Pedro III of Kongo

Pedro III
Pedro III
Mwene Kongo
Reign	January – June 1669
Predecessor	Álvaro VIII
Successor	Álvaro IX
Dynasty	House of Kinlaza

Pedro III Nsimba Ntamba was a ruler of the Kingdom of Kongo during its tumultuous civil war period.

King Pedro III was the elder brother of King Joāo II and one of many partisans of the House of Kinlaza.[1] Since 1666, the two royal kandas or lineages of Kinlaza and Kimpanzu had been fighting bitterly over the kingdom of Kongo.

First rule

In 1669, Pedro III became king of Kongo. The Kongo Civil War had been well underway, and the House of Kinlaza had chosen Pedro as its candidate. Like many rules during this period, his was a short one lasting only until June 1669. He was forced out of Kongo by the rival Kimpanzu faction and fled to Lemba where he ruled in opposition.

Attempts to regain control

Pedro III still had a large amount of supporters. In 1674 his forces returned to the capitol of Kongo. He or his agents killed Alfonso III of Kongo. However he was forced out of the capital.[2] In 1676 Pedro III again 8nvaded the capitol, but the forces of Estevao II of Soyo drove Pedro III out. Sao Salvador was an abandoned city.

Sack of Sāo Salvador

To advance his military standing at this point Pedro III began to recruit Yaka people as soldiers. These were mercenaries who had previously served Loanga and Great Makoko. Others of this group had been raiding Kongo for about 20 years. They practiced cannibalism.[3]

In 1678, Pedro III returned to the capital of Kongo, Sāo Salvador, with an army. The capital was then held by the Kimpanzu king Daniel I.[1] In the ensuing battle, Pedro III killed Daniel I and destroyed the city in the process. Afterwards, all claimants for the throne would reside in opposing mountain fortress namely Lemba, Kibangu and Mbamba Luvota.

Assassination

In 1680, King Pedro III was still ruling Lemba where he claimed the Kongo throne in opposition to the House of Kimpanzu partisans residing in Soyo's southern province of Luvota.[1] Manuel de Nóbrega, brother of the slain King Daniel, swore vengeance and orchestrated a plot to kill Pedro III. Under the auspice of a truce, treacherously negotiated by the Prince of Soyo, Pedro III was lured into a trap expecting to make peace through marriage to the sister of Antonio II Baretta da Silva, the ruler of Soyo. Instead, Pedro III was killed. Later it was alleged that Manuel himself had emerged from the Soyo wedding train dressed as a bride and shot Pedro III to death before escaping. This tales is judged as not literally true at least by historian John Thornton.[1] The particular episode in Kongo's history would become one of the sticking points keeping the nobility from finding lasting peace.

References

Thornton, John K: "The Kongolese Saint Anthony: Dona Beatriz Kimpa Vita and the Antonian Movement, 1684-1706", page 79. Cambridge University, 1998
John K. Thornton, History of West Central Africa. p. 199
John K. Thornton. History of West Central Africa. p. 201

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[Thornton,_John_K_page_79-1] Thornton, John K: "The Kongolese Saint Anthony: Dona Beatriz Kimpa Vita and the Antonian Movement, 1684-1706", page 79. Cambridge University, 1998

[2] John K. Thornton, History of West Central Africa. p. 199

[3] John K. Thornton. History of West Central Africa. p. 201

Rulers of the Kingdom of Kongo
Awenekongo of the Kilukeni kanda (1390–1567)	Lukeni lua Nimi Nanga of Kongo Nlaza of Kongo Nkuwu a Ntinu of Kongo João I of Kongo Afonso I of Kongo Pedro I of Kongo Diogo I Nkumbi a Mpudi Afonso II of Kongo Bernardo I of Kongo Henrique I of Kongo
Awenekongo of the Kwilu kanda (1567–1622)	Álvaro I of Kongo Álvaro II of Kongo Bernardo II of Kongo Álvaro III of Kongo
Awenekongo of the Nkanga a Mvika kanda (1622–1626)	Pedro II of Kongo Garcia I of Kongo
Mwenekongo of the Kwilu kanda (1626–1636)	Ambrósio I of Kongo Álvaro IV of Kongo
Awenekongo of the Kimpanzu kanda (1636)	Álvaro V of Kongo
Awenekongo of the Kinlaza kanda (1636–1665)	Álvaro VI of Kongo Garcia II of Kongo António I of Kongo
Civil War Awenekongo (1665–1678)	Afonso II of Kongo and Nkondo Álvaro VII of Kongo Álvaro VIII of Kongo Pedro III of Kongo Álvaro IX of Kongo Rafael I of Kongo Afonso III of Kongo Daniel I of Kongo
Post-Civil War states	Garcia III of Kibangu André I of Kibangu Manuel I of Kibangu Álvaro X of Kibangu Pedro IV of Kongo Pedro III of Kongo João II of Lemba Manuel II of Kongo
Awenekongo after the recapture of São Salvador (1709–1891)	Pedro IV of Kongo Manuel II of Kongo Garcia IV of Kongo Nicolau I of Kongo Afonso IV of Kongo António II of Kongo Sebastião I of Kongo "Pedro V" Álvaro XI of Kongo José I of Kongo Afonso V of Kongo Álvaro XII of Kongo Aleixo I of Kongo Joaquim I of Kongo Henrique II of Kongo Garcia V of Kongo André II of Kongo Henrique III of Kongo Álvaro XIII of Kongo Pedro V of Kongo
Awenekongo after 1881 vassalage treaty with Portugal (1891–1914)	Álvaro XIV of Kongo Henrique IV of Kongo Pedro VI of Kongo Manuel Nkomba of Kongo Manuel III of Kongo
Pretenders to the Kongo throne since 1914	Alvaro XV of Kongo Pedro VII of Kongo António III of Kongo Isabel Maria da Gama, Q of Kongo (regent) Pedro VIII of Kongo Isabel Maria da Gama of Kongo (regent)