Congo is an African state of the pre-colonial era, formed by the XIV century and disintegrated by the XVIII century. Its territory included the northern part of modern Angola , the Republic of Congo , the western part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo . The headquarters of the kings of the Congo was the city of Mbansa-Congo (called during the Portuguese rule of San Salvador do Congo , port. São Salvador do Congo ) on the territory of modern Angola. The main population was the Bakongo people.
| Historical state | |||||
| Kingdom of the Congo | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wene wa Kongo or Kongo dya Ntotila | |||||
| |||||
 | |||||
 → → →1395 - 1914 | |||||
| Capital | Mbansa Congo (San Salvador) | ||||
| Currency unit | |||||
| Square | 129,400 km² (1,650) | ||||
| Population | 509,250 people (1,650) | ||||
| Form of government | monarchy | ||||
History
According to legend, the founder of the state was the leader Nimi-a-Lukeni (another name is Ntinu Vienna), who came with a detachment of soldiers from the Kwango River region in the east of the country. At the head of the state was the king, bearing the title of mani-congo . An important role was also played by the council of the nobility, which determined the choice of the heir during the interregnum (inheritance went according to the rules of maternal law - from uncle to nephew - the son of an older sister, from an older brother to a younger one). The feudal relations taking shape in the country were intertwined with the institutions of the clan system, and domestic slavery also existed. Crafts and trade developed.
By the middle of the 15th century, the kingdom of the Congo reached the peak of its power, extending its power to the inhabited northern banks of the Congo River and making Ngoyo , Loango , Kakongo , Ndongo and other public entities their tributaries.
At the end of the 15th century , after the first contacts of the Congolese with the Portuguese sailors under the command of Diogu Caen , the Portuguese entered the kingdom of the Congo. The Portuguese sold firearms , manufactured goods to the Africans, and in exchange received slaves and ivory .
On May 3, 1491, the N'inga a Nguyu mani-congo, under the name of Juan I, adopted Catholicism from Portuguese missionaries. His elder wife and his son Nzinga Mbemba (Afonso I) were baptized with him. They received the names of the Portuguese king , his wife and son, respectively. Despite the fact that the commitment of the first black Catholics to Christianity was largely formal, it paved the way for further activities of the Portuguese and French missionaries in the region. Thus, he hoped to find a new political ally and get firearms. However, the first result of the establishment of political relations were cases of enslavement of the Portuguese by local residents.
After plantations were established in Sao Tome and Principe at the very beginning of the 16th century, the number of slaves exported from Congo increased significantly. As this increased, the population’s discontent with the activities of Europeans (slave traders and missionaries) grew.
If Juan I gave the Portuguese a monopoly on the export of slaves, hoping that it would become an additional source of enrichment, Afonso I was forced to stop supporting European missionaries and abandon Christianity, for fear of losing the support of the population. The discontent of the population by the Portuguese was expressed, among other things, in the emergence of new religious movements (in particular, the Antonian heresy ). The next ruler of Congo Diogo (1545-1561) was able to temporarily expel the Portuguese.
In the second half of the 16th century , a gradual decline of the state began, caused by the raids of slave traders and internal feuds, skillfully incited by the Portuguese. The warlike tribes of the yaga who came from the depths of tropical Africa in 1570 sacked Mbansa-Congo , after which they were driven back with the help of the Portuguese, which led to a further increase in the influence of the Portuguese. The dominance of Europeans and the arbitrariness of the local nobility provoked a powerful popular uprising led by Mbula Matadi (circa 1587).
The numerous wars that the Portuguese imposed on the Congo, united with the yaga throughout the 17th century , led the kingdom to a final decline and disintegration into hostile destinies.
After the defeat of the troops of the Congolese king Anthonyou I from the Portuguese army at the battle of Ambuel Congo in 1665-1709, a civil war erupted between the warring houses of Kimpanzu and Kinlaz and numerous small groups. Towards the end of the war, the capital of the Congo was destroyed in 1678, and many Bakongos were sold into slavery.
The restoration of the capital is connected with the name of the young charismatic prophetess Beatrice Kimpa Vita, who announced that she was acting at the insistence of St. Anthony of Padua, who appeared to her (hence the name of her movement - Antonianism ), and Jesus was a Congolese. Because of her political activities (she supported the election of King Constantinho da Silva), Beatrice threatened Pedro IV, who soon arrested and executed her. 20 thousand of her angry followers marched against Pedro IV in 1708, but he defeated them and the next year stormed their capital. The Kingdom of Congo was abolished by Portuguese troops in 1914 during the reign of Manicongo Manuel III (ruled in 1911-1914).
Nowadays, the restoration of the kingdom of the Congo requires the sect of the Bundu di Congo.
See also
- History of the Republic of Congo
- History of the Democratic Republic of the Congo
- History of angola