Latest / The History of Portugal: The Small Nation That Built a Global Empire — Fexingo History / The Portuguese Mercenaries Who Shaped Africa's Kongo Kingdom
Transcript
- Lucas: So last time we talked about the Portuguese bombardeiros — the artillery that blasted their way into the Indian Ocean. But while cannons were opening trade routes in Asia, something very different was happening on the west coast of Africa. Not conquest, really — more of a partnership. Luna: With the Kingdom of Kongo, right? Lucas: Exactly. When Diogo Cão reached the mouth of the Congo River in 1483, he found a centralized, powerful kingdom — the Kongo, with its capital at Mbanza Kongo. The Portuguese didn't try to conquer it. Instead, they exchanged ambassadors. The Kongo king at the time, Nzinga a Nkuwu, was intrigued by Christianity and Portuguese technology. He sent envoys to Lisbon, and in 1491, Portuguese priests, stonemasons, and soldiers arrived in Kongo. Lucas: The king himself was baptized as João I — a nod to Portugal's king. But here's the thing that makes this episode so different from, say, Goa or Hormuz: the Kongo elite actively sought out this relationship. They weren't forced. They saw Portuguese alliances as a way to strengthen their own power. Luna: So the Kongo were driving this as much as the Portuguese? Lucas: Yes, and no single figure embodies that better than Afonso I — Mvemba a Nzinga, the son of João I. When his father died, Mvemba a Nzinga had to fight his half-brother for the throne. He won, and took the name Afonso I. He was a devout Christian, he learned Portuguese, he even wrote letters to King Manuel I of Portugal in perfect Portuguese — letters that still survive today. And in those letters, he pleads for something very specific: priests, teachers, and skilled craftsmen, not slave traders. Luna: But slave traders came anyway. Lucas: That's the tragedy. Early on, the Portuguese sent missionaries and a few tangomãos — that's the term for Portuguese mercenaries and adventurers who served in the Kongo army. They helped Afonso I crush rebellions and expand his territory. In return, they got slaves, ivory, and copper. But as the Portuguese demand for slaves grew — especially after they started colonizing São Tomé and later Brazil — the slave trade began to dominate. And Afonso I saw it destroying his kingdom. Lucas: He wrote a famous letter to Manuel I in 1526, saying: 'Our country is being completely depopulated. Every day the merchants carry away our people — thieves and men of bad conscience grab them and sell them.' He asked for help controlling the trade, but Portugal had little incentive to stop. Luna: Did Portugal ever listen? Lucas: Not really. By the time Afonso died in 1543, the slave trade had already corroded the partnership. Portuguese merchants and tangomãos started bypassing the king's authority, dealing directly with provincial chiefs. Over the next century, Kongo's power declined, and Portugal's focus shifted south to Angola, where they built the colony of Luanda. But for a few decades, Kongo showed that an African kingdom could engage with Europeans on its own terms. Luna: And didn't Afonso's son become a bishop? Lucas: Yes — Henrique, his son. He was sent to Portugal for education, studied in Lisbon, and in 1518, at age 23, he was appointed Bishop of Utica — a titular see — making him the first black bishop in the Catholic Church. He returned to Kongo and served as a missionary. That was a huge moment. It showed that the Kongo were not just passive recipients of Christianity; they were shaping it. Lucas: But even Henrique's story has a shadow. He faced racism and suspicion from Portuguese clergy who didn't want a black bishop overseeing them. And after his death in the 1530s, the church in Kongo was increasingly controlled by Portuguese missionaries, not local clergy. Luna: It's like the Portuguese wanted allies, but only as long as they stayed subordinate. Lucas: Exactly. And that tension runs through the whole history of the Portuguese empire. In Kongo, it started with genuine cooperation and mutual curiosity. But as the economic logic of the slave trade took over, that partnership turned into exploitation. The Kongo kings kept asking for priests and teachers, but Portugal sent more slave ships. It's a really poignant example of how the Portuguese empire wasn't just about conquering — it was also about building relationships that later crumbled under commercial pressure. Luna: It reminds me of how important listener support is for keeping these nuanced stories alive. A couple of dollars a month genuinely makes a difference — it's what keeps these episodes ad-free and focused on deep history rather than clickbait. Lucas: Absolutely. If you've gotten something out of our conversations about Portugal's empire — whether it's the battles in India or the complexity of Kongo — consider throwing a coffee our way at buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. It really does help us keep digging into these corners of history. Luna: Yeah, and it keeps the show independent. So back to Kongo — what happened after Afonso's death? Did any later kings try to revive the alliance? Lucas: Some did. King Alvaro I in the late 16th century tried to rebuild ties with Portugal, and even sent an embassy to the Pope. But by then, Portugal was entangled in the Iberian Union with Spain, and the Kongo kingdom was being squeezed by Portuguese Angola to the south and invading Jaga warriors. The capital, now called São Salvador, was sacked in 1568. Portugal helped restore the king, but at a price — more control over trade and more demands for slaves. The partnership was never equal again.