rome. It was an intercepted letter that Pedro sent to his cousin to seek assistance that led Diogo to conduct the inquest and to send a copy to Portugal demanding that Santa Maria be extradited.
See also
- List of rulers of Kongo
- 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...