History of Angola

Kingdom of Kongo, 1395–1888 Draft, not yet reviewed

The Kingdom of Kongo was a kingdom in Central Africa, located in present-day northern Angola, the western portion of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, southern Gabon and the Republic of the Congo. The kingdom consisted of several core provinces ruled by the Manikongo, the Portuguese version of the Kongo title Mwene Kongo, meaning "lord or ruler of the Kongo kingdom". The mission returned with Cão, who was accompanied with Catholic priests and soldiers in 1491, baptising Nzinga a Nkuwu, who took the Christian name of João I in honour of Portugal's king at the time, João II. In 1914, following the Portuguese suppression of a Kongo revolt, Portugal abolished the titular monarchy.

Seat of power: M'banza-Kongo

Rulers

• João I of Kongo, Manikongo, 1470–1506
• Afonso I of Kongo, Manikongo, 1509–1543
• Diogo I Nkumbi a Mpudi, Manikongo, 1545–1561
• Álvaro I of Kongo, Manikongo, 1567–1587
• Álvaro II of Kongo, Manikongo, 1587–1614
• Garcia II of Kongo, Manikongo, 1641–1660
• João II of Lemba, Manikongo, 1680–1716
• Peter IV of Kongo, Manikongo, 1696–1718
• Manuel II du Kongo, Manikongo, 1718–1743
• Garcia IV of Kongo, Manikongo, 1743–1752
• Alvare XI du Kongo, Manikongo, 1764–1779
• Garcia V du Kongo, Manikongo, 1803–1830
• André II of Kongo, Manikongo, 1825–1842
• Henri III du Kongo, Manikongo, 1842–1857
• Pedro VI of Kongo, Manikongo, 1859–1891

Portuguese Angola, 1655–1975 Draft, not yet reviewed

Portuguese Angola was a historical colony of the Portuguese Empire (1575-1951), the overseas province Portuguese West Africa of Estado Novo Portugal (1951-1972), and the State of Angola of the Portuguese Empire (1972-1975). In 1575, the Portuguese established the settlement of Luanda on the coast south of the Kongo Kingdom. Between 1580 and the 1820s, well over a million people from present-day Angola were exported as slaves to the New World, mainly to Brazil, but also to North America. In 1951, the Portuguese Colony of Angola became an overseas province of Portugal.

Seat of power: Luanda

Angola, 1975 to today Draft, not yet reviewed

After a protracted anti-colonial struggle, Angola achieved independence in 1975 as a one-party Republic. Between 1961 and 1975 the MPLA, UNITA, and the FNLA competed for influence in the Angolan population and the international community. The MPLA abandoned its former Marxist ideology at its third party congress in 1990, and declared social democracy to be its new platform. Angola has been a constitutional republic since the end of the civil war in 2002.

Seat of power: Luanda

Rulers

• Agostinho Neto, President of Angola, 1975–1979
• José Eduardo dos Santos, President of Angola, 1979–2017
• Lúcio Lara, President of Angola, 1979–1979
• João Lourenço, President of Angola, 2017 to today