Battle of Kitombo

Part of the Kongo Civil War

Date	18 October 1670
Location	Kitombo, Angola
Result	Decisive Soyo victory

Belligerents

Kongo states of Soyo and Ngoyo

Portuguese Empire

Commanders and leaders

Prince Paulo da Silva †

Commander João Soares de Almeida †

Strength

Unknown number of musketeers
heavy infantry and bowmen
4 Dutch light field pieces

Unknown number of irregular bowmen
Unknown number of auxiliary Imbangala
400-500 Portuguese musketeers
4 light cannons and a detachment of cavalry

Casualties and losses

Unknown but included Prince Paulo da Silva

Imprecise heavy losses including Commander João Soares de Almeida

The Battle of Kitombo was a military engagement between forces of the BaKongo state of Soyo, formerly a province of the Kingdom of Kongo, and the Portuguese colony of Angola.

In 1665 the Kingdom of Kongo clashed with their one-time allies the Portuguese at the Battle of Mbwila. The engagement resulted in a crushing Portuguese victory ending in the death of the Mwenekongo António I and most of the kingdom's nobility. Afterwards, Kongo erupted in a brutal civil war between the House of Kinlaza, which had ruled under the dead king, and the House of Kimpanzu. Soyo, home to many Kimpanzu partisans, was eager to take advantage of the chaos. Within a few months of the national tragedy at Mbwila, the Prince of Soyo invaded the capital of São Salvador and installed his protégé, Afonso II on the throne. This happened again in 1669 with the placement of Álvaro IX on the throne. By this time both the Portuguese and central authority in Kongo were growing tired of Soyo's meddling. While the Kinlaza and others in Kongo lived in fear of a Soyo invasion, the governor of Luanda was fearing the growing power of Soyo. With access to Dutch merchants willing to sell them guns and cannons plus diplomatic access to the Pope, Soyo was on its way to becoming as powerful as Kongo had been before Mbwila. King Rafael I, driven by Soyo from his capital, fled to Luanda, where he sought Portuguese aid to restore him to the throne. In return, he promised Portugal money, mineral concessions and the right to build a fortress in Soyo to keep out the Dutch.

The governor of Luanda, Francisco de Távora, ordered a force of Portuguese augmented by native allies such as the feared Imbangala into Soyo to crush the kingdom once and for all. It was led by João Soares de Almeida, with a force of over 400 Portuguese musketmen.

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