The Kongo Empire

The Kongo was an enormous trading empire in West Africa. During the 14^th century two Bantu clans join together and established this powerful empire. It was located north of the Congo River, to the Loje River in the south and from the Atlantic Ocean coastline to the Kwango River in the east. The empire was ruled by the manikongo, or king, and Mbanza was the capital. The manikongo was king over two million people in the Kongo which was divided into six provinces, each ruled by a governor selected by the manikongo. Each province was expected to pay taxes every six months to the manikongo.

The people of the Kongo were farmers who took advantage of the area’s fertile soil and planted millet and sorghum. They collected fruits and dates from the forest and hunted game for their meat. The area had iron, copper ore, fish and ivory which they traded with their neighbors in the surrounded area. Seashells, called cowries, were used as currency, or money. The people of the Kongo used the Congo River for transportation as well as, a highway for trade.

The Portuguese were the first Europeans to enter the Kongo. In A.D. 1482, Diego Cao, a Portuguese explorer, landed in the Kongo. Cao was welcomed by the manikongo and a friendly trading relationship began between the two groups. In A.D. 1491 Portuguese missionaries, soldiers, artisans and noblemen were welcomed at Mbanza. Portuguese influence increased in the Kongo in several ways. When Nzinga Mbemba, the sixth manikongo, became king in A. D. 1506, he changed his name to Affonso I, he converted to Christianity, and learned how to read and write. Christianity became the official religion of the Kongo and Mbanza was given a Portuguese name, Sao Salvador. Afonso I also made his people wear western-style clothing and sent many to Portugal for an education. In government, he appointed dukes and counts.

The downfall of the Kongo empire began in the 1600s when the relationship between the Kongo and the Portuguese began to weaken because of the slave trade. The Portuguese needed more and more slaves and millions of Africans were taken from the Kongo and sent to Brazil, the West Indies, and the American colonies. When Afonso I, realized that his land was being depopulated by the slave trade; he wrote a series of letters to the King of Portugal, King John, asking him to stop the slave trade. In 1526, Afonso I wrote “merchants are taking our natives…So great is the corruption…our country is becoming completely depopulated.” Afonso I letters were ignored and the slave trade continued. After the death of Afonso I, civil wars broke out among village chiefs who were pressured by the Portuguese to captured and sell their people to them as slaves. The continuation of the slave trade by the Portuguese and constant civil wars brought an end to the Kongo empire.

Now you know how Ghana, Mali, Songhai, Zimbabwe and the Kongo developed into impressive trading empires due to their location and trade. As well as, the internal and external problems that caused there downfall.

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Additional learning resource: http://www.encyclopedia.com/html/K/Kongo-ki.asp

BIBLIOGRAPHY FOR THE CURRENT PAGE

Textbooks:

World History - Medieval and Early Modern Times. Evanston: McDougal Littell, 2006. (150 – 199)

Across the Centuries. Boston: Houghton Miifflin Company, 1997. (108 – 153)

Dasilva, Benjamin, and Milton Finkelstine. The Afro-American in United States History. New York: Globe Book Company, 1969. (4 -135)

Internet Websties:

"Fact Monster." Kongo Kingdom. 27 Feb. 2006 <http://www.factmonster.com/ce6/history/A0828072.html>.

"Central African Kingdoms." Kongo. 27 Feb. 2006 <http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/africa/features/storyofafrica/10chapter2.shtml>.

Africa's Ancient Empires - Kongo. 15 Mar. 2006 <http://www.clickafrique.com/0900rpt/history1009.asp>.