João I.

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João I of Congo († 1509), born as Nzinga a Nkuwu or Nkuwu Nzinga , was the ruler of the Kingdom of Congo between 1470 and 1509. He was baptized on May 3, 1491 by Portuguese missionaries. Because of his interest in Portugal and its culture, he took on Diogo Cão in 1485 .

Early rule

King Nzinga a Nkuwu was the seventh king of the Kingdom of Congo. He was married to Queen Nzinga a Nlaza, his first cousin. She had a son with the king named Nzinga Mbemba . Under the rule of Nzinga a Nkuwu, the Congo had grown to an area of ​​100,000 km² and had a central infrastructure.

Arrival of the Portuguese

In 1483 a Portuguese caravel , commanded by Diogo Cão, reached the mouth of the Congo River and made contact with the king's subjects. Cão sailed back to Portugal with envoys. Upon arrival in Lisbon , the envoys were baptized and placed in a monastery before returning to the king in 1491.

Portuguese priests, masons, carpenters and soldiers as well as European goods came to the Congo along with the delegates. The ships anchored in Mpinda and after the governor of Soyo was baptized, the procession continued to the capital, where they were greeted by the king and five of his nobles.

Baptisms and Later Relationships

The king and his family were baptized on May 3, 1491. Initially, only the king and his nobles were to be converted, but the queen asked to be baptized as well. Congo's royal family took the names of their Portuguese allies; João, Leonor and Afonso. Thousands of Congolese were busy helping Portuguese carpenters build a church, while Portuguese soldiers helped the king defend Nsundi province from the Bateke . European firearms were critical to victory and many prisoners were taken.

Next life

Most of the Portuguese later left with slaves and ivory, leaving behind priests and artisans. After these cultural changes, the king's commitment to the Catholic faith proved short-lived. He died in 1509. He was followed by his son, under the name Afonso I.

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Roland Oliver and Anthony Atmore: Medieval Africa, 1250-1800. Cambridge University Press, 2001, p. 167.
  2. ^ A b c John Thornton: Elite Women in the Kingdom of Congo: Historical Perspectives on Women's Political Power. In: The Journal of African History. Volume 47, 2006, p. 442.
  3. ^ John Thornton: Elite Women in the Kingdom of Kongo: Historical Perspectives on Women's Political Power. In: The Journal of African History. Volume 47, 2006, page 438.
  4. ^ Roland Oliver and Anthony Atmore: Medieval Africa, 1250-1800. Cambridge University Press, 2001, p. 168.
  5. ^ A b c Roland Oliver and Anthony Atmore: Medieval Africa, 1250–1800. Cambridge University Press, 2001, p. 169.
  6. ↑ a b c d e Roland Oliver and Anthony Atmore: Medieval Africa, 1250-1800. Cambridge University Press, 2001, p. 170.
  7. ^ Anne Hilton: Family and Kinship among the Kongo South of the Zaire River from the Sixteenth to the Nineteenth Centuries. In: The Journal of African History. Volume 24, No. 2, 1983, p. 197.
personal data
SURNAME João I.
ALTERNATIVE NAMES João I of the Congo; Nzinga a Nkuwu (maiden name); Nkuwu Nzinga (maiden name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Ruler of the Kingdom of the Congo
DATE OF BIRTH 15th century
DATE OF DEATH 1509