The Manikongo, or Mwene Kongo, was the title of the ruler 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 th ...

, a kingdom that existed from the 14th to the 19th centuries and consisted of land in present-day

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, the Republic of the Congo and the

Democratic Republic of the 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 ...

. The manikongo's seat of power was Mbanza Kongo (also called ''São Salvador'' from 1570 to 1975), now the capital of Zaire Province in Angola. The manikongo appointed governors for the provinces of the Kingdom and received tribute from neighbouring subjects. The term "manikongo" is derived from Portuguese ''manicongo'', an alteration of the KiKongo term ''Mwene Kongo'' (literally "lord of Kongo"). The term ''wene'', from which ''mwene'' is derived, is also used to mean kingdom and is attested with this meaning in the Kongo catechism of 1624 with reference to the

Kingdom of Heaven Kingdom of Heaven may refer to: Religious * Kingdom of Heaven (Gospel of Matthew) ** Kingship and kingdom of God, or simply Kingdom of God, the phrase used in the other gospels * Kingdom of Heaven (Daviesite), a schismatic sect, founded by Will ...

. The term ''mwene'' is created by adding the personal prefix ''mu-'' to this stem, to mean "person of the kingdom". ''Mwene'' is attested in very early texts, notably the letters of King Afonso I of Kongo, where he writes, to Portguese kings Manuel I (in 1514) and João III concerning the ''moenipango'' (''mwene Mpangu'') and twice concerning the ''moinebata''. ''Mani'' was used to mean not only "king" but also anyone holding authority, so provincial and sub-provincial officials also were called ''mani''. Afonso did not entitle himself Manikongo, but rather ''rei de congo'' (king of Kongo). Subjects were require to prostrate themselves before the Manikongo, approaching him on all fours, and when time came for the Manikongo to eat or drink, an attendant would chime two iron rods, cueing them to lay face-down so that they could not see him do so.

References

Kingdom of Kongo Kongo people Monarchy {{government-stub

See also

References