Kingdom of Kongo

The Kingdom of Kongo was a kingdom located in central Africa in northern Angola, the western part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Republic of the Congo, and the southern part of Gabon. At its greatest size it reached from the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Kwango River to the east, the Congo River to the north, and the Kwanza River to the south. The kingdom was made up of many provinces ruled by the Manikongo, the Portuguese version of the Kongo title Mwene Kongo, meaning "lord or ruler of the Kongo kingdom", but its sphere of influence reached to neighbouring kingdoms, like Ngoyo, Kakongo, Loango, Ndongo, and Matamba, the latter two located in Angola.

Kingdom of Kongo Wene wa Kongo or Kongo dya Ntotila Reino do Congo
1390–1914
Flag of Kongo
The "Kingdom of Congo" (now usually rendered as "Kingdom of Kongo" to maintain distinction from the present-day Congo nations) The "Kingdom of Congo" (now usually rendered as "Kingdom of Kongo" to maintain distinction from the present-day Congo nations)
Status	Sovereign kingdom (1390–1857) Vassal of the Kingdom of Portugal (1857–1910) Subject of the First Portuguese Republic (1910–1914)
Capital	Mbanza-Kongo (São Salvador), Angola
Common languages	Kikongo, Portuguese
Religion	Bukongo Roman Catholicism Antonianism (1704–1708)
Government	Monarchy
King
• c. 1390–1420 (first)	Lukeni lua Nimi
• 1911–1914 (last)	Manuel III of Kongo
Legislature	Ne Mbanda-Mbanda
History
•	1390
• Battle of Mbumbi	1622
• Battle of Mbanda Kasi	1623
• Battle of Mbwila	29 October 1665
• Kongo Civil War	1665–1709
• Reunification	February 1709
• Vassalage	1857
• Berlin Conference	1884–1885
•	1914
Area
c. 1650	129,400 km2 (50,000 sq mi)
Population
• c. 1650	appx 500,000
Currency	Nzimbu shells and Lubongo (Libongo, Mbongo), Mpusu cloth
Preceded by Succeeded by Mpemba Kasi Mbata Kingdom International Congo Association Portuguese West Africa French Congo
Today part of	Angola Democratic Republic of the Congo Republic of the Congo Gabon

Kingdom Of Kongo Media

• Royal banner of Kongo (Afonso I).svg

  Banner of King Afonso I

• Lossy-page1-1171px-Kongo 1648 coloured.png

  The Kingdom of Kongo in 1648

• The Bansa, or residence of the King of Kongo, called St. Salvador (M'Banza Kongo), Astley 1745 (cropped).jpg

  Sao Salvador after painting by Olfert Dapper, 1668

• 1770 Bonne (coloured excerpt).png

  Fragmento retocado y coloreado de

• 1770 Bonne Map of West Africa (Guinea, the Bight of Benin, Congo) - Geographicus - WestAfrica-bonne-1770.jpg
• O Rei do Congo (Cunha Moraes - Africa Occidental, 1885), background removed.png

  Pedro V, under whom Kongo became a Portuguese vassal. Photo taken in 1885.

• African-congo-bowmen.jpg

  Congo bowmen. The bulk of Kongo's infantry forces, consisted of archers equipped and dressed in a similar fashion to these encountered by the David Livingstone expedition.

• Brooklyn Museum 2011.74 Crucifix Nkangi Kiditu (2).jpg

  Copper-alloy crucifix, early 17th century