← Explore on the interactive map

Queen Njinga

Type Figure Region Angola Time c. 1583–1663 Also known as Njinga Mbande、Ngola Njinga

Queen Njinga (c. 1583–1663), renowned ruler of Ndongo and Matamba in Angola, was famed for resistance to the Portuguese and diplomatic skill.…

Timeline

1583–1590Ndongo · NdongoNjinga was born around 1583, daughter of the Ndongo ruler Ngola Mbande, and received political and military training at court. In the 1580s the Portuguese expanded inland from Luanda, and the Kingdom of Ndongo faced slave trade and territorial pressures, laying the background for her later diplomacy and resistance.

Sources

Njinga of Angola: Africa's Warrior Queen — Linda M. Heywood (2017)
Encyclopaedia Britannica: Njinga Mbande