Country history · Africa

History of the Democratic Republic of the Congo

16 recorded states lay in what is now the Democratic Republic of the Congo, from the Kingdom of Vungu (1350 CE). 1 of them has a full profile, and 3 outside powers ruled here.

ProfileState (capital or seat)10 without a known seat not shownOpen in the atlas →

Profiles

Empires that ruled here

Timeline

14th century

  1. Kingdom of Vungu1350 CE – 1700 CE · kingdom

15th century

  1. Kingdom of Tio1400 CE – 1880 CE · kingdom

16th century

  1. Kingdom of Kakongo1550 CE – 1885 CE · kingdom

17th century

  1. Chokwe chiefdoms1600 CE – 1920 CE · chiefdom
  2. Kuba Kingdom1625 CE – 1900 CE · kingdom
  3. Kanyok Kingdom1650 CE – 1893 CE · kingdom

18th century

  1. Yaka Kingdom1700 CE – 1906 CE · kingdom
  2. Kingdom of Kanongesha1720 CE – 1906 CE · kingdom
  3. Kingdom of Kazembe1740 CE – 1899 CE · kingdom
  4. Zande Kingdoms1750 CE – 1905 CE · tribal confederation

19th century

  1. Mangbetu Kingdom1815 CE – 1895 CE · kingdom
  2. Yeke Kingdom1856 CE – 1891 CE · kingdom
  3. Sultanate of Bangassou1860 CE – 1917 CE · sultanate
  4. Tippu Tip's State1870 CE – 1894 CE · other
  5. Congo Free State1885 CE – 1908 CE · profile

20th century

  1. Belgian Congo1908 CE – 1960 CE · colony

In the encyclopedia

Shared histories

States that also lay in other present-day countries:

States of Central and Southern Africa → All country histories →

Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). History of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/countries/democratic-republic-of-the-congo
MLA
“History of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/countries/democratic-republic-of-the-congo. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “History of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/countries/democratic-republic-of-the-congo.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘History of the Democratic Republic of the Congo’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/countries/democratic-republic-of-the-congo (Accessed: ).