Kongo, Kingdom of
Years: 1395 - 1914
The Kingdom of Kongo (Kongo: Kongo dya Ntotila or Wene wa Kongo or Portuguese: Reino do Congo) is an African kingdom located in west central Africa in what is now northern Angola, Cabinda, the Republic of the Congo, the western portion of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, as well as the southernmost part of Gabon.
At its greatest extent, it reaches from the Atlantic Ocean in the west to the Kwango River in the east, and from the Congo River in the north to the Kwanza River in the south.
The kingdom consists of several core provinces ruled by the Manikongo, the Portuguese version of the Kongo title 'Mwene Kongo', meaning lord or ruler of the Kongo kingdom, but its sphere of influence extends to neighboring kingdoms, such as Ngoyo, Kakongo, Ndongo and Matamba.
The kingdom largely exists from c. 1390 to 1891 as an independent state, and from 1891 to 1914 as a vassal state of the Kingdom of Portugal.
In 1914, the titular monarchy is forcibly abolished, following Portuguese victory against a Kongo revolt.
The remaining territories of the kingdom are assimilated into the colony of Angola.
The modern-day Bundu dia Kongo sect favors reviving the kingdom through secession from Angola, the Republic of the Congo, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Gabon.
