Lukeni lua Nsanze
Lukeni lua Nsanze was a princess of Mbata, the daughter of its ruler Nsaku Lau. Around 1375, when Mbata forged an alliance with Nimi a Nzima, ruler of neighbouring Mpemba Kasi, she was given to him in marriage, and Kongo tradition presents this wedding as the founding act of the Kingdom of Kongo.
Her son Lukeni lua Nimi, born around 1380, took his given name from her. He led the conquests that built the kingdom and became its first king; the rulers who followed belonged to his Kilukeni lineage, which held power until 1567.