Person

Njinga of Ndongo and Matamba

c. 1583–1663 · 17th century · Also known as Njinga Mbande, Queen Nzinga, Ana de Sousa Nzinga Mbande

Njinga Mbande was queen of the Mbundu kingdoms of Ndongo and Matamba in what is now Angola. She negotiated with the Portuguese in 1622, became ruler of Ndongo in 1624 and, driven out, conquered Matamba around 1631. She allied with the Dutch against Portugal in the 1640s and resisted Portuguese expansion for decades, making peace in 1656.

Njinga of Ndongo and Matamba
Image: Achille Devéria · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Mentioned in 1 profile

Kingdom of NdongoGovernance, Summary

Mentioned in 3 state histories

Kingdom of NdongoKingdom of MatambaDutch Angola

See also

Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Njinga of Ndongo and Matamba. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/njinga-of-ndongo-and-matamba
MLA
“Njinga of Ndongo and Matamba.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/njinga-of-ndongo-and-matamba. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Njinga of Ndongo and Matamba.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/njinga-of-ndongo-and-matamba.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Njinga of Ndongo and Matamba’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/njinga-of-ndongo-and-matamba (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻