Kingdom of Loango

Republic of the Congo, 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. At its height in the 17th century, Loango influence extended from Cape St Catherine in the north to almost the mouth of the Congo River. 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 1663 the king was baptized as Afonso by the Italian Capuchin priest Bernardo Ungaro, but there was considerable opposition to this from within the country.

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

• Kingdom of Loango (Wikipedia)
• Kingdom of Loango (Wikidata)
• About the picture (Wikipedia)

Text adapted from the Wikipedia articles listed as sources, CC BY-SA 4.0.