Extraordinary Women In History: 70 Remarkable Women Who Made a Difference, Inspired & Broke Barriers by Leah Gail

Author:Leah Gail [Gail, Leah]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2021-04-11T05:00:00+00:00

Queen Anna Nzinga (1583–1663)

One of the Great Women Rulers of Africa Who Fought Against the Slave Trade and European Influence in the Seventeenth Century

One of the great women rulers of Africa, Queen Anna Nzinga of Angola, fought against the slave trade and European influence in the seventeenth century. Known for being an astute diplomat and visionary military leader, she resisted Portuguese invasion and slave raids for thirty long years.

The states of Central Africa became centers of economic power due to their slave trade, which was much needed in the New World colonies during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. This regional economic power also became subject to European threat, particularly by the Portuguese, who aimed at gaining territorial control of the African region. While many leaders of the African states began to succumb to this new environment threatened by European and native African raiders, Nzinga was able to overcome these difficulties and resist any destruction leveled by the Portuguese.

An inheritor of the rule of Ngondo, Nzinga reigned at the time when the area was under attack by the native aggressors maligning in conjunction with the Portuguese. Due to the visionary insight of Nzinga, the Queen aligned herself with Portugal while simultaneously repositioning Ngondo as a united front against the African enemies. Presenting Ngondo as an intermediary in the slave trade, Nzinga was able to end Portuguese slave raiding in the kingdom.

However, Portugal reneged on its agreement with Nzinga, and this betrayal forced Nzinga to run away along with her people and form a new kingdom at Matamba, which was not within the reach of the Portuguese. Nzinga utilized the martial power of the new kingdom to form a militia to provide a sanctuary to runaway slaves and Portuguese-trained African soldiers. Nzinga was also able to form an alliance with Ngondo to rebel against the puppet Portuguese ruler. However, their combined power was unable to move the Portuguese out of the region and forced Nzinga once again to retreat to her kingdom. From this point onward, Nzinga focused on making Matamba a trading hub and gateway to Central Africa. During her thirty-year rule, Nzinga was able to make Matamba a commercial state, bringing it to par with the colonial Portuguese rule in its dealings.

Symbolizing a formidable character, Nzinga demonstrated her resolve to lead an entire territory and defend it against the daunting European and regional powers. In addition to her firmness, Nzinga exhibited her impressive diplomatic powers by advancing the trading and commercial aspects of her newly formed kingdom and making it a trading hub of the central African region.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.