The Kasanje Kingdom (1620–1910), also known as the Jaga Kingdom, was a

Central Africa Central Africa is a subregion of the African continent comprising various countries according to different definitions. Angola, Burundi, the Central African Republic, Chad, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Republic of the Congo ...

n state. It was formed in 1620 by a mercenary band of

Imbangala The Imbangala or Mbangala were 17th-century groups of Angolan warriors and marauders who founded the Kasanje Kingdom. Origins The Imbangala were people, possibly from Central Africa, who appeared in Angola during the early 17th century. Their ori ...

, which had deserted 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 ...

ranks. The state gets its name from the leader of the band, Kasanje, who settled his followers on the upper Kwango River. The Kasanje people were ruled by the Jaga, a king who was elected from among the three clans who founded the kingdom. In 1680, the Portuguese traveller António de Oliveira de Cadornega estimated the kingdom had 300,000 people, of whom 100,000 were able to bear arms. However, it is noted that this claim may be exaggerated. The kingdom of Kasanje remained in a constant state of conflict with its neighbours, especially the kingdom of

Matamba The Kingdom of Matamba (1631–1744) was an African state located in what is now the Baixa de Cassange region of Malanje Province of modern-day Angola. It was a powerful kingdom that long resisted Portuguese colonisation attempts and was only in ...

, then ruled by queen

Nzinga Mbande Nzinga may refer to: People * Nzinga of Ndongo and Matamba (c. 1583–1663), Central African warrior queen * João I of Kongo, also known as Nzinga a Nkuwu or Nkuwu Nzinga * Afonso I of Kongo (c. 1456–1542 or 1543), also known as Mvemba a Nzi ...

. The Imbangala state became a strong commercial center until being eclipsed by Ovimbundu trade routes in the 1850s. Kasanje was finally incorporated into

Portuguese Angola Portuguese Angola refers to Angola during the historic period when it was a territory under Portuguese rule in southwestern Africa. In the same context, it was known until 1951 as Portuguese West Africa (officially the State of West Africa). I ...

in 1910–1911.

List of kings of Kasanje

The kings of Kasanje are listed below based on a compilation of several different contemporary king lists by Joseph C. Miller.

Location

Kasanje is located on the upper

Kwango River The Cuango or Kwango ( pt, Rio Cuango) is a transboundary river of Angola and Democratic Republic of Congo. It is the largest left bank tributary of the Kasai River in the Congo River basin. It flows through Malanje in Angola. The Kwango Riv ...

in what is now Angola.Kasanje - Britannica Concise
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References

External links

Kasanje at Britannica Concise

Kasanje at Britannica Online

The Foundation of the Kingdom of Kasanje
{{coord missing, Angola Former monarchies of Africa States and territories established in 1620 States and territories disestablished in 1910 Early modern Angola Former countries in Africa