Matamba

Matamba was an inland kingdom of west-central Africa, east of Ndongo. Its rulers included women, and the kingdom was already known to the court of Kongo in the sixteenth century. It occupied a region that connected the Angolan highlands with the Kwango basin, beyond the coastal strongholds established by the Portuguese.

In the seventeenth century Njinga Mbande, ruler of Ndongo, retreated inland under pressure from Portuguese forces and conquered Matamba. From there she continued her long struggle, making alliances and commanding armies against her adversaries. After her death in 1663, Matamba retained its own rulers. Verónica I Guterres, who reigned from 1681 to 1721, consolidated her dynasty and claimed the titles of queen of both Ndongo and Matamba. The kingdom remained a significant inland power despite the expansion of Portuguese Angola.