The Kingdom of Ndongo is a pre-colonial state entity in the territory of Northern Angola , created by the Mbundu ethnic group.
Start of the State
According to the oral tradition collected by the Jesuit , Ngola Kilundje (according to another version, Ngola Kinene), who came from Congo , became the founder of the state.
The first mention of Ndongo refers to the beginning of the XVI century. At this time, it paid tribute to the kingdom of the Congo.
Attempt to gain independence
In 1518, Ndongo turned to Portugal to send Christian missionaries to their country and at the same time recognize them as independent of the Congo. In 1520, the envoys arrived, but under pressure from King Congo Afonso I were forced to send missionaries to the Congo. In Ndongo, Christianized Congolese were sent to preach the word of God.
In the mid-1550s, King Ndongo again sent a negotiating mission to Portugal to secure its support in the fight against the Congo. Among the Portuguese who arrived in 1556, led by Paulo Dias de Novais , the grandson of Bartolomeu Dias , were several Jesuits, but the treaty was not concluded. Diash left, leaving the Jesuits in Ndongo.
Portuguese captures
In 1571, Portuguese king Sebastian I granted Dias the right to establish fortified European settlements in Angola. Dias arrived on the coast of South-West Africa, where in 1575 he founded the city of Sao Paulo di Luanda (modern Luanda ).
In the years 1579-1599 the kingdom of Ndongo fought with the Portuguese, but the latter continued their expansion. The ruler of Ndongo Zinga Mbandi Ngola has been actively trying to resist them since 1624.