African History Lecture Notes - 22/1/04

The Portuguese had two categories of slaves; domestic slaves and trade slaves

the society was arranged very hierarchically, all levels could be replaced by a senior individual; there were 6 provincial governors, and they formed the King's Council,

-	the Portuguese exploited the rivalries between these, and, after a series of rebellions, the province Soyo broke away (1636)
-	the leaders of Mbamba and Nsundi were promised the throne if they co-operated with the Portugese run Kingship

the throne was attractive as it was a highly centralised kingship – a weakness in the circumstances

The Mani were titled office holders – mucg like Lords. There were many of them, and they help various positions of power – two were particularly powerful – the Mani Lumba ,who ran the palace and the surrounding area, and the Mani Vangu who was in charge of the legal system

A Royal confessor appointed by the Papacy was well placed to monitor the activities of the king.

The Kongo Kingdom was incorprative in terms of religion and in terms of imported goods – the King and the Mani received increasing amounts of Christian regalia

The Portuguese wanted to change the monarchy's system of succession, with involved prolonged debate, drawn-out disputes etc. They therefore imposed (violently) a primogenic system of succession – clear-cut inheritance.

The Portuguese created an 'Infantes' class, essentially Princes

Also, the Mani Kubunga (the religious leader)could veto a successor, so a  Papal bill recognising the King as holy made succession an external matter
- in this way the culture was a meld - syncretistic

Another feature imported from Europe was a Royal bodyguard, independent of factional fighting (the soldiers were drawn from the nearby Tio). These warriors protected the Portuguese candidates, and uniquely, had guns.

The Kongoloese army was based on a peasant draft, and it could not be a standing army for long, as the 'soldiers' were also the backbone of the agricultural economy. Also, the army had to feed itself while in the field.
- the Portuguese revolutionised the military system - much greater tactical skill and the importation (from America) of Maize, which is useful as a non-perishable crop.

The Kongo, as a densly populated trading state