Ambrósio I of Kongo

Ambrósio I Nimi a Nkanga was a mwenekongo of the Kingdom of Kongo who ruled from March 1626 to March 7, 1631.

Contents

Rise to Power

Ambrósio I was the nephew of Álvaro III and as such was a member of the royal House of Kwilu.[1] When Alvaro III died on May 4 of 1622, he had only a young son to leave as heir. Instead of putting an easily manipulated juvenile on the throne at a time when the Portuguese under the renegade governor João Correia de Sousa was threatening the country, the royal council elected the Duke of Mbamba as King Pedro II. This ushered in the short-lived royal House of Nsundi. King Pedro II was peacefully succeeded by his son Garcia I but the calm was not to last. In 1626, Garcia was overthrown by disgruntled nobles led by Manuel Jordão the Duke of Nsundi. At the request of the royal ladies of the court, many of whom fervant partisans of the House of Kwilu, Jordão had Ambrósio crowned as king restoring the Kwilu kanda to power.

Reign as King

King Ambrósio fell out with his benefactor after two years and accused him of eyeing the throne.[2] The king quickly moved to and succeeded at removing Jordão from his post as Duke of Nsundi, having him exiled to an island on the Congo River.[2] This would not be the end of Ambrósio's troubles, as his reign was beset by rumors of conspiracy and war mobilizations which culminated in a massive revolt. King Ambrósio I was overthrown and killed March 7, 1631.[3]

References

  1. ^ 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
  2. ^ a b Heywood, Linda M. and John K. Thornton: "Central Africans, Atlantic Creoles, and the Foundation of the Americas, 1585-1660", page 142. Cambridge University Press, 2007
  3. ^ 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

See also

Preceded by
Garcia I		 Manikongo
1624–1631		 Succeeded by
Álvaro IV
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)
Ambrósio I of Kongo  · Álvaro IV of Kongo
Awenekongo of the Kimpanzu kanda (1636)
Awenekongo of the Kinlaza kanda (1636–1665)
Civil War Awenekongo (1665–1678)
Afonso II of Kongo and Nkondo  · Álvaro VII of Kongo  · Álvaro VIII of Kongo  · Pedro III of Kongo  · Álvaro IX of Kongo  · Rafael I of Kongo  · Afonso III of Kongo
Post-Civil War states

Kibangu (1669–1709): Garcia III of Kibangu  · André I of Kibangu  · Manuel Afonso of Kibangu  · Álvaro X of Kibangu  · Pedro IV of Kongo

Lemba(1669–1716): Pedro III of Kongo  · João II of Lemba

Mbamba Lovata (1678–1715): Manuel of Lovata
Awenekongo after
the recapture of São Salvador (1709–1891)
Pedro IV of Kongo  · Manuel II of Kongo  · Garcia IV of Kongo  · Manuel II of Kongo  · Garcia IV of Kongo  · Nicolau I of Kongo  · Afonso IV of Kongo  · António II of Kongo  · Sebastião I of Kongo  · Pedro V of Kongo  · Álvaro XI of Kongo  · José I of Kongo  · Afonso V of Kongo  · Álvaro XII of Kongo  · Alexio I of Kongo  · Joaquim I of Kongo  · Henrique I of Kongo  · Garcia V of Kongo  · André II of Kongo  · Henrique II of Kongo  · Álvaro XII of Kongo  · Pedro VI of Kongo
Awenekongo after
1881 vassalage treaty with Portugal (1891–1914)
Álvaro XIV of Kongo  · Henrique III of Kongo  · Pedro VII of Kongo  · Manuel Nkomba of Kongo  · Manuel III of Kongo