Angola Matamba and Kasanje Kingdoms
As Portugal became preoccupied with the Ndongo Kingdom
as a
source of slaves, two inland Mbundu states--Matamba and
Kasanje--
prospered. Little is known of Matamba before the
seventeenth
century, but in 1621 Nzinga (called Jinga by the
Portuguese), the
sister of the ngola a kiluanje, convinced the
Portuguese to
recognize Ndongo as an independent monarchy and to help
the kingdom
expel the Imbangala people from its territory. Three years
later,
according to some sources, Nzinga poisoned her brother and
succeeded him as monarch. Unable to negotiate successfully
with a
series of Portuguese governors, however, she was
eventually
removed. Nzinga and many of her followers traveled east
and forged
alliances with several groups. She finally ascended to the
throne
of the Matamba Kingdom. From this eastern state, she
pursued good
relations with the Dutch during their occupation of the
area from
1641 to 1648 and attempted to reconquer Ndongo. After the
Dutch
expulsion, Nzinga again allied with the Portuguese. A
dynamic and
wily ruler, Nzinga dominated Mbundu politics until she
died in
1663. Although she dealt with the Europeans, in modern
times Nzinga
has been remembered by nationalists as an Angolan leader
who never
accepted Portuguese sovereignty.
After Nzinga's death, a succession struggle ensued, and
the new
ruler tried to reduce Portuguese influence. Following
their
practice with the Ndongo, the Portuguese forced him out
and placed
their own candidate, Kanini, on the throne. Kanini coveted
the
nearby kingdom of Kasanje--peopled by Mbundu but ruled by
Imbangala--for its role in the slave trade. Once he had
consolidated power, in 1680 Kanini successfully moved
against
Kasanje, which was undergoing a succession crisis of its
own.
Kanini's defeat of the Kasanje state made his Portuguese
benefactors realize that as his empire expanded, Kanini
was
increasingly threatening their own slaving interests.
Subsequently,
Kanini defeated a Portuguese military expedition sent
against him,
although he died soon after. In 1683 Portugal negotiated
with the
new Matamba queen to halt further attempts to conquer
Kasanje
territory and, because of mounting competition from other
European
powers, convinced her to trade exclusively with Portugal.
Data as of February 1989
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