Queen Nzinga Mbande was an early 17th century ruler of the kingdoms of Ndongo and Matamba who endless fought the Portuguese who were colonizing the West African coast in an attempt to control the African slave trade in the area. When she inherited the throne after her brother committed suicide in 1624, the area was under attack from both African and Portuguese assailants. In order to pacify the Portuguese and protect her kingdom from becoming a supply site in the slave trade, she showed her skills of adaption and converted to Christianity. She encouraged the religion’s spread by permitting Christian missionaries into her territories and keeping a confessor herself. She further demonstrated her political insight in allying herself with the Dutch; despite their combined forces, they were not able to defeat the Portuguese. She was eventually forced to flee Matamba where she capitalized on its strategic location and maintained its independence.
In 1657, Nzinga signed a peace treaty with Portugal and directed her efforts toward rebuilding her kingdom and assisted in the resettling of slaves. She was forced to accept the Habsburg King Philip I of Portugal as ruler of Ndongo which enabled degree o f autonomy in Matamba. Despite the new ruler she successfully worked to develop the area as a trading center into central Africa.
Trained in war by her father and male relatives from a young age, she personally led her armies into battle and fought alongside them and in doing so she roused great loyalty and admiration. Despite numerous attempts at being dethroned, Nzinga died peacefully in December 17, 1663 in Matamba at the age of 80. Although her rule was no a long one, Nzinga was successful in ensuring that her sister was her successor. Nzinga is remembered for her political agility, exceptional military tactics, incredible intelligence, and for her fierce campaign against Portugal. A statue of Nzinga remains today in Luanda, Angola and is a sight at which Angolan women are often married.
The Cave 