House of Kimpanzu

The Kimpanzu were members of the Mpanzu kanda also known as the House of Kimpanzu, one of the lineages from which the kings of Kongo were chosen during the 17th century and following Kongo's reunification under Pedro IV.

The Mpanzu kanda takes it name from King Álvaro V whom came to power in 1636. He was the half-brother of the young king Álvaro IV, though it is unclear if he shared the same father, Álvaro III. After Álvaro IV's murder, Álvaro V took the throne.

The Kimpanzu dynasty in Kongo would be a short one, and civil war continued between partisans of the Count of Soyo and a noble named Gregario. The Count and his allies, two Jesuit brothers once loyal to Álvaro IV, won. The brothers, Álvaro Nimi and Garcia Nkanga, defeated and decapitated Álvaro V and set up their own dynasty known as the House of Kinlaza. The remaining Kimpanzu who would not recognize the brothers fled south in the county of Soyo.

The Kimpanzu retreated to the mountains in the south of Soyo, then ruled by Daniel da Silva. Though nominally a province of Kongo, the county had become more and more independent of the mwenekongo as time passed. Soyo was crucial for its military might and position as an elector of kings. From 1625 until 1641, the office of Count of Soyo had been filled by men loyal to the House of Nsundi and later House of Kinlaza. But when Count Paulo died in 1641, the office was seized by Daniel da Silva. Still holding a grudge against the brothers that had removed him from his place as Duke of Mbamba, Count Daniel da Silva made Soyo a haven for Kimpanzu sympathizers.

The Silva kanda became allies and protectors of the Kimpanzu allowing their partisans to plot against the Kinlaza from Mbamba Luvota. Soyo was determined to gain full independence from Kongo and backed various opponents to the Kinlaza including the remnants of the House of Nsundi. This resulted in a failed assassination attempt on Garcia II. The kanda of the House of Nsundi, Nkanka a Mvika, was crushed in retribution by Garcia and ceased to exist by the 1660s. The Kimpanzu; however, were too far from his reach to be taken completely out of the picture.

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