The Battle of Kombi was a decisive battle in the war between Ndongo-

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 i ...

and Portugal during the Dutch period of

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

n history.

Background

When the

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 ...

forces occupied

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 seapo ...

in 1641, the capital of the Portuguese colony of Angola, the neighbouring countries of Kongo and Ndongo had welcomed them, sending embassies and receiving promises of assistance in driving the Portuguese out of the colony and central Africa. However, following the initial Dutch success, the Portuguese had fallen back into their interior positions, first at Bengo, where they were driven out, and then to the Fort Nossa Senhora da Vitória at Massangano. In 1643, deciding it was not worthwhile to continue the war with Portugal, the Dutch signed an agreement which effectively left Portugal in command of the interior presidios. However, the kingdom of Ndongo, a longtime enemy of Portuguese ambitions, then led by Queen

Njinga Nzinga Ana de Sousa Mbande ( – 1663) was a Southwest African ruler who served as queen of the Ambundu Kingdoms of Ndongo (1624–1663) and Matamba (1631–1663), located in present-day northern Angola. Born into the ruling family of Ndongo, ...

fought on against the Portuguese without Dutch help. Following her defeat at Kavanga in 1646, however, the situation was sufficiently grave that the Dutch commander decided to commit forces to her support. Thus, in 1647 a combined force from Kongo, Ndongo, and a Dutch contingent of 400 soldiers, adding to over 8,000 men, met the Portuguese and their African allies with a field army of some 30,000 soldiers, including 600 Portuguese and Luso-Africans, somewhere north of Massangano (the battlefield has not yet been located). The Portuguese and their allies were routed by the Dutch and their allied Africans and over 3,000 men of the Portuguese army were killed or wounded. As a result of this victory, Nzinga and her army were able to lay siege to three of the Portuguese

presidio A presidio ( en, jail, fortification) was a fortified base established by the Spanish Empire around between 16th and 18th centuries in areas in condition of their control or influence. The presidios of Spanish Philippines in particular, were cen ...

s in Angola,

Ambaca Ambaca is a town and municipality in Cuanza Norte Province in Angola , national_anthem = " Angola Avante"() , image_map = , map_caption = , capital = Luanda , religion = ...

, Masangano and

Muxima Muxima is a town and commune in the municipality of Quiçama, Luanda Province, Angola. The village, located by Kwanza river, was occupied in 1589 by the Portuguese who erected a church and a fortress in 1599. Muxima means "heart" in Kimbundu. It ...

. These

siege A siege is a military blockade of a city, or fortress, with the intent of conquering by attrition, or a well-prepared assault. This derives from la, sedere, lit=to sit. Siege warfare is a form of constant, low-intensity conflict characteriz ...

s were not successful, largely because neither she nor her Dutch allies possessed sufficient

artillery Artillery is a class of heavy military ranged weapons that launch munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during si ...

to conduct an attack, even though the number of the Portuguese did not exceed 300. When the forces of Salvador de Sá e Benevides arrived in 1648, Njinga was forced to abandon the siege and return to her headquarters in

.Heywood and Thornton, ''Central Africans'', p. 152.

References

Sources

*António Oliveira de Cadornega, ''História geral das guerras angolanas (1680)'' 3 vols. Lisbon: Agencia geral do Ultramar, 1940-42 (reprinted 1972) *Anonymous, "Extract van seekeren brief, gheschreven uyt Loando..." in S. P. L'Honoré Naber, "Nota van Pieter Moortamer over het gewest Angola..." ''Bijdragen en Medeelingen van het Historisch Genootschap'' 54 (1933): 41-42. {{DEFAULTSORT:Battle Of Kombi Kombi Kombi Kombi Kombi Conflicts in 1647 1640s in Africa 1647 in Africa