Rafael I Nzinga a Nkanga was a

ruler A ruler, sometimes called a rule, line gauge, or scale, is a device used in geometry and technical drawing, as well as the engineering and construction industries, to measure distances or draw straight lines. Variants Rulers have long ...

of the

Kingdom of Kongo The Kingdom of Kongo ( kg, Kongo dya Ntotila or ''Wene wa Kongo;'' pt, Reino do Congo) was a kingdom located in central Africa in present-day northern Angola, the western portion of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and the Republic of the ...

during its

civil war A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

. He ruled from 1670 to 1673.

Accession to the throne

During the civil war period,

Soyo Soyo (formerly known as ''Santo António do Zaire'') is a city, with a population of 200,920 (2014 census), and a municipality, with a population of 227,175 (2014 census), located in the province of Zaire in Angola, at the mouth of the Congo riv ...

, previously under the control of Kongo, became independent. It still regularly interfered with Kongolese affairs and invaded several times to depose kings who were not pro-Soyo. When the Soyo invaded in 1669, they overthrew Pedro III, who was a member of the House of Kinlaza and replaced him with Álvaro IX, who was a member of the more Soyo sympathetic

House of Kimpanzu The Kimpanzu were members of the Mpanzu kanda also known as the House of Kimpanzu, one of the lineages from which the kings of Kongo were chosen during the 17th century and following Kongo's reunification under Pedro IV. They are remembered in ...

.Gray, Richard: "Black Christians & White Missionaries", page 38. Yale University, 1990 However even the nobles of Kimpanzu had grown resentful of Soyo interfering in Kongo affairs. Rafael deposed Álvaro and took his place as Manikongo.

Rule

After his ascension, Rafael was driven from his capital São Salvador by Soyo, who were receiving

Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...

aid, and were slowly becoming as powerful as Kongo. Rafael travelled to

Luanda Luanda () is the capital and largest city in Angola. It is Angola's primary port, and its major industrial, cultural and urban centre. Located on Angola's northern Atlantic coast, Luanda is Angola's administrative centre, its chief seaport ...

and sought

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aid, who were rivals of the Dutch at the time, to help subdue Soyo. In return he promised Portugal money, mineral concessions and the right to build a fortress in Soyo to keep out the Dutch.Birmingham, David: "Portugal and Africa", page 61. Palgrave Macmillan, 1999 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 force ...

was a humiliating defeat for

Angola , national_anthem = " Angola Avante"() , image_map = , map_caption = , capital = Luanda , religion = , religion_year = 2020 , religion_ref = , coordina ...

and they were forced to recognise Soyo's independence and the Pope acquired a papal nuncio from the

King of Portugal This is a list of Portuguese monarchs who ruled from the establishment of the Kingdom of Portugal, in 1139, to the deposition of the Portuguese monarchy and creation of the Portuguese Republic with the 5 October 1910 revolution. Through the n ...

stating that the crown would make no more attempts on its sovereignty.Gray, Richard: "Black Christians & White Missionaries", 1990. Yale University. Page 38. However this did give Rafael the opportunity to reoccupy the São Salvador and continue rule until 1673.

References

{{RulersOfKongoKingdom Manikongo of Kongo 17th-century African people