Kongo Civil War facts for kids

The Kongo Civil War (1665–1709) was a long fight for power in the Kingdom of Kongo. It was a "war of succession," meaning different families fought over who should be the next king. The main groups fighting were the House of Kinlaza and the House of Kimpanzu.

Many other groups also joined the fight, claiming they were related to one of these main families. By the end of the war, Kongo's important capital city, M'banza-Kongo, was destroyed. Sadly, many people from Kongo, called Bakongo, were captured and sold into the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade.

Why the War Started

The Kingdom of Kongo was very strong during the rule of King Garcia II. He became king after his brother, Álvaro VI, died. Together, they had started a new royal family called the House of Kinlaza. This new family claimed their right to rule through their mothers, which was different from the House of Kimpanzu and the House of Nsundi, who traced their right through their fathers.

Because of this, the Kinlaza family faced a lot of anger from the start. Other people who wanted to be king joined forces with the Kimpanzu family. By the time King Garcia II's rule ended, the area of Soyo was completely independent from Kongo. Soyo was a strong base for the Kimpanzu family. There was open fighting between the Kinlaza and Kimpanzu families, including plans to harm the king.

The Start of the Fighting

In 1661, King Garcia II died. His son, António I, became the new king. King António I wanted to get rid of the Portuguese from Angola. The Portuguese had been causing problems for Kongo since 1622. King Garcia II had tried to help the Dutch fight Portugal over the port of Luanda, but it didn't work out well. Now, Portugal was stronger than ever and controlled Luanda, which was important for Kongo's money. Kongo had to rely more on the Dutch, but the Dutch also worked with Soyo, which was a rival. These events made King António I strongly against the Portuguese.

Battle of Mbwila

Even with all the tension, the war truly began over a small border town called Mbwila. This town had promised loyalty to both Kongo and Angola in the past. In 1665, a disagreement between two people who wanted to lead Mbwila pulled Kongo and Angola into a fight. Kongo supported one person, and Angola supported the other.

The two armies met at the Battle of Mbwila on October 29, 1665. Kongo lost badly. King António I and many Kinlaza nobles were killed. The king's crown and scepter (royal staff) were sent to Portugal as trophies. The young prince who was supposed to be the next king was captured and taken to Luanda, along with King António's head. The king's personal items, which he had kept with him because he feared his rivals, were also lost. Without their king, their heir, and their symbols of power, the kingdom quickly fell into civil war. The Kinlaza and Kimpanzu families fought fiercely for the throne.

Soyo Gets Involved

The Battle of Mbwila didn't change the borders much. But the county of Soyo, where many Kimpanzu supporters lived, became much stronger. Soyo was ruled by the Silva family. They had given shelter to Kimpanzu members in their southern region. With no strong king in Kongo, the Silva family in Soyo could now influence who became king from both the Kinlaza and Kimpanzu families.

Soyo's First Moves

King Afonso II of Kongo and Nkondo, a Kimpanzu supporter, became king after António I died. This fit well with Soyo's plans. But the Kinlaza quickly acted against him and forced him out. They replaced him with Álvaro VII. The king who was forced out, Afonso, went to Nkondo and still claimed to be the rightful king of Kongo.

Soyo's Invasions (1666 and 1669)

King Álvaro VII turned out to be a cruel ruler. Both his political rivals and the common people hated him. Soyo did something new: they marched into the capital and helped the people overthrow and kill Álvaro VII. In June, another Kinlaza king was chosen, but this time, Soyo oversaw the election. Álvaro VIII became king and ruled for three years. He let the Portuguese search for gold in his kingdom, but they found no gold or silver. The Kinlaza family still seemed to control the throne, but Soyo was truly in charge.

In January 1669, King Pedro III, another Kinlaza supporter who didn't like Soyo as much, came to power. Soyo sent its army into Kongo again and removed him from power. This time, the Silva family put a Kimpanzu ruler on the throne. King Pedro III escaped to Lemba, but his story in Kongo was not over.

Soyo's Influence Ends

King Álvaro IX was put in power by Soyo, hoping a Kimpanzu king would be easier to control. However, even among the Kimpanzu, nobles started to dislike Soyo's interference. In 1670, Álvaro IX was overthrown by Rafael I, the Marquis of Mpemba. Unlike the previous king, Rafael I was a Kinlaza and didn't want Soyo to control him.

Battle of Kitombo

Once he was king, Rafael I asked the Portuguese for help to remove Soyo's influence. He promised them rights to minerals and a chance to punish Soyo for dealing with the "heathen" (non-Catholic) Dutch. So, Angola sent an army. They won an early battle against Soyo, where Soyo's ruler, Count Estêvão da Silva, was killed. But then, the Angolan army was crushed at the Battle of Kitombo by a Soyo force led by Prince Pedro da Silva, the dead count's brother. This victory stopped Portugal's plans in Kongo until the 1800s. But it left Soyo in a more difficult position. King Rafael stayed on the throne as Soyo focused on protecting its own borders and getting recognition from the Pope. The victory at Kitombo is still celebrated in some parts of Angola on Saint Luke's Day (October 18).

The Capital City Destroyed

The Kimpanzu family continued to rule, even though the kingdom was in a weak state. Powerful areas like Nsundi and Mbata were breaking away. The king's power grew weaker as trade moved to more stable places outside of Kongo, like Soyo and the Kingdom of Loango. King Rafael I was followed by King Afonso III of Kongo, who ruled only briefly before King Daniel I took power.

King Daniel I ruled for four years. Then, the Kinlaza family made a final, terrible move for the throne. The former King Pedro III marched on São Salvador with mercenaries (paid soldiers) called Jaga. This led to a battle that killed King Daniel I and burned most of the city to the ground in 1678.

Because the capital was destroyed, the people who claimed to be king from both sides had to rule from strongholds in the mountains. The Kinlaza went to Mbula, while the Kimpanzu were based at Mbamba Luvota in southern Soyo. São Salvador became a place where wild animals grazed. Rival kings would crown themselves there, then quickly leave before their enemies attacked. Even after people returned to live there, the city never became as important as it once was.

A Divided Kingdom

Without a main city for trade and politics, the once-powerful kingdom basically stopped existing for twenty years. But this didn't stop the different groups from trying to kill each other. King Pedro III was killed in 1680 during a truce by Manuel de Nóbrega. This was revenge for the death of his brother, King Daniel I.

King Pedro III was followed by his younger brother, João II. King João II tried very hard to take control of another Kinlaza stronghold, Kibangu, but he failed. Kibangu eventually fell to forces from within who didn't want Manuel I of Kibangu to be king.

Two brothers from the Água Rosada family, whose father was Kimpanzu and mother was Kinlaza, overthrew Manuel in 1688. The older brother, King Álvaro X, ruled the mountain fortress until he died in December 1695. It would be his brother, Pedro IV, who would bring Kongo back together. Meanwhile, Manuel de Nóbrega, King Daniel I's brother, ruled Mbamba Lovata for the Kimpanzu family. He had the support of the powerful Queen Suzana de Nóbrega. Manuel de Nóbrega used Soyo's power to fight all Kinlaza supporters he could reach, including Queen Ana Afonso de Leão, the main woman leader of the Kinlaza.

The Antonians

During the Kongo Civil War, a new religious movement started. It was led by a young noblewoman named Beatriz Kimpa Vita from the Mbidizi valley. Her family lived in an area influenced by the Kinlaza. She said she was possessed by the spirit of Saint Anthony, which is why her movement was called "Antonians." She claimed Saint Anthony came to her in visions and told her to reunite the kingdom of Kongo.

She traveled to the mountain strongholds of the Kinlaza (Kibangu and Bula). She announced her mission was to convince the different kings to resettle São Salvador and stop the fighting. After they all refused her, she gathered her followers and marched into the ruins of the old capital in late 1704. With help from Pedro "Kibenga" Constantino da Silva, a half-Kimpanzu/half-Silva bandit loyal to Pedro IV, Dona Beatriz became a political problem, not just a religious leader. King Pedro IV, urged by Capuchin missionaries, had Dona Beatriz arrested for heresy (going against church teachings) and burned at the stake. King Pedro then left to take São Salvador and unite the kingdom for good.

Battle of São Salvador

King Pedro had been working to reunite Kongo even before the Antonians appeared. He had gained the loyalty of almost all the rival kings using peaceful political means, not just fighting. Even the Kimpanzu recognized him. On February 15, 1709, King Pedro marched on São Salvador with his army, carrying only a cross. In the battle between Pedro IV and Pedro Constantino da Silva (the Antonian leader), the Antonians were defeated. Constantino da Silva was captured and killed when he tried to surrender.

Battle of Mbula

The defeated Antonians fled to Bula and asked for help from João II, who still refused to recognize any king of Kongo other than himself. King João II marched his forces south to see what he could gain from Pedro IV's efforts. On Saint Francis Day, October 4, the armies of João II and Pedro IV fought in the Mbula area. King Pedro IV won again, and João II fled back to Lemba. King Pedro IV was so happy that he declared St. Francis his savior and renamed his base São Francisco de Kibangu.

The War Ends

After these battles, Pedro worked hard to reunite Kongo and make peace between the Kinlaza and Kimpanzu families. He gave a general pardon (forgiveness) to all Kimpanzu members. Manuel Makasa, Kibenga's youngest brother, became Pedro's son-in-law and his chosen successor.

King Pedro died in 1718, leaving a kingdom that was at least partly reunited, with its capital back at São Salvador. Prince Manuel Masaka became king as Manuel II of Kongo. After him, Garcia IV Nkanga a Mvemba peacefully became king, following Pedro's agreement. King Garcia IV was from the Mbula group of the Kinlaza. After his rule, the Kinlaza of Bula stopped trying to claim the throne of Kongo on their own. King Pedro IV's descendants stayed in Kibangu, calling themselves princes but never trying to become king of Kongo.

Peace generally lasted for the next 50 years, with very few interruptions. The throne usually rotated between the Kinlaza of the east and the Kimpanzu of the west. Even though the monarchy was restored, Kongo never regained its former glory. It never became as important economically or politically as it once was. Instead, it broke into smaller areas that recognized the King of Kongo but were not truly under his control.

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