An Ideal King

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An Ideal King
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Nzinga (Ginga) Mbande was a seventeenth-century
African ruler.
AFRICA
She led the nation of Ndongo, in the western part
of what is now Angola.
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Gingas father was the king of Ndongo and fought
three wars against Portugal. The Portuguese were
invading the area, capturing people for slavery.
When Gingas father died, her brother became
king. She began to take on his responsibilities
because he was not a strong king.
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When Gingas brother died, she became the
countrys ruler. To get her peoples respect, she
had them call her King instead of Queen.
She also showed that women could be strong in
other ways.
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Ginga met with the Portuguese governor to make a
treaty. Even though he provided no chair for her
to sit on, she showed that she was equal to him
by having one of her followers kneel on the
ground to become a seat for her.
Due to this show of authority, Ginga was able to
negotiate a good treaty for her people.
BACK
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All of Gingas bodyguards were female, and she
formed three regiments of women in her army.
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Ginga showed her skill as a war leader when
Portugal invaded again. Her tactics included
hiding her warriors in the jungle and staging
ambushes.
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Ginga personally led her troops into battle!
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MATAMBA
Ginga made many attempts to help her people. She
ended up moving everyone to the highlands of
Matamba in order to save them from the Portuguese.
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Ginga made deals with other African nations and
with the Dutch for help. She even married the
chief of a neighboring tribe to gain their aid.
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Ndongo remained strong due to Gingas influence,
even after she died. Eventually, the country
became part of modern Angola.
Today Ginga is a hero to many Africans because of
her struggle to keep Portugal from conquering all
of West Africa.
A great diplomat, a fierce war leader, and a
strong ruler, Ginga showed that, for a leader,
being male or female really doesnt matter.
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The End