QueenNzinga:

PushingSocietyAhead

DrewForte

AfricanAmericanHistory224
Dr.Winston
October1st,2015


Forte2

QueenNzinga:anamethathaslittletractioninthehistoryworldbutcarriesalegacyof
prestige,power,andstrengthagainstoppositionlikenoother.WhileQueenNzingaisnot
coveredthoroughlyinmanyclassesaroundtheworld,sheisakeyfigureinhistorywhen
understandingtheorganizationofAfricansocietyandtheprogressitwentthrough.Nzingawas
thepoliticalleaderofNdongoandMatamba.ThesecivilizationsinAfricaduringtheseventeenth
centuryinteractedheavilywithEuropeancountriessuchasPortugal,makingthepoliticalscene
difficulttonavigate.Additionally,thepeopleofherkingdomweresexist,believingthatmale
monarchsweresupremeandprohibitedfemalesfrombecomingaleader.Byfacingthesesocial
issuesheadon,QueenNzingabecameoneofthegreatestleaderstopushsocietyaheadinher
earlylife,duringherreign,andafterherreign.
QueenNzingacameintopowerthroughdubiousmeansintheearly1620swhenher
brotherallegedlycommittedsuicide,thoughmanyargueotherwise.Uponseizingleadership,she
immediatelyhadtofacetwoissues:suppressingtheoutragedfarmerclasswhoopposedfemale
leadershipanddeniedherlegitimacytothethrone,andhandlingtheextremelypowerfuland
capriciousPortugal.Inboth,sheexercisedaremarkableamountofversatilityandstrength.
QueenNzingarevolutionizedthewaysthatdiplomacyandcooperationbetweenAfricanand
Europeancountrieswerehandledduringthattimeperiod.1
QueenNzingaacceptedChristianBaptismintoherlifeanunofficial,unspoken
prerequisitetospeakingtothedeeplyreligiousPortuguesemonarchsofthetime.Beingbaptised
immediatelyexaltedhertoapositionofgreathonor:thepossibilitytohelpconverttherestofthe
barbariccivilizationsofAfricatoapositionofenlightenmentandcivility.Bymakingherself

Miller,JosephC,"NzingaofMatambainaNewPerspective",
TheJournalofAfricanHistory
16.2(1975):201216,Print.
1


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integraltothePortugueseplans,sheeffectivelyintegratedherselfasafairlyindisposablefigure
inhistory.BecomingChristianfurtherenragedherpeople,whobelievedthatshewasturningher
backonthemandthetraditionsthathadbeenpasseddownforhundredsofyears.Whilemany
historiansciteQueenNzingasconversionasalossoflegitimacytothethroneanda
dishonorableaction,itismorefairtosaythatQueenNzingasacrificedwhatwasnecessaryto
makeherkingdomthriveandsurvive.WithoutQueenNzingaacceptingChristianBaptism,
Ndongoneverwouldhaveseenthesupportandeconomicdetentethatallowedthekingdomto
becomepowerful.Inthisway,QueenNzingapushedsocietyforwardbyexemplifyingthe
compromisesthatwouldhavetooccurforanunderstandingbetweengroupstobemet.2
Inaddition,sheestablishedactiveeconomicrelationsbetweenNdongoandPortugal,
allowingPortugaltosendslavetradersandmerchantsintothekingdom.Inexchange,she
demandedthatPortugalstopbuildingafortressnearNdongo.Thistradewasextremely
intelligentQueenNzingapromisedawholelotofnothinginexchangeforfreedomfrommilitant
imperialismandpressurebywar.ThestrategiclossforPortugalwasenormouscomparedtothe
tradeagreementsthatcouldbebrokenoffatanytimeestablishedbyQueenNzinga.However,
theseagreementsfurtherruinedrelationsbetweenQueenNzingaandherpeople.Tosolvethis
issue,QueenNzingaimplementedchangesinherkingdom.3
ByallowinglineagelessbandsofImbangalawarriorstojoinherkingdom,andby
attractingrunawayslavestobefreeandperformlaborinNdongo,sheeasilyhandledthepolitical
issuesthatthreatenedherleadership.Essentially,QueenNzingaremovedallofheropposition

Ibid,213

Thornton,John,"LegitimacyandPoliticalPower:QueenNzinga,16241663",
The
JournalofAfricanHistory
32.1(1991):2540,Print.
2
3


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throughtheslavetrade,andthenbroughtnew,supportivepeopleintothecountryofNdongo.
Thispoliticalmovewasunbelievablysuccessful,andrevolutionizedthewaythatpolitical
diplomacyworked.Again,QueenNzingapushedsocietyforwardbycreatingasocietyof
outcastsandpromotingthestrengthofthedisenfranchised.Bygivingrightstothosewhohad
beenoppressedbyallotherkingdoms,QueenNzingawasabletocreateastrong,workingclass
communitythatwasresponsivetoherleadership.4
Understandingandcooperation:twohardtofindskillsthatQueenNzingaemployedto
gainpoweroverhernewsubjects.Bylearningandcomprehendingtheinnerworkingsofthe
Imbangalawarriorsculture,QueenNzingawasabletobecomethetembanzaofthegroup,a
powerfultitlereservedforpowerfulwomen.Thisallowedhertoexercisecontroloverthegroup
ofwarriors,whopreventedPortugalfromencroachingonherlandorattemptingtotakecontrol
overthekingdom.HavingsafetyandprotectionallowedQueenNzingatospendmoretime
consideringhowtoimproveherkingdomandlesstimeworryingaboutbasicneeds.5
WhentheImbangalawarriorsbegantotakeadvantageofQueenNzingasgenerosity,
theyturnedagainstheranddefectedtoPortugal.Weakclaimsaboutherlegitimacywasafront
fortheirdisloyalty:inreality,theybelievedthattheycouldfindbetterfromPortugalnowthat
theywererecognizedasuseful.ThebetrayaleventuallyledtothetragicdownfallofNdongo.In
1629,PortugalattemptedtocaptureQueenNzingaandendhersymbolismasastrongleaderand
independentfigure.Yet,outofthisstrifecameanincrediblefeatofstrengthandintelligence
fromQueenNzinga.ShedescendedthehighcliffsoftheLuiKwangovalleywithonlyarope

Miller,214
L
inda,Heywood,
CentralAfricans,AtlanticCreoles,andtheMakingoftheAmericas,
15801660
,England:Cambridge,2007.
4
5


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andherwit,settinganewprecedentforwhatitmeanstobeanexcellentleader.Inthisseriesof
events,QueenNzingapushedsocietyforwardbychangingwhatitmeanstonotonlybea
womaninAfricansociety,butalsohowtobealeader.6
Tiredofbeingbetrayedandunsupported,QueenNzingadesiredtoruleakingdomthat
wouldbereceptivetoherleadership.ShefoundthisrefugeinMatamba.Matamba,akingdom
thathadalonghistoryoffemalerulers,unfortunatelyalreadyhadaleaderatthattime.By
manipulatingtheslavetradeandleadingherarmythroughMatamba,QueenNzingawasableto
reachandkilltheleaderofthetime.Nowthatshewasgoverninganewland,herhostility
towardsPortugalandherangerovertheirmilitaryactionshadreachedapeak.Nzingadecidedto
turnhersightstowardsPortugalandbeginfightingbackagainsttheimperialisticpower.By
formingamilitaristicdetentewiththeDutch,shewasabletobuildupanarmyreadytofightthe
Portuguese.ThecombinedforcesofQueenNzingasmilitaryandtheDutchmilitaryallowed
themtoremovetherestraintsonMatambathatPortugalhadbeenmaintaining.Nzingaandthe
DutchcontinuedtoworktogethertofullyeliminatethePortuguesepresencefromthelocal
kingdoms.WhileNzingasdomesticpositionremainedweak,shewasabletousetheslavetrade
andherarmytomaintainthesupportneededtostayinpower.Regardless,alackofsupportfrom
Nzingassubjects,justasinherpast,continuedtodebaseherposition.Similarlytoherposition
inNdongo,theunclearlineoflegitimacyinhibitedherfromfullymasteringthepoliticsof
Matamba.7

Miller,215

Thornton,John,"TheArtofWarinAngola,15751680",
ComparativeStudiesin
SocietyandHistory,
30.2(1988):36078,Print.
7


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Bibliography

Linda,Heywood.
CentralAfricans,AtlanticCreoles,andtheMakingoftheAmericas,

15801660
.England:Cambridge.2007.

Miller,JosephC."NzingaofMatambainaNewPerspective."
TheJournalofAfrican

History
16,no.2(1975):20116.Print.

Thornton,John."TheArtofWarinAngola,15751680."
ComparativeStudiesinSociety

andHistory
30,no.2(1988):36078.Print.

Thornton,John."LegitimacyandPoliticalPower:QueenNzinga,16241663."
The
JournalofAfricanHistory
32,no.1(1991):2540.Print.