Kingdom of Matamba facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

The Kingdom of Matamba was an old African kingdom that existed from 1631 to 1744. It was located in what is now Angola, in a region called Baixa de Cassange. Matamba was a strong kingdom that fought against Portugal's attempts to take control. It only became part of Angola much later, in the late 1800s.

History of Matamba
Images for kids
See also

History of Matamba

Early Days of the Kingdom

Matamba was first mentioned in records around 1530. At that time, it paid a small tribute to the powerful Kingdom of Kongo. King Afonso I of Kongo even listed Matamba as part of his lands. However, Matamba's rulers were likely quite independent. Matamba also had close ties with its neighbor, the Kingdom of Ndongo, which was also very strong.

In the mid-1500s, a Queen named Njinga ruled Matamba. She welcomed missionaries from Kongo, which was a Christian kingdom. These missionaries were sent by King Diogo I Nkumbi a Mpudi. Even though the queen met with them, there is no sign that Matamba became Christian at this time.

Things changed when Portuguese colonists arrived in Luanda in 1575. They quickly got involved in Ndongo's affairs. A war broke out between Ndongo and Portugal in 1579. Matamba's ruler, probably King Kambolo Matamba, sent an army to help Ndongo. Together, they defeated the Portuguese at the Battle of the Lukala in 1590.

Portuguese Attacks and Ndongo's Takeover

In 1618, the Portuguese governor of Angola, Luis Mendes de Vasconcelos, attacked Ndongo. He used allies called Imbangala, who were mercenary soldiers. These allies helped the Portuguese capture Ndongo's capital.

Over the next two years, Portuguese and Imbangala forces also attacked Matamba. They caused a lot of damage. Many people from Matamba were killed, and thousands were taken as slaves to America. This is why the name "Matamba" started appearing in slave records in Spanish America.

Ndongo continued to suffer from Portuguese attacks. In 1624, Queen Njinga Mbandi became the ruler of Ndongo. She fought against Portugal but was forced to flee her country in 1626 and again in 1629. During her second escape, Njinga entered Matamba. Her forces defeated Matamba's ruler, Queen Mwongo Matamba, and took her prisoner. From 1631 onwards, Njinga made Matamba her new capital, joining it with the Kingdom of Ndongo.

Njinga and Her Successors

Queen Njinga ruled Matamba from 1631 until her death in 1663. She made Matamba part of her kingdom. Thousands of her former subjects from Ndongo, who had fled Portuguese attacks, settled there. She fought several wars against the Kasanje kingdom, especially in 1634–1635.

In 1639, Njinga met with a Portuguese peace group. They didn't sign a treaty, but they did restart talks. When the Dutch took over Luanda in 1641, Njinga quickly made an alliance with them. She moved her capital to Kavanga to fight the Portuguese. Her forces won a big victory at the Battle of Kombi in 1647. This almost made the Portuguese leave the country.

However, a Portuguese relief force arrived in 1648 and drove out the Dutch. Njinga had to return to Matamba. She kept a symbolic capital on Kindonga Island, but the real capital was the town of Matamba. Njinga had been baptized as Ana de Sousa in 1622. In 1654, she started trying to make peace with Portugal.

Njinga hoped that peace with Portugal would help her settle her kingdom. She also wanted to choose a successor, as she had no children. She formed a strong alliance with a related family. Their leader, João Guterres Ngola Kanini, became one of her most important advisors. She also wanted to control the Imbangala forces in her army. To do this, she also tried to make peace with the Catholic Church.

Her plan worked. She signed a peace treaty in 1657. Italian Capuchin missionaries then began working in her lands. They saw Njinga as a good Christian in her later years, and thousands of Matamba subjects were baptized.

However, becoming Christian didn't solve all her problems. There were still issues about who would rule next. The church didn't approve of a marriage between João Guterres and Njinga's sister Barbara. This was because Guterres already had a wife. Also, the Imbangala leader, Njinga Mona, still had a lot of power in the army.

Civil War After Njinga

After Njinga died, a period of fighting and civil war began. Barbara became queen, but Njinga Mona's forces killed her in 1666. João Guterres briefly removed Njinga Mona from power in 1669. But he was defeated and killed in 1670. Njinga Mona then ruled until João Guterres' son, Francisco, took over and killed Njinga Mona in 1680.

Battle of Katole

In 1681, Francisco got involved in a war with the neighboring Kasanje kingdom. He was trying to help one of the people who wanted to be king there. The Portuguese stepped in and invaded Matamba with a huge army of over 40,000 soldiers. This was the biggest army Portugal had ever used in Angola.

The Portuguese army reached Katole. Francisco launched a surprise attack at dawn on September 4, 1681. He caused heavy losses to the Portuguese. However, the Imbangala forces with the Portuguese fought back strongly. In the battle, Francisco and several of his relatives were killed. The Portuguese army, after losing many soldiers, went back to Ambaca.

Queen Verónica I

Francisco Guterres was followed by his sister, Verónica I Guterres Kandala Kingwanga. She ruled for a long time, from 1681 to 1721. Her rule made the Guterres family's power strong and set a pattern for future female rulers. Verónica was a religious Christian, but she also strongly believed in Matamba's independence.

To prevent another Portuguese invasion, Verónica sent a group to Luanda. They negotiated a peace treaty, which was signed on September 7, 1683. In the treaty, she agreed to be a nominal vassal (meaning she accepted Portugal's authority in name, but kept her own power). She also agreed to return Portuguese prisoners, allow missionaries into her country, and let Portuguese traders pass through her lands. She also agreed to recognize Kasanje's independence and pay 200 slaves over four years as payment.

However, Verónica was not truly controlled by Portugal. Within a few years, she was claiming to be Queen of both Ndongo and Matamba, just like Njinga. To prove her claims, she fought wars with Portugal in 1689 and again in 1692–1693. She also tried to form an alliance with Kongo in 1706. These wars caused many people to leave the western parts of her lands.

Verónica wanted to bring Christian missions back to Matamba. The missions had left after Njinga's death and the civil war. But despite her requests, a permanent mission was not set up.

The Portuguese Invasion of 1744

When Verónica died in 1721, her son Afonso I Álvares de Pontes became king. During his rule, the northern area of Holo broke away from Matamba. It formed its own kingdom and started trading with Portugal. Matamba tried to stop this, and because of Portugal's trade with the rebels, relations between Matamba and Portugal got worse.

Ana II became queen in 1741. (Ana I was Queen Njinga, as Matamba used the Christian names of past rulers). Ana II faced a Portuguese invasion in 1744. This was one of Portugal's biggest military actions in the 1700s. Matamba's army dealt a serious blow to the Portuguese. But some of the Portuguese army still reached Matamba's capital.

To avoid a long war and make them leave, Ana II signed a treaty with Portugal. This treaty renewed the points Verónica had agreed to in 1683. The treaty allowed Portugal to claim Matamba as a vassal and opened Matamba to Portuguese trade. But it didn't really change Matamba's independence or how trade was done.

Like Verónica, Ana II wanted Matamba to be a Christian country. She often sent letters asking for missionaries to come and set up permanent bases. Missionaries from Cahenda and the Barefoot Carmelites visited, but a lasting mission was not established.

The Divided Kingdom

Ana II died in 1756, and a civil war started among different people who wanted the throne. Verónica II ruled briefly but was overthrown after 1758. This left Ana III on the throne.

Ana III was then overthrown by Kalwete ka Mbandi, a military leader. Kalwete won the war and was baptized as Francisco II when he became king. However, two of Ana's daughters, Kamana and Murili, escaped the civil war. They found safety in the old capital of Ndongo, on the Kindonga islands. They successfully fought off Francisco II's attempts to remove them.

From this base, Queen Kamana created a rival kingdom. In 1767, she tried to get Portuguese help against her rival, but she was not successful. The Portuguese governor at the time, Francisco Innocencio de Sousa Coutinho, gave her protection. He told his officials to respect her. But he did not want to get directly involved in the eastern part of the Portuguese zone.

Kamana's son and successor managed to end the division of the country. He successfully took back the capital and was crowned king of Matamba around 1810.

Images for kids

A robot for kids.