Episode 5.10 - Nzinga

Nzinga was queen of an African kingdom in today’s Angola. She fought with, and at times allied with, the various colonial and indigenous powers in the region, lost most of her kingdom, gained another, and was able to resist European occupation and keep her kingdom relatively free for decades.

Sources:

  • Joseph C. Miller, “Nzinga of Matamba in a New Perspective,” The Journal of African History

  • John K. Thornton, "Firearms, Diplomacy, and Conquest in Angola: Cooperation and Alliance in West Central Africa, 1491-1671"

  • John K. Thornton, “Legitimacy and Political Power: Queen Njinga, 1624-1663,” The Journal of African History

  • Beatrix Heintze and Katja Rieck, “The Extraordinary Journey of the Jaga Through the Centuries: Critical Approaches to Precolonial Angolan Historical Sources”, History in Africa

  • Queen Ana de Sousa Nzinga Mbande of Ndongo, Black History Heroes

  • Miguel Júnior and Manuel Maria Difuila, Military History of Angola: From the Sixteenth Century to the Twentieth Century

Names Mentioned: