The kingdom or polity of Vungu or Bungu was a historic state located in Mayombe (between the present-day Republic of Congo and the present-day Democratic Republic of Congo).[1][2] In the 13th century it led a confederation of itself, Ngoyo, and Kakongo. It neighboured the confederations of Mpemba and Seven Kingdoms of Kongo dia Nlaza. It is thought to be the origin of the Kingdom of Kongo.[3]: 24–25
History
It is not known for sure how old Vungu was or when it was founded. The first documentary mention of it comes in a letter written by Afonso I, the king of Kongo in 1535, in which he lists "JBungu" among other places over which he ruled as king.[4] Traditions collected in the Kongo court and written up by the Jesuit priest Mateus Cardoso in 1624 cite "Bungu" as the place where the first king of Kongo ruled before crossing the Congo River to conquer Kongo.[5] That same year, King Pedro II of Kongo mentioned that the place had been overrun and destroyed by Jagas, the generic term in documents of the period for rootless militant bands reputed to be cannibals [citation needed].
References
- ^ Jan Vansina, Notes sur l'origine du royaume de Kongo, The Journal of African History, 1963, Vol. 4, No. 1, p. 33-38
- ^ Louis Jadin, Relations sur le Congo et l'Angola tirées des Archives de la Compagnie de Jésus 1621-1631, Academia Belgica, 1968, p. 392
- ^ Thornton, John K., ed. (2020), "The Development of States in West Central Africa to 1540", A History of West Central Africa to 1850, New Approaches to African History, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp. 16–55, ISBN 978-1-107-56593-7, retrieved 2024-09-21
- ^ Afonso I to the Pope Paulo III, 21 February 1535 in Antonio Brasio, ed. Monumenta Missionaria Africana (15 vols, Lisbon 1952-88) 2: 38.
- ^ [Mateus Cardoso] Historia do Reino de Congo (1624) ed. Antonio Brasio (Lisbon, 1969)
