Bernardo I of Kongo (died 1567) was a 16th-century
manikongo
The Manikongo, or Mwene Kongo, was the title of the ruler of the Kingdom of Kongo, a kingdom that existed from the 14th to the 19th centuries and consisted of land in present-day Angola, Gabon, the Republic of the Congo and the Democratic Republ ...
(ruler) of the
Kingdom of Kongo, a region encompassing areas in 21st-century
Angola
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, capital = Luanda
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and the
Democratic Republic of Congo
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (french: République démocratique du Congo (RDC), colloquially "La RDC" ), informally Congo-Kinshasa, DR Congo, the DRC, the DROC, or the Congo, and formerly and also colloquially Zaire, is a country in ...
. He came to power after murdering his half-brother
Afonso II
Alphons (Latinized ''Alphonsus'', ''Adelphonsus'', or ''Adefonsus'') is a male given name recorded from the 8th century (Alfonso I of Asturias, r. 739–757) in the Christian successor states of the Visigothic kingdom in the Iberian peninsula. ...
who was less well-disposed toward the Portuguese.
The rule of Bernardo I extended from 1561 to 1567. He was killed fighting the
Yaka on Kongo's eastern frontier.
[ Oliver, Roland and Atmore, Anthony (2001): ''Medieval Africa, 1250-1800'', page 173. Cambridge University Press.] The Yaka, who were referred to as
Jagas The Jaga or Jagas were terms applied by the Portuguese to tribes such as Yaka, Suku, Teke, Luba, Kuba and Hungaan invading bands of African warriors east and south of the kingdom of Kongo. The use of the phrase took on different connotations depe ...
by the
Essikongo and the
Portuguese
Portuguese may refer to:
* anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal
** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods
** Portuguese language, a Romance language
*** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language
** Portu ...
, would invade and nearly conquer Kongo in 1568.
See also
*
List of Rulers of Kongo
*
Kingdom of Kongo
References
Manikongo of Kongo
16th-century births
1567 deaths
16th century in Africa
Place of birth unknown
Date of death unknown
Place of death unknown
Monarchs killed in action
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