António I Vita a Nkanga (or Mvita a Nkanga) was a mwenekongo of the

Kingdom of Kongo The Kingdom of Kongo ( or ''Wene wa Kongo;'' ) was a kingdom in Central Africa. It was located in present-day northern Angola, the western portion of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, southern Gabon and the Republic of the Congo. At its gre ...

who ruled from 1661 to his defeat and death at the

Battle of Mbwila Battle of Mbwila (also the Battle of Ambuila, Battle of Mbuila, or Battle of Ulanga) occurred on 29 October 1665 in which Portuguese forces defeated the forces of the Kingdom of Kongo and decapitated king António I of Kongo, also called Nv ...

on October 29, 1665. He was elected following the death of King Garcia II. Like the former king, António I pursued a foreign policy focused on removing the Portuguese from his region.

Policy against the Portuguese

Since 1620, Kongo and

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...

had been in a near-constant state of war with the only intervals coming after decisive

BaKongo The Kongo people (also , singular: or ''M'kongo; , , singular: '') are a Bantu ethnic group primarily defined as the speakers of Kikongo. Subgroups include the Beembe, Bwende, Vili, Sundi, Yombe, Dondo, Lari, and others. They have li ...

victories. After almost 30 years of decline in the face of BaKongo, Mbundu and Dutch military victories, the Portuguese had retaken their colonial possession in

Luanda Luanda ( ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Angola, largest city of Angola. It is Angola's primary port, and its major industrial, cultural and urban centre. Located on Angola's northern Atlantic coast, Luanda is Ang ...

while establishing a tenuous peace with their old enemies. Feeling threatened by Portugal's return on Kongo's southern border, António I sought to renew Kongo's war against the Portuguese with a new alliance similar to the one at the

Battle of Kitombo The Battle of Kitombo was a military engagement between forces of the BaKongo state of Soyo, formerly a province of the Kingdom of Kongo, and the Portuguese colony of Angola on 18 October 1670. Earlier in the year a Portuguese expeditionary forc ...

. Unable to rely on the Dutch for assistance, he sent emissaries to

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

but failed to procure an alliance. He also contacted Kongo's Mbundu allies in Matamba and the semi-independent kingdoms of Dembos and Mbwila. On December 22, 1663, Alfonso VI of Portugal ordered Vidal Negreiros to take control of the Kongo copper mines, exploit the deposits and send the ore by ship to Lisbon. António I of Kongo responded by denying the existence of the mines and proclaiming that he "is in no way indebted to the King of Portugal". Vidal Negreiros prepares his army for battle and Antonio I responds with a vibrant call to war, the two met in Mbwila, along the Ulanga River.John K. Thornton, ''A History of West Central Africa to 1850'', Cambridge University Press, 2020, p. 182

Death at the Battle of Mbwila

The Portuguese got wind of these plans and were also pressing claims to sovereignty over the small kingdom of Mbwila. When a succession dispute between Mbwila's king (supported by Kongo) and his aunt (supported by Portugal) erupted, the rivals both came with armies to settle the dispute. At the

, the BaKongo suffered their worst military defeat. This resulted in the death of hundreds, which included King António had led a contingent of 400 swordsmen into the battle. King António I was decapitated during or shortly after the battle (his head buried with royal honours by the Portuguese), while his crown and sceptre were taken to Portugal as trophies.

Aftermath

King António died with no heir apparent. Many of the men who could have taken his place died or were captured at the battle, including his seven-year-old son. The ruling House of Kinlaza and the opposing

House of Kimpanzu The Kimpanzu were members of the Mpanzu kanda (lineage), kanda also known as the House of Kimpanzu, one of the lineages from which the kings of Kingdom of Kongo, Kongo were chosen during the 17th century and following Kongo's reunification under ...

fought furiously over the throne causing a devastating civil war. The heyday of the Kingdom of Kongo was at an end, and it would take forty years for the kingdom to be reunited.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Antonio 01 Of Kongo 17th-century births 1665 deaths Manikongo of Kongo Military personnel killed in action 17th-century monarchs in Africa

Bibliography

*Thornton, John K. (2020). ''The Kongolese Saint Anthony : Dona Beatriz Kimpa Vita and the Antonian Movement, 1684–1706''. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. *Mateso, Bruce (2024). ''Le royaume Kongo sous Vita Nkanga : les fondements de la maison royale Ki-Nlaza 1636-1665''. La Loupe, N'Tamo (Brazzaville). Paris: Paari éditeur (in French).

Policy against the Portuguese

Death at the Battle of Mbwila

Aftermath

See also

References

Bibliography