kingdom · Central and Southern Africa

Kingdom of Tio

1400 CE – 1880 CE (approx.) · capital Mbe

The Teke kingdom on the plateaus north of Malebo Pool, whose king signed the 1880 treaty that founded French rule on the Congo.

Origins

The Tio or Teke kingdom formed on the sandy plateaus north of Malebo Pool by the 15th century. Portuguese sources of the 16th century call it Anziku and describe wars with the Kingdom of Kongo for control of the Pool, the hub of river trade between the interior and the Atlantic coast.

Rule and society

The king, known as the Makoko, ruled from Mbe as a sacred figure whose power came from the national shrine of Nkwe Mbali and the royal nkobi, a box of sacred relics. Real power was shared with territorial lords who controlled trade at the Pool. The kingdom traded slaves, ivory and copper downriver in exchange for cloth, guns and shells, and was famed for its raffia textiles.

Decline and legacy

In 1880 Makoko Iloo I signed a treaty with Pierre Savorgnan de Brazza placing his lands under French protection, which gave France its foothold on the Congo and its new post of Brazzaville. The kingship survives as a ceremonial office in the Republic of the Congo.

Connections (1)

More states of Central and Southern Africa →

Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Kingdom of Tio. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/kingdom-of-tio
MLA
“Kingdom of Tio.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/kingdom-of-tio. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Kingdom of Tio.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/kingdom-of-tio.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Kingdom of Tio’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/kingdom-of-tio (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻