Soyo

Soyo was a province of the kingdom of Kongo on the Atlantic side of the lower Congo. Its rulers controlled the port of Mpinda and the approaches to the river mouth, giving them direct access to overseas commerce. By the seventeenth century Soyo had become a powerful state whose counts pursued their own interests in Kongo's dynastic politics.

In 1670 an army from Portuguese Angola invaded Soyo, but its forces were defeated at Kitombo. The victory preserved Soyo's autonomy and strengthened the ruling da Silva family. Captured guns and trade with Dutch merchants contributed to its artillery, while its leaders remained influential in choosing kings of Kongo. Soyo's wealth was linked to Atlantic trade, including the forced transportation of enslaved Africans.