Slaver Kings, Amazon Queens and the Brazilian Spartacus: The African Kingdom of Kongo

When many people think of Africa, they visualise wide open spaces, incredible wildlife and colourful friendly people with vibrant cultures, costumes and music. We might also contemplate the tragedy of the African slave trade and the consequences of colonialism. But what if I told you there was one powerful African kingdom in particular, that, when they first came into contact with Europeans, voluntarily and enthusiastically transformed their entire civilisation almost overnight- adopting the language, religion, fashion and even feudal aristocratic customs of the Portuguese, establishing diplomatic embassies in Lisbon, Madrid and even the Vatican, training their own clergy and corresponding regularly with popes and monarchs across Europe as well as participating in the political machinations of a post-renaissance Europe at war with itself. Though their story ultimately was to come to a tragic end, it was full of political intrigue, amazon warrior queens, and a quest for power that was integral to the History of the West, particularly in the Americas, which was inexorably linked to the kingdom’s rise and fall. If you’re just a little bit curious about this powerful, deeply catholic kingdom in the darkest heart of Africa, then join us as we dive into the history of the Kingdom of Kongo; its troubled relationship with Portugal and its tragic role in the Transatlantic Slave Trade; whose incredible heroes would go on to inspire generations of their descendants, with stories of mighty Amazon warrior queens; and tales of the Brazilian Black Spartacus and his renegade kingdom of Palmares.
#congo #history #portugal #africa #zumbidospalmares #palmares #brazil #gangazumba #Njinga #Nzinga #africanqueen
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[@anthonymichaelwilson8401]

Social media is becoming the global University of humanity

[@skiboltskieskye1238]

The amount of research you did is phenomenal. Very well put together. Nobody talks about Africans having slaves nor about their involvement in the slave trade. And yes, I live in Africa.

[@heroesandlegends]

Thanks for watching!

[@josephmasten7588]

Nobody asked

[@fukpoeslaw3613]

I know a black Dutch Surinam-heritage girl who did talk about it.

[@mmaphilosophy]

Gonna watch this on me tv when i get home from work, i loved your last one on Voltaire ❤

[@pizzacrusher4632]

hooray, another full-length! thanks you for making them!

[@heroesandlegends]

Thanks so much for being an enthusiastic supporter!

[@boisesoccer]

Great work and as always full of golden nuggets of history!

[@heroesandlegends]

Thanks for watching!

[@geraldcapon392]

Well done. Very balanced and very watchable. Thank You.

[@heroesandlegends]

Glad you enjoyed it, thanks for watching

[@onuedy]

As always the best youre calm voice the way you whrite soooo nice keep up the good job! Thx for making this awesome videos❤❤❤

[@heroesandlegends]

I really appreciate your generous comment! Thanks so much!

[@istvanszabo9743]

Love your videos! Keep doing it, yours is the best history channel on KZbin! :)

[@heroesandlegends]

Wow, thank you!

[@no-one-knows321]

Very unique piece of work. Thanks.

[@heroesandlegends]

Glad you like it!

[@franciscolima1762]

Interesting... great video

[@budwyzer77]

Superb work! I hope your channel takes off!

[@heroesandlegends]

I hope so too! Thank you for viewing!

[@LuisGoncalvesLusgon]

Thanks for you work!

[@heroesandlegends]

Thank you for taking the time to watch and comment!

[@mr.meticulouslohese7584]

Being a 🇨🇩 native, I'd like to thank you for the extensive data you accumulated to explain the history of the Bantu people I originate from. I am well aware of the majority of this timeline. I can say some things in the timeline were added to me as I grew my understanding of my history. Although certain specifics you brought up, I was not as aware the course of action and implementation, etc I'll be sharing your work with family and get some input on your evidence. Much appreciated. Also, one question: Who from your knowledge settled first in the specific region of Katakokombe, DRC in Kasai-Oriental/Kasai-Occidental? Which direction were they coming from prior to setting in the modern-day area with the same name? Thanks again mate!(got a good buddy of mine who is from Australia)

[@heroesandlegends]

Thanks very much for watching, I'm glad you found some items of interest. I'm afraid I don’t have any information on African population migrations- i generally focus my attention on individuals. Best of luck though!

[@caylynmillard76]

Love these vids

[@heroesandlegends]

Thanks for your support!

[@marcpeycker]

Fantastic work!

[@heroesandlegends]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@LuisAldamiz]

Excellent docu, going deep in the details of Kongo's history and its relation with the wider world.

[@heroesandlegends]

Thanks for watching!

[@Numba003]

Thank you for this very interesting documentary! I have very little knowledge of the premodern history of sub-Saharan Africa, so I appreciate this type of content. Can you recommend any other good documentaries on other African kingdoms? God be with you out there everybody. ✝️ :)

[@denisetulloch727]

Very grateful for your work!

[@heroesandlegends]

Thanks for watching!

[@courtneylovell7637]

That was awesome!

[@heroesandlegends]

Glad you liked it!

[@mss1171]

Thank you fir this very good

[@heroesandlegends]

Most welcome 😊

[@puma1304]

good! with lots of information that as a specialist in african-latinamerican history I can only back, with some very minor observations, thanks, very informative!

[@heroesandlegends]

Thanks for your generous comment!

[@kil-roy]

Nice to have a quality no-frills source of history content in today's MCN world

[@heroesandlegends]

Of course, i also have my own bias, and i like to occasionally compare and contrast with our own time (fairly, i hope) just to gain some perspective. My goal is always to stimulate thought and conversation rather than regurgitate dry facts. I try to think of myself as a storyteller rather than historian. Thanks for taking the time to view my work!

[@charliem5254]

This is sick. Another great doc!

[@heroesandlegends]

Thanks mate!

[@xavierdraco33]

it'd be nice if Hollywood was interested in telling real stories from history.

[@heroesandlegends]

Unfortunately its no longer just Hollywood that's the problem. The entire global film industry is just a propaganda machine - Bollywood, Asia, Africa, Middle East; all of them just churning out chest beaters.

[@j.lingle4713]

@@heroesandlegends- the problem with Hollywood is that they’d rather remake traditionally Western films with non-Western cast, as opposed to making traditional non-Western stories that are largely unknown in the West.

[@MrSoulauctioneer]

@@j.lingle4713 I don't think many American blacks want this to become common knowledge. Portugal didn't go looking for slaves, I'm not sure western Europe had widespread slavery. Portugal found a market that was flourishing between the Africans and Muslims, but yet its the Europeans that get all the blame. Sidenote: Muslims neutered male slaves, new world Europeans bred them with other good stock. Had they done the same as the Muslims, a lot of the resentment for slavery would be non-existent.

[@jdghok]

@@heroesandlegends your spot on there mate, i haven't watched a TV history programme or listened to radio in a lot of years now as it's utter pc tripe on those history channels it's turned into the who can make up the biggest exaggeration about the Germans and how devastating the imaginary ww2 "holocaust" was, its not worth watching as its all self pitying propaganda, i only listen to history channels such as yourself your epic basque fishery show was out of this world good, ive actually watched it thrice and gotten a few of my fishermen pals to watch it and they all loved it keep churning out your interesting talks mate their brilliant, cheers from Fife 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

[@heroesandlegends]

Thanks so much for your support, I'll do my best!

[@cruisepaige]

Why do I giggle every time you say “anyway…” 😂😂😂

[@heroesandlegends]

Its become a bit of a trademark, so expect it to continue! Thanks for watching!

[@elski5067]

There was a part in the book THE RIVER KONGO written by Peter Forbath, there was a part that described the king of the Kongo. The king was wearing a white cloth around his head with a serpent attached to his forhead, gold bangles on his wrist and arms and he was also wearing a short white kilt. Does this description remind you of anybody?

[@user-tf8ko2dr4b]

No it does not

[@admirekashiri9879]

What exactly?

[@elski5067]

@@admirekashiri9879 guess

[@Rabbelrauser]

Now do a video on who owned all the slave ships.

[@mauriceschaeffer5070]

That makes no sense, that's inconsequential. It was those same ships that were used to ship spices and trade goods until the trans atlantic slave trade.

[@fromabove422]

Antisemitic

[@LuisAldamiz]

Portugal did... until the Dutch, the French, the English and the Omanis "jumped ship".

[@LuisAldamiz]

@@fromabove422 - How? The ships were owned by Christians, LOL.

[@nomeyodomar]

Duarte Pacheco Pereira had already sailed, with an expertise of maritime science, to Brazil in 1498 and he was also the cartographer and ambassador that signed the Treaty of Tordesilhas in that town in person. Even though, in 1503, he wrote a book on this travel "Esmeraldo de Situ Orbis", the manuscript only became of official knowledge 400 years after.

[@arlen1630]

The thumbnail looks like the Different Strokes actor😊

[@snezhanasnezhana4757]

What is the 24th Meridian doing in Brazil?

[@thekrakeninggames]

See now this would be a cool movie.

[@Artur_M.]

More like multiple movies. I doubt that anyone could cram all this history into one.

[@thekrakeninggames]

@@Artur_M. Truth, I was just talking about the first one.

[@carlosoliveiraoalfacinha]

Queen Jinga was a respected enemy of my Portuguese ancestrals that became our friend. She was the real Black Magic Queen.

[@Muntu-Miziki-Ya-Kongo]

All history can be viewed from secular and spiritual lenses. Both are required for full understanding.

[@edvelez6341]

The guy on thumbnail kinda looks like Gary Coleman

[@cedricliggins7528]

Thumbnail looks like the late Gary Coleman.

[@ZecaPinto1]

3:14 that's not the portrait of Henry the Navigator

[@heroesandlegends]

There is a bit of debate, that's true.

[@ZecaPinto1]

@@heroesandlegends his portrait can be found in the same painting

[@ViJoker1]

​​@@ZecaPinto1 The man in the hat is now strongly believed to be Duarte I, not Henry the Navegator. But debates are still on going

[@toomeyeh1]

​@@ZecaPinto1it's not settled lol don't be so hasty

[@ZecaPinto1]

@@toomeyeh1 not settled by whom? There's more depictions of his portrait dating from the same time as the painting

[@muissefaycal7715]

Great work my scholars 😂 thanks you

[@sau2949]

The image you have as the cover of your video is very misleading, why did you is he dressed as an European, couldn't you find an image of someone with traditional attire?

[@heroesandlegends]

If you watch the video you will understand

[@admirekashiri9879]

There were ambassadors from the Kongo kingdom who dressed in the European fashion.

[@braulioferreira2273]

More African content please

[@Erikcs9]

You mention URSR and China interfering in Africa, but no mention of the main culprits which are the UK, France, and the US, and their unscrupulous oil, mining, cocoa, etc multinationals.

[@heroesandlegends]

I think we can agree they would fall under the colonial classification that preceded it

[@Grant918Tulsa]

What do you think would happen if Viking had guns?

[@patrickhenry4397]

They would stay on Norwegian and chill. Kinda like there doing now lol

[@LuisAldamiz]

Guns were not important. Cabeza de Vaca recalls that he used muskets for shock but actually killed with crossbows. Horses and dogs were probably more important and the Vikings did have them. The problem with the Vikings was Rollo and Olga and the like: they all converted to Christianity and became something else: French, Russians, etc. The Normans actually partook in the early exploration of Africa by Portugal (those Templars mentioned were largely that kind of people) or, more arguably, on their own... but France-England were too busy bouncing heads in the Hundred Years' War, so they could only continue under the Iberian patrons, the only ones interested in such ventures at the time.

[@sd247]

Egyptians or leprechauns?

[@zambezi2440]

The imbangala warriors were hardcore

[@paulcastillo953]

No wander you see many close to wooly haired peoples . In Portugal.

[@jdghok]

This made me chuckle mate

[@MJ-hg1mk]

From 711 for 700 years, Moors & their culture dominated Iberia & influenced their continental neighbors. They introduced very many modern ways & means of living daily life. Animal husbandry prominently among them.

[@LuisAldamiz]

You don't but anyhow the genetics say that the African element in West Iberia (c.10%) is North African (probably prehistoric). Only in the area of Murcia (ironically a very fascist xenophobic region) there is a small Black African legacy in all Iberia. This is because, even if African slaves were brought to Europe in large numbers, especially to South Iberia, the timing of slavery abolition was made to be much earlier in Europe than in the colonies and generally the slave owners had advance notice, so they exported their slaves to America. For example Cádiz may have got c. 20% Black African (slaves) population in the 18th century but then they were all deported to Cuba, where slavery was only abolished at the very end of the 19th century.

[@lordvonmanor6915]

@@LuisAldamiz And who did those genetics? By any chance was it the same company that says Russians who practice Judaism are Jews instead of Russians? Japanese Jews are also Jews instead of Japanese? 😕

[@franciscolima1762]

​@lordvonmanor6915 you lost me here, care to elaborate?

[@GloBoyLoLo]

My question is what made them want to be like the Portuguese so bad?

[@heroesandlegends]

They probably wanted to get an advantage over their neighbours and saw Portuguese technology as a method to achieve it

[@alexabood2516]

Very informative European history video, but you clearly don’t know any Kongolese people.

[@ZecaPinto1]

Now you know how Mansa Musa got rich

[@n0n4me77]

Through salt and gold mostly

[@ZecaPinto1]

@@n0n4me77 yes. And how many workers did he have and how much did he pay them. And no, it wasnt just salt and gold because if it was only that, most countries in europe at that time would be equally rich as his kingdom

[@n0n4me77]

@@ZecaPinto1 I don't think the increased presence of forced labour in medieval Europe would have increased the amount of gold or salt there.

[@eljanrimsa5843]

@@ZecaPinto1 He had better trade relations than most countries in Europe at that time. And no, salt and gold was not found everywhere. Those who had salt and gold and good economic policy became rich

[@poebidaugustang4331]

Your lack of knowledge is laughable gold and salt passed through his city and he taxed it thats how he got rich@@ZecaPinto1

[@torbenzenth9718]

‘International meddling by countries such as Russia and China’ 😂

[@bawsack69]

Cool it with the antisemitism buddy

[@torbenzenth9718]

@@bawsack69 ?

[@franciscolima1762]

?

[@abdullahkarim4678]

Mansa Mussa Fought Portegese

[@admirekashiri9879]

No he didn’t actually

[@michaelzimmerman2634]

Promo-SM 😢

[@etemytradel4509]

We wuz kings!

[@lordvonmanor6915]

Kongolisolo was inhabited by Malaysians and later became a Portuguese Koloni. Meaning it was a place Portugal-Spain shipped their undesirables into labour camps. One of those undesirables was a Spainish Negro named Don Juan de Valladolid of Valladolid Spain. You should learn this name because he became in control of the Slave Trade. Also keep in mind Spain, Iberia, Hispanic, and Hebrew are all the same words in different languages.👍

[@heroesandlegends]

How did the Malays get all the way around to West Africa?

[@lordvonmanor6915]

@@heroesandlegends By sea the same way they got to Madagascar and about 20,000 islands. How did Kanaka get all the way to Canada and Hawaii? By kayaks.

[@heroesandlegends]

Interesting. Any DNA evidence to back that up that you're aware of?

[@lordvonmanor6915]

@@heroesandlegends DNA evidence? Read a Indo-History book. Which part of my statement has you confused.

[@lordvonmanor6915]

@@heroesandlegends I have DNA evidence and well as historical books. There is only one N-word and that's the European and they later changed Australnesians name to Austral Nwords which are the Habsji "Blacks". DNA evidence you seek is called a Russian DNA test seeing that they are #1

[@davidspence8866]

How come you're not talking about the Muslim slave trade that went on well into the 1960s

[@heroesandlegends]

Perhaps watch the entire video

[@brealistic3542]

Africans weren't as helpless as the ridiculous movie made then to be. They were part and parcel of he slave trade. The tribes that lost ended up as slaves. It made so African kings very rich.

[@cruisepaige]

Agree. The Europeans did not go into the hinterland catching people. They rolled up and bought them from other Africans. Not at all claiming that makes it less of a Holocaust, especially the part about making going home impossible, erasing history, the horrors of the middle passage, hundreds of years of not just involuntary servitude but post slavery oppression that is still a disaster today, BUT, they weren’t alone to blame.

[@yakimondo9378]

Yall helpless today.....

[@kevinwindley7872]

But ppl will rather be lied to, it's more convenient and comfortable.

[@jaygrundy2781]

What movie? Does it even have anything to do with Kongo?

[@kevinwindley7872]

@@jaygrundy2781 He saying that's the narrative of slavery, playing the weak victim role is false, the Kongo or the slave role period is way more then what's pumped up or told💯

[@aquariuscheers9191]

Look at y'all trying to justify what you've done. Smh.

[@heroesandlegends]

I'm an ethnic Australian of Balkan heritage, whose ancestors were enslaved by Ottoman Turks- so I've got no axe to grind. I'm not sure what point you're trying to make, but the history of this kingdom is not in dispute.

[@pureone8350]

White people are not all the same buddy. And try to not victimise yourself!

[@admirekashiri9879]

Where did he justify what was done?

[@abdullahkarim4678]

I will never respect what you Haved Done to Hebrew Ortegese Sanish Romans

[@robertcgage]

Don't forget slavery is all America's fault, Just ask any collage graduate.

[@brealistic3542]

That's ridiculous.

[@robertcgage]

@@brealistic3542 That was the point

[@quetzalcoatlz]

I too can speak in absolutes! Yet I don't because it sounds ignorant

[@akaneinvidia5874]

Lmao Africans enslaved fellow Africans way before “EvIL wHiTe MaN” came. Even sold them to Arabs and Europeans for the highest bidder. Stop tripping - everyone in history enslaved other peoples (Chinese, Mongols, Native Americans, Turks, Arabs and Indians) lmao

[@jdghok]

@@brealistic3542 you obviously haven't heard of humerous sarcasm 😂