Álvaro I Of Kongo
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Álvaro I Nimi a Lukeni lua Mvemba was a
Manikongo Manikongo (also called Awenekongo or Mwenekongo) 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 th ...
(Mwene Kongo), or king of Kongo, from 1568 to 1587, and the founder of the Kwilu dynasty.


Biography

Álvaro's father was an unknown Kongo nobleman who died, leaving his mother to remarry to King Henrique I. When Henrique I died fighting on the eastern frontier, he had left Álvaro as his regent. According to
Duarte Lopes Duarte may refer to: * Duarte (name), person's surname (or composed surname) and given name * Duarte, California, United States * Duarte Province, Dominican Republic * Pico Duarte, mountain in the Dominican Republic * Instituto Cuesta Duarte The In ...
, Kongo's ambassador to Rome in 1584-88, Álvaro had taken up the kingship by common consent. However, there do appear to have been others who wished to be king, and some scholars, notably Francois Bontinck, proposed that Álvaro's rule was seen as an usurpation. The invasion of the
Jagas The Jaga or Jagas were terms applied by the Portuguese people, 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 differen ...
, which took place shortly after Álvaro became king, is sometimes seen as a protest against this usurpation. Other scholars, however, doubt the connection between the Jaga invasion and a dynastic crisis. The Jagas, however, did create a major problem for Álvaro, who had to abandon the capital of Mbanza Kongo, and flee to an island in the
Congo River The Congo River, formerly also known as the Zaire River, is the second-longest river in Africa, shorter only than the Nile, as well as the third-largest river in the world list of rivers by discharge, by discharge volume, following the Amazon Ri ...
. From that place, he sought help from
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 ...
to restore him to the throne and expel the Jagas. Portugal responded by sending an expedition of 600 soldiers, mostly from the colony of São Tome, under the command of Francisco de Gouveia Sottomaior. Gouveia Sottomaior's instructions included obtaining some sort of vassalage from Álvaro and regaining control of the Portuguese community in Kongo by building a fort to "protect" them. However that might be, strong opposition by the Portuguese in Kongo, led by Álvaro's confessor, Francisco Barbuda, prevented most of Gouveia Sottomaior's instructions from being carried out. Nonetheless, Álvaro apparently did permit the Portuguese to settle 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 ...
and the colony of
Angola Angola, officially the Republic of Angola, is a country on the west-Central Africa, central coast of Southern Africa. It is the second-largest Portuguese-speaking world, Portuguese-speaking (Lusophone) country in both total area and List of c ...
was born when
Paulo Dias de Novais Paulo Dias de Novais (c. 1510 – 9 May 1589), a fidalgo of the Royal Household, was a Portuguese colonizer of Africa in the 16th century and the first Captain-Governor of Portuguese Angola. He was the grandson of the explorer Bartolomeu Dias. ...
arrived with his force in 1575. Álvaro sought to relieve the potential threat to his sovereignty by assisting Dias de Novais, sending troops to help him in 1577. However, he, or at the very least Francisco Barbuda, was instrumental in persuading the king of Ndongo, where Dias de Novais had his principal forces, to drive the Portuguese out. Once this had happened, however, Álvaro sent an army to Angola to assist the Portuguese and to conquer Ndongo. The conquest failed, however, as the Kongo army was overextended and could not cross the Bengo River successfully. Álvaro sought to Europeanize Kongo more fully than had been the case before. He was the first king to refer to the capital city as São Salvador. He also sought to obtain a bishop from
Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...
, though it was not until the reign of his son
Álvaro II of Kongo Álvaro II Nimi a Nkanga was king of Kongo from 1587 to 1614. He was one of Kongo's most powerful and important kings, who succeeded his father Álvaro I, but not until resolving a dispute with his brother. Both sides brought armies to M'banza ...
that this was accomplished. Álvaro I continued the Order of Christ in 1607 after the Portuguese brought the Order of Christ to the Kingdom of Kongo; many knighthoods in the Order of Christ were thus granted to Kongolese citizens. In 1587, he was succeeded by his son Álvaro II.


See also

*
Jagas The Jaga or Jagas were terms applied by the Portuguese people, 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 differen ...
*
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 ...
*
List of rulers of Kongo This is a list of the rulers of the Kingdom of Kongo, known commonly as the Manikongos (KiKongo: Mwenekongo). Mwene (plural: Awene) in Kikongo meant a person holding authority, particularly judicial authority, derived from the root -''wene'' whi ...


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Alvaro 01 Of Kongo 16th-century births 1587 deaths Manikongo of Kongo 16th-century monarchs in Africa