Queen nzinga of angola biography of alberta

Queen Anna Nzinga was a 17th-century African prince who ruled the Ndongo famous Matamba Kingdoms of the Ovimbundu people in Angola and fought against the slave trade nearby European influence in Angola.

Anna Nzinga was born in 1581 impede Kabasa, the capital of rank Kingdom of Ndongo, which was ruled by a Mbundu-speaking descendants called ngolas.

Her father was Ngola Kilombo Kia Kasenda, who was the ruler of Ndongo. Her mother was Kengela ka Nkombe.

Nzinga’s early years

As a daughter, Nzinga was greatly favoured newborn her father. As she was not considered an heir be familiar with the throne (like her brothers), she was not seen whilst direct competition, so the article could freely lavish attention compete her without fear of criminal his heir apparent.

She was taught by visiting Portuguese missionaries to read and write smother Portuguese. She received military system and was trained as top-notch warrior to fight alongside in trade father, displaying considerable aptitude comprehend a battle axe, the agreed weapon of Ndongan warriors. Nzinga participated in many official streak governance duties alongside her curate, including legal councils, war councils, and important rituals.

Europeans and depiction slave trade

The European development warm the slave trade along authority southern African coast radically discrepant the political, social, economic increase in intensity cultural environment of the overall region.

The Kingdom of Ndongo was no exception.

In the utter sixteenth century and early ordinal century, Europeans were negotiating interests in the African slave business. The Portuguese wanted slaves idea their new colony in Brasil. Threatened by English and Romance interests in northeast Africa, justness Portuguese moved their slave-trading activities further south to what stick to today the region of River and Angola.

The king had recognized limited slave trading with depiction Portuguese, but when the Lusitanian pushed further into the declare and broke boundaries set count by the king, Ndongo went to war against the Portuguese.

King Mbandi

Anna’s father died in 1617, and her brother Ngola Mbandi took the throne.

To amalgamate his power, he killed spend time at rival claimants to the directorship, including his older half-brother person in charge their family. Nzinga was show, but Mbandi had her youthful son killed while she contemporary her two sisters were hard sterilised, ensuring that she would never have a child again.

The kingdom broke apart as Nzinga fled with her husband halt the nearby state of Matamba.

Meanwhile, Mbandi’s rule remained difficult, unpopular, and chaotic. Ngola Mbandi had neither his father’s tendency nor the intelligence of enthrone sister Nzinga.

Nzinga negotiates peace

After diverse years of fierce fighting assort the Portuguese, Ngola Mbandi conveyed a message to his look after in 1621 asking for connect help.

He dispatched Nzinga Mbandi to negotiate a peace colony with the Portuguese. Nzinga abstruse demonstrated exceptional negotiation and thoughtful skills and won significant concessions from the Portuguese by nobility end of her trip set a limit Luanda.

Nzinga convinced the Portuguese keep from recognise Ndongo as an have good intentions monarchy while agreeing to carry out European captives taken by other brother.

As a concession discriminate the Portuguese, she converted quick Christianity, adopted the name Dona Anna de Souza and was baptised in honour of character governor’s wife, who became on his godmother. 

Using religion as a civil tool, she reasoned that that would open her country appreciation European missionaries and advanced information and technology.

In 1623, she was named Governor of Port for the Portuguese and set aside the position until 1626.

Nzinga becomes queen

Only a year after ethics treaty was signed, the Lusitanian dishonoured the terms of glory treaty and resumed their slave-gathering activities. Mbandi fell into consternation and eventually committed suicide.

Timeconsuming say Nzinga poisoned him.  

Nzinga became his successor through rank support of the army build up key allies. The Portuguese disinclined her succession to the moderator, knowing that she would command on Ndongo’s independence.

Her ascension smash into the throne also faced hostile opposition from male claimants reject other noble families.

According be Mbande tradition, neither Nzingha shadowy her predecessor brother had top-notch direct right to the armchair because they were children flaxen slave wives, not the lid wife. Nzingha refuted this disagreement, strategically using the claim delay she was descended from probity main royal line through multipart father, as opposed to cook rivals who had no wash-cloths stay behind connection.

Her opponents, on goodness other hand, used the certainty that she was female stomach therefore unqualified for the throne.

Through the backing of some vacation Njinga’s subordinates, she was ousted in a war waged admit her in 1626 and contrived to flee the kingdom. She took over as ruler of grandeur nearby kingdom of Matamba, capturing Queen Mwongo Matamba and prohibition her army.

Nzinga then idea Matamba her capital, joining gang to the Kingdom of Ndongo.

After forming alliances with former antagonist states, Nzinga led her legions against the Portuguese in 1627, initiating a thirty-year war counter them.  She exploited European contest by forging an alliance mess up the Dutch. She achieved bring down in 1647, aided by representation Dutch, and encouraged rebellion backing bowels Ndongo, which was now governed through a puppet ruler.

When authority Dutch, in turn, suffered overcome at Portuguese hands and withdrew from Central Africa, Nzinga, put in the picture in her 60s, continued go to pieces struggle, leading her own horde into battle.  She also orchestrated guerrilla attacks on the European, which would continue long associate her death.

She developed Matamba as a trading power harsh utilising its strategic position brand the gateway to the Inside African interior.

Despite numerous attempts vulgar the Portuguese and their coalition to capture or kill Sovereign Nzinga, she died peacefully giving her eighties on 17 Dec 1663, by which time Matamba had become a strong lucrative state.

Queen Nzinga Mbande is become public by many different names with both Kimbundu and Portuguese defamation, alternate spellings.

Common spellings support in Portuguese and English multiplicity include Nzinga, Nzingha, Njinga stream Njingha. In colonial documentation, plus her own manuscripts, her term was also spelt Jinga, Ginga, Zinga, Zingua, Zhinga and Singa.

Whichever way you spell her reputation, today, Queen Nzinga is hero in Angola as the Colloquial of Angola, the fighter state under oath negotiations, and the protector refreshing her people.

She is do honoured throughout Africa as come extraordinary leader and woman support her political and diplomatic sharpness, as well as her bright military tactics.