Ndongo
-
What was the Kingdom of Ndongo?
Ndongo was a historical African kingdom of the Mbundu people, located in the highlands east of Luanda, Angola. It likely originated from the Kongo kingdom in the late 15th or early 16th century. The kings of Ndongo were called ngola, which later gave its name to the Portuguese colony of Angola. The kingdom reached its peak in the late 16th century, stretching to the Atlantic coast. However, it was destroyed when the Portuguese pushed inland in the 17th century and was replaced by the Kasanje kingdom.
4 Britannica SourcesCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
Where was Ndongo located in Africa?
Ndongo was a historical African kingdom of the Mbundu people. The kingdom was located in the highlands east of Luanda, Angola, between the Cuanza and Lucala rivers. In the late 16th century, Ndongo reached its height, stretching west to the Atlantic coast and south of the Cuanza. The kings of Ndongo bore the title ngola, which later gave its name to the Portuguese colony of Angola.
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
Who were the rulers of Ndongo called?
The rulers of the historical African kingdom of Ndongo were called ngola, which later gave its name to the Portuguese colony of Angola. Ndongo was founded from the Kongo kingdom, likely in the late 15th or early 16th century. At its height in the late 16th century, it stretched west to the Atlantic coast. One of the most well-known rulers was Queen Nzinga, who took power in 1624, following the death of her brother Ngola Mbande.
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
How did the Portuguese affect the Kingdom of Ndongo?
The Portuguese significantly impacted the Kingdom of Ndongo through trade, military intervention, and political manipulation. Initially, the Portuguese engaged in peaceful relations and trade with the Kongo Kingdom, but soon became interested in the Kingdom of Ndongo to the south. By the mid-16th century, with Portuguese assistance, Ndongo became a major kingdom.
However, the Portuguese attitude shifted as they sought silver mines and established a base in Luanda in 1575. They intervened in Ndongo's affairs, supporting rulers in military campaigns and taking war captives as slaves. Constant warfare ensued as the Portuguese demanded labor for the transatlantic slave trade, leading to the rise and fall of African rulers drawn into the trade. They allied with Imbangala war bands, dealing a final blow to the Ndongo kingdom around 1622.
3 Britannica SourcesCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
Who was Queen Nzinga and why is she important to Ndongo's history?
Queen Nzinga (c. 1582-1663) was the queen of the Mbundu kingdoms of Ndongo and Matamba in modern-day Angola. She is significant to Ndongo's history for her role in resisting Portuguese colonialism in the 17th century. Nzinga initially entered the historical record around 1622, negotiating with the Portuguese on behalf of her brother, Ngola Mbande. After his death in 1624, she took power, first as regent and then as queen.
Nzinga's importance stems from her military leadership and political skill in the face of Portuguese expansion. After being driven from Ndongo in 1631, she waged guerrilla war against the Portuguese for 30 years, allying with groups like the Imbangala. Despite setbacks, she secured recognition as ruler of Matamba in a peace treaty with the Portuguese.
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
What happened to the Kingdom of Ndongo after Portuguese colonization?
After Portuguese colonization began in 1575, the Kingdom of Ndongo faced significant upheaval. Constant warfare ensued as the Portuguese sought to expand their territory and profit from the slave trade. They allied with the Imbangala war bands and dealt a final blow to the Ndongo kingdom around 1622.
Queen Nzinga Mbande took power and resisted the Portuguese, but was eventually driven out of Ndongo. The Portuguese supported a rival claimant to the throne, and their combined forces pushed Nzinga out of most of Ndongo territory by 1626. Later, Ndongo was integrated into the Portuguese colony of Angola.
4 Britannica SourcesCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
Ndongo, historical African kingdom of the Mbundu people. The original core of the kingdom was in the highlands east of Luanda, Angola, between the Cuanza and Lucala rivers. At its height in the late 16th century, it stretched west to the Atlantic coast and south of the Cuanza.
According to early tradition, Ndongo was founded from the Kongo kingdom, probably in the late 15th or early 16th century. Ndongo’s kings bore the title ngola, which later gave its name to the Portuguese colony of Angola. Portugal had intermittent relations with Ndongo from 1520, but it was only in 1575 that a Portuguese base was established—by Paulo Dias de Novais at Luanda Island. At first Dias de Novais cooperated with Ndongo, his forces serving as mercenaries in Ndongo’s army, but in 1579 he and his forces were expelled from the capital and nearly driven from the kingdom. The Kongo kingdom intervened on Dias de Novais’s behalf and rescued his forces, who then waged war against Ndongo. During this conflict, the Portuguese established an important inland fort on the Cuanza at Massangano, which served as a base for the capture and enslavement of people for use in Brazil.
A military stalemate that had developed by the end of the 16th century was broken when the Portuguese governor, Luis Mendes de Vasconcelos, recruited Imbangala mercenaries and drove King Ngola Mbande from his capital to a refuge in the Cuanza River in a series of campaigns (1617–21). Ngola Mbande was able to negotiate a partially satisfactory peace agreement through his sister, Nzinga Mbande (Nzinga also spelled Njinga, Jinga, or Ginga; also known by her Christian name, Ana de Sousa). After Ngola Mbande’s death in 1624, Nzinga took power in Ndongo—first as regent, then as queen. Her rival for the throne, Ngola a Hari, was supported by the Portuguese, and, in the civil war that followed, their combined forces had driven Nzinga from Ndongo to Matamba by 1631. Ngola a Hari was then baptized Felipe I de Sousa and proclaimed king of Ndongo, ruling from his fortified mountain base at Pungo a Ndongo, although the war between Nzinga and Felipe continued in the following years. When the region was invaded by the Dutch in 1641, Felipe allied Ndongo with the Portuguese against them in an indecisive war that ended with the 1648 ouster of the Dutch, led by Brazilian governor Salvador de Sá on behalf of the Portuguese. Years later, a peace treaty between Nzinga and the Portuguese recognized Nzinga as the ruler of Matamba, over protests from Felipe. Felipe’s successor, his son, later revolted against the Portuguese: he was defeated in 1671, and his lands were integrated into the Portuguese colony of Angola.
