African-European Interaction by Ram Nandula
West Africa
The Decline of the Swahili City-States
The Kingdom of Kongo
The Decline of Kongo
The Kingdom of Ndongo
South Africa
- After the fall of the Songhay empire, regional kingdoms and city-states appeared
- These states traded with Europeans, who arrived at west African ports after the 15th century
- Atlantic trade also increased
The Decline of the Swahili City-States
- In 1497 and 1498, Vasco da Gama fought with natives as he traveled the east African coast
- In 1505, he forced the ruler of Kilwa to pay tribute and his men set up their cannons along the coast
- A Portuguese expedition in 1505 took control of many of the Swahili cities
- The Portuguese built administrative centers and forts throughout the region, disrupting trade
The Kingdom of Kongo
- The kingdom emerged in the 14th century in central Africa
- Kings centralized their rule, with officials supervising local affairs
- They established commercial, diplomatic, and political relations with Portugal by the late-15th century
- Portuguese merchants provided advisers and soldiers for the kings
- The Portuguese also brought craftsmen, miners, and priests
- The kings of Kongo converted to Christianity, ex. King Afonso I became a Roman Catholic
The Decline of Kongo
- Portuguese merchants traded textiles and weapons for expensive gold, silver, ivory, and slaves
- To get slaves, they went on expeditions and traded with local authorities
- This threatened the authority of the kings, who tried to limit the trading of slaves
- Invaders who supplied slaves allied with the Portuguese against the kings
- In 1665, both sides went to war and the Portuguese won
The Kingdom of Ndongo
- The kingdom attracted Portuguese merchants in search of gold and silver
- Instead, they found many slaves and by the early 17th century, ruled the kingdom
- The Portuguese met resistance from Queen Nzinga, who organized her people to fight
- She also allied with Dutch mariners, their trade partners
- The weapons of the Portuguese and divisions among her men made it difficult to organize
- Nzinga was able to fight back, but not expel the Portuguese
- After her death, the Portuguese faced less resistance were able to take control of the land, which they named "Angola"
South Africa
- Portuguese and Dutch mariners began to arrive after the 15th century
- In 1652, the Dutch built a trading post at Cape Town
- They met the native Khoikhoi people, took over their lands, and used them for labor
- By the mid-17th century, many Dutch colonists had arrived and established settlements