Afonso I of Kongo

Afonso I, also Nzinga Mpangu or Nzinga Mbemba Afonso, (c. 1456 † 1543) was king of the African kingdom of Congo.

Life

Afonso I was the son of Nzinga had á Nkuwu, the first king of Congolese contact with the Portuguese, and was baptized as João I.. Afonso, who had been educated for ten years by Christian missionaries, took over after his father's death in a fratricidal war, the rule and urged back the traditional religions, which had expanded again in the late phase of his father's reign.

He pursued a policy of selective modernization with close reference to Portugal. He understood the great European powers as a Christian brother states, began with the establishment of a native clergy, sent students to Europe and European craftsmen and academics tried to get to the Congo. His hope was to be permanently recognized by a forced Christianization and cooperation of the Portuguese and his royal peers Manuel I. as equivalent, a strategy that was initially successful. Portugal recognized the Mani - Congo ( unlike all other European royal houses ) as king, though ( for technical reasons ) rather than " sovereignty ".

Afonso's correspondence with João III represents the first known documents, who wrote in a European language, a black Africans.

In 1512 it came to the so-called " regimento " Manuel, an instruction to his ambassadors who came to meet the intentions Afonso. It stipulated that the Portuguese should be the Mani - Congo in the organization of his empire aside, including the construction of a legal system on the European model as well as an army. Also, missionary commitment, support for the building of churches and the public disclosure of the court in Portuguese etiquette were planned, in turn, the Congo should the Portuguese ships with valuable cargo fill, especially slaves, ivory and copper.

Afonso's son Henrique was consecrated a bishop in Portugal in 1521 and returned back to his homeland. The construction of a church structure failed, however. Likewise, there was always sharper clashes with Portuguese traders. Their slave trade in their home country and to America soon exceeded the dimensions of the hitherto widespread Haussklaventums in Congo. The country became increasingly depopulated. 1526 tried to assign all the Portuguese decree what the slave traders, however, did not follow Afonso. In addition, resistance to the Christian King suggested.

After the death of Afonso I. an era of disputes about the succession, which began on the final disintegration of his empire in the 17th century began.