The Rise and Fall of the Kingdom of Kongo; Tales of Three Kings.

The Kingdom of Congo is one of the most well-documented African kingdoms. In this video, we will explore the rise and fall of the kingdom through the eyes of three of their most memorable kings. The Congo Kingdom covered parts of present-day Angola, both current-day Congo countries, and there are cultural similarities suggesting it may have included parts of present-day Gabon, Namibia, and Zambia as well. Throughout its evolution, the Kingdom of Congo became a unique fusion of African traditions mixed with Roman Catholicism. This was due to the extended relationship that Congo had with Portugal. Ultimately, they will fall into the colonial trap, but in this video, we will explore how the kingdom evolved before and how it slowly changed due to its relationship with Portugal. As I said earlier, I divided the video in three chapters, each covering a king in the history. The first king we will cover is Lukeni Luanimi, reigning from 1380 to 1420. Chapter 2 covers the short rule of King Diogo I from 1545 to 1561. The final chapter will discuss King Pedro IV, who reigned from 1858 to 1880. If you enjoy this type of content, make sure to subscribe to the channel. Let's start at the beginning when two Kikongo-speaking peoples decided to merge and create the kingdom. Chapter 1. The Rise The Kingdom of Congo was founded around 1390 through the political marriage of Nima Anzima and Lukeni Luansanse, which cemented the alliance between the two Kikongo-speaking peoples. Nima Anzima will later be known as King Lukeni Luanimi. King Lukeni Luanimi is credited with the conquest of most of the provinces the empire will keep for centuries. Once he conquered cities from surrounding chiefs, he would organize marriages in these new territories with aristocrats from his own kingdom. Lukeni Luanimi created a powerful empire with the use of marriage as a political affair to cement alliances. This unification made sure that Congo's history was not dominated by independent clans before the 19th century. In return, King Lukeni Luanimi was rewarded with gifts and received collected taxes from the village chiefs and provincial governors. The king also had a religious title known as Nzambi Mpungu, which means superior spirit. He was believed to be able to protect against disasters caused by angry gods. The people of Congo had a mastery of metallurgy, law, weaving, and textiles. The art of the Congo remains one of the most elaborate in Africa, even today, making use of wood, cloth, terracotta, and even stone. The capital of the kingdom was the great city of Mbanza, Congo located in what is now northern Angola. Mbanza, Congo was built of stone and acted as a strong fortress to protect against attack. The name Mbanza derives from a proto-Bantu root, banja, which originally meant ground made ready for building. Most people in the Congo lived in straw huts or buildings made of wood or clay, which were well known for keeping the interior cool on hot days. The eastern cities of Mbanza, Nsundi, Mpungu, and Mbata were all located in the fertile Nkisi Valley near the eastern frontier of the kingdom. The founder, King Lukeni Luanini, chose this location because it offered the dual advantage of almost central positioning within the kingdom and natural defense against enemy attack. The kingdom was ruled by kings known as Mani-Kongos and its inhabitants were divided into three classes, the aristocracy, an upper social class determined by birth and considered superior, free people including traders, blacksmiths, and others, and slaves at the lowest level. Lukeni Luanini established a strong and centralized monarchy as well as reformed the taxation system to strengthen the economy. He also utilized diplomatic measures to maintain peace with neighboring states. He is remembered for his astute political tactics and reforms. This is the context behind the rise of the Kingdom of Congo, which began with conquest and the construction of the important city of Mbanza, Congo. King Lukeni Luanini laid the foundation for the empire. Chapter 2. The Revolt. The second king in our tale is King Diogo I. As you can tell from his name, something had changed in the Kingdom of Congo. Over the years, a new power emerged on the In 1419, Portuguese sailors and settlers arrived on the island of Madeira and soon after, Portugal began trading with the Congo Kingdom. The Portuguese arrived in the Congo in the mid-1400s for trade and soon found a way to spread Christianity. Through the work of Christian missionaries over the years, they successfully converted the Mani-Kongo of the time and his son The king's son was baptized, sent to a Christian missionary school. This was King Diogo's father, making King Diogo the third generation of Christian kings of the Kingdom of Congo. He had never known any religion other than Christianity as the Portuguese had long been partners with his people by the time of his birth. In fact, one of Afonso's son, a prince of Congo named Henrique, became the first black bishop in 1518. With time, the Portuguese gradually converted the majority of the Congo people to Christianity. Instead of becoming a religion for the masses, it was adopted by a small ruling elite who made it into a royal cult, thus reinforcing their political authority. One key factor in the decline of the relationship and eventual fall of the empire was the Portuguese demand for human slaves in exchange for their goods. This destabilized the strength of the Kingdom of Congo, which went from conquest through assimilation and marriage to the pure extraction of human capital from neighboring regions. This constant pillaging created a lot of wars and uncertainty. It was during these uncertain times that King Diogo the first was crowned as the new king. In 1483, a Portuguese navigator landed in Congo and was surprised to discover the existence of a centralized political state, which was an African replica of the Portuguese kingdom. At that time, traditional customs were being replaced with Portuguese ones. The anti-Portuguese faction was a movement that already existed by the time King Diogo the first took the throne. As most of the records we have on the kingdom were written by Portuguese, it is hard to understand that sentiment. It is clear that the growing demand for slaves did not help. King Diogo the first had to follow in his father's footsteps and keep a steady stream of humans to sell in order to keep receiving goods from Portugal. In return for the slaves sold, the kingdom received weapons that were used to obtain the slaves and secure their borders. If the number of slaves did not satisfy the Portuguese, they could easily cut off the supply of guns and weapons and provide them to an enemy empire, which would invade and enslave its people. Slowly but surely, it became clear to Diogo the first that leading a larger revolt against the Portuguese was the most probable outcome for freedom. But at the end, he was betrayed by his brother and killed. The Portuguese from then on decided who would become the next king. It was already too late to change the tide and the kingdom of Congo became a vassal state, providing cheap slaves for the Portuguese from then on. Chapter 3. The Fall. The last king in our tale of the kingdom of Congo is King Pedro the fourth. The fall of the kingdom of Congo is attributed to the civil war of 1665 to 1670, during which King Afonso the second was defeated by his brother Garcia the second. This war resulted in the division of the kingdom into four separate polities, each governed by someone affiliated with the Portuguese. This alliance between Congo and Portugal had started as an equal one, in which the ruler of each kingdom would guarantee the succession of the heirs of their own kingdom, but once the Congo elite fractured in the civil wars. Portuguese interference in local politics and taxation policies led to further unrest, and the price of slaves continued to decrease. The Congo kingdom began to weaken due to the estimated removal of almost one million Africans as slaves from the Congo region by 1680. It was in this context that King Pedro the fourth was elected by a group of powerful officials, including provincial governors, members of the aristocracy, and elders. King Pedro the fourth ruled from 1694 to 1718. By that time the Portuguese already had full control over the selection of kings and governors in the empire. King Pedro the fourth was chosen because of his strong religious beliefs and his attempts to convert the people of Congo to Christianity. Slavery and increased interference were major contributors to the fall of the Congo kingdom. Portuguese traders began to demand slaves as payment for their goods, which led to increased tensions between the two empires. The Portuguese not only took over political power, but also disrupted the traditional social and economic structure, leading to a decline in production and trade. King Pedro the fourth tried to restore the kingdom by establishing the Saint Antoine Congolese religion, but also created a royal cult which spread Christianity throughout the kingdom. Pedro the fourth was also responsible for the expansion of Mbanza Congo, the capital of the kingdom. This included the perimeter of the Portuguese city and the royal quarters, which were both almost a mile long. He also created a colonial city with two cities coexisting, the European city and the African city. The European city had more than a hundred Portuguese merchants and more than a thousand others born in Portugal, and the African city was scattered with rural houses and palaces. The expansion of the Portuguese in the kingdom of Congo was marked by the presence of missionaries, traders, and officials who left behind vivid descriptions of the development of the kingdom, allowing for a detailed reconstruction of the daily lives of its inhabitants. King Pedro the fourth left a small mark in the history of the kingdom due to the context in which he was born. By the time he ascended to the throne, the kingdom had lost control of its own territories, trade was weak, and the economic structure depended on trade with Portugal. This is how the Congo kingdom fell. Once the capital was captured by the Portuguese, the Congo kingdom essentially became a colony of the Portuguese. As a result, they lost their autonomy. It's worth noting that the fall of the Congo kingdom wasn't an isolated incident. It was part of a larger trend in Africa as European powers began to colonize the continent and establish their own empire. The Congo kingdom's fate was similar to that of many other African kingdoms in society. It's important to also highlight the unique aspects of the Congo kingdom, from its humble beginnings to its subsequent growth. The arrival of Portugal and Christianity had a profound impact on the kingdom, and the kingdom continued to be ruled by outside forces. The impact of religion on daily life cannot be understated. This made it harder for commoners to imagine life without Portugal. That will be it for this video. In conclusion, the story of the Congo kingdom is a complex and fascinating one. I hope this video has helped you understand the kingdom a little better. Please let me know in the comments if you have any questions. If you're interested in learning about other African kingdoms and societies, make sure to subscribe to the channel and check out the other empires we've already covered. Thank you for watching, and I'll see you in the next video.