Garcia I of Kongo
Garcia I | |
---|---|
Mwene Kongo | |
![]() Garcia I of Kongo | |
Reign | 27 April 1624 to 7 March 1626 |
Predecessor | Pedro II |
Successor | Ambrósio I |
Dynasty | House of Nsundi |
Father | Pedro II |
Garcia I Mvemba a Nkangawas amanikongoofKongowho ruled from April 27, 1624 to March 7, 1626.
Early Reign
[edit]Garcia I was the son of KingPedro II.[1]He was the second and last king from theHouse of Nsundibegun 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 theDutch West India Company.When the Dutch arrived in 1624 ready to seizeLuanda,António da Silva intercepted the fleet's delegation atSoyo.[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
[edit]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 ofSão 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
[edit]- ^abHeywood, Linda M. and John K. Thornton: "Central Africans, Atlantic Creoles, and the Foundation of the Americas, 1585-1660", page 141. Cambridge University Press, 2007
- ^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
- ^abThornton, 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