Kingdom of Loango
Gabon, 1550–1883. Draft, not yet reviewed
The Kingdom of Loango was a state created by Kongo people during approximately the 16th to 19th centuries in what is now the western part of the Republic of the Congo, Southern Gabon and Cabinda. By the 14th century, the Vili Kingdom of Loango had extended its control northward along the Gabonese coastline. Loango exported copper to the European market, and was a major producer and exporter of cloth. The earliest reference to Loango in a documentary source is a mention around 1561 by Sebastião de Souto, a priest in Kongo.
Seat of power: Loango, Republic of Congo
No rulers documented for this era yet.
Culture
- In theory the kings of Loango had absolute and even divine power, and in the seventeenth century they chose provincial governors from among their own family.
- The king gave command over four provinces to members of his family, and the king was to be chosen from a rotation between them.
- After the death of King Buatu in 1787, no king was elected for over 100 years.
- In the 18th century, a Myènè-speaking thalassocracy known as the Kingdom of Orungu formed amid the rise of an elite of wealthy brokers enriched by international commerce.
Picture
The inhabitants of the kingdom were a branch of the Bakongo, and the Vili eventually became the dominant political group.
Image: Dekodrak, CC BY-SA 4.0, file
Sources
Text adapted from the Wikipedia articles listed as sources, CC BY-SA 4.0.