Garcia I of Kongo

Mwene Kongo
Garcia I
Mwene Kongo
Garcia I of Kongo
Reign27 April 1624 to 7 March 1626
PredecessorPedro II
SuccessorAmbrósio I
DynastyHouse of Nsundi
FatherPedro II

Garcia I Mvemba a Nkanga was a manikongo of Kongo who ruled from April 27, 1624 to March 7, 1626.

Early Reign

Garcia I was the son of King Pedro II.[1] He was the second and last king from the House of Nsundi begun by his father in 1622. When Pedro II died in 1624, Garcia succeeded peacefully to the throne. Prior to his reign, his father had arranged for an anti-Portuguese alliance with the Dutch West India Company. When the Dutch arrived in 1624 ready to seize Luanda, António da Silva intercepted the fleet's delegation at Soyo.[2] Acting against the wishes of the House of Nsundi, Silva feigned ignorance of the Dutch-Kongo plan and insisted that since Pedro II's death all Garcia I wanted was peace between Kongo and Portugal.[1]

Overthrow

There were those within Kongo's nobility unwilling to allow the House of Nsundi to continue on the throne. At the behest of the royal ladies at court, the Duke of Nsundi Manuel Jordão marched an army on the capital of São Salvador.[3] Garcia was forced to flee to Soyo with his wife and grandmother, and the House of Kwilu regained the throne of Kongo.[3]

References

  1. ^ a b Heywood, Linda M. and John K. Thornton: "Central Africans, Atlantic Creoles, and the Foundation of the Americas, 1585-1660", page 141. Cambridge University Press, 2007
  2. ^ Heywood, Linda M. and John K. Thornton: "Central Africans, Atlantic Creoles, and the Foundation of the Americas, 1585-1660", page 140. Cambridge University Press, 2007
  3. ^ a b Thornton, John: "Elite Women in the Kingdom of Kongo: Historical Perspectives on Women's Political Power", page 450. The Journal of African History, Vol. 47, 2006

See also

Preceded by Manikongo
1624–1626 		Succeeded by
  • v
  • t
  • e
Rulers of the Kingdom of Kongo
Awenekongo of the Kilukeni kanda (1390–1567)Awenekongo of the Kwilu kanda (1567–1622)Awenekongo of the Nkanga a Mvika kanda (1622–1626)
Mwenekongo of the Kwilu kanda (1626–1636)Awenekongo of the Kimpanzu kanda (1636)Awenekongo of the Kinlaza kanda (1636–1665)Civil War Awenekongo (1665–1678)Post-Civil War statesAwenekongo after
the recapture of São Salvador (1709–1891)Awenekongo after
1881 vassalage treaty with Portugal (1891–1914)Pretenders to the Kongo throne since 1914
  • Alvaro XV of Kongo
  • Pedro VII of Kongo
  • António III of Kongo
  • Isabel Maria da Gama, Q of Kongo (regent)
  • Pedro VIII of Kongo
  • Isabel Maria da Gama of Kongo (regent)