Editing Nzinga of Ndongo and Matamba (section)

{{Short description|Ambundu queen in Angola (c. 1583–1663)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2022}}
{{Infobox royalty
| name         = Njinga
| image        = File:Ann Zingha.jpg
| caption      = Posthumous [[lithograph]] of Njinga of Ndongo and Matamba by [[Achille Devéria]], 1830s, after a portrait on parchment stored in a convent in [[Coimbra]]. [[National Portrait Gallery, London]]
| succession   = [[List of Ngolas of Ndongo|queen of Ndongo]]
| reign        = 1624–1626
| reign-type   = First reign
| predecessor  = Ngola Mbandi
| successor    = Hari a Kiluanje
| reign1       = 1657–1663
| reign-type1  = Second reign
| predecessor1 = Ngola Hari
| successor1   = [[Barbara of Matamba|Barbara]]
| succession2  = [[List of rulers of Matamba|Queen/ruler of Matamba]]
| reign2       = 1631–1663
| predecessor2 = Mwongo Matamba
| successor2   = [[Barbara of Matamba|Barbara]]
| birth_date   = {{circa|1583}}
| birth_place  = Kabasa, [[Kingdom of Ndongo]]
| death_date   = 17 December {{Death year and age|1663|1583}}
| death_place  = Kabasa, Kingdom of Ndongo
| full name    = Njinga Mbande
| house        = 
| father       = Ngola Kiluanji Mbande
| mother       = Kangela
}}
'''Nzinga Ana de Sousa Mbande''', '''Nzinga''' ({{IPAc-en|n|ə|ˈ|z|ɪ|ŋ|g|ə}}; {{circa|1583}} – 17 December 1663) was a southwest African [[paramount ruler]] who ruled as a queen of the [[Ambundu]] Kingdoms of [[Kingdom of Ndongo|Ndongo]] (1624–1663) and [[Kingdom of Matamba|Matamba]] (1631–1663), located in present-day [[northern Angola]].<ref name="nyt-elliott-hughes-2019">{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/08/19/magazine/history-slavery-smithsonian.html|title=A Brief History of Slavery That You Didn't Learn in School|last1=Elliott|first1=Mary|last2=Hughes|first2=Jazmine|date=19 August 2019|work=[[The New York Times]]|access-date=20 August 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190820004406/https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/08/19/magazine/history-slavery-smithsonian.html|archive-date=20 August 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> Born into [[List of Ngolas of Ndongo|the ruling family of Ndongo]], her grandfather Ngola Kilombo Kia Kasenda was the king of Ndongo, succeeded by her father.

Njinga received military and political training as a child, and she demonstrated an aptitude for defusing political crises as an ambassador to the [[Portuguese Empire]]. In 1624, she assumed power over Ndongo after the death of her brother Mbandi. She ruled during a period of rapid growth of the [[Slavery in Africa|African slave trade]] and encroachment by the Portuguese Empire in South West Africa.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|title=Queen Nzinga (1583–1663)|url=https://www.blackpast.org/global-african-history/queen-nzinga-1583-1663/|last=Snethen|first=J|date=16 June 2009|website=BlackPast|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191015215216/https://www.blackpast.org/global-african-history/queen-nzinga-1583-1663/|archive-date=15 October 2019}}</ref> 

The Portuguese declared war on Ndongo in 1626 and by 1628, Njinga's army had been severely depleted and they went into exile. In search of allies, she married [[Imbangala]] warlord Kasanje. Using this new alliance to rebuild her forces, she conquered the Kingdom of Matamba from 1631 to 1635. In 1641, she entered into an alliance with the [[Dutch West India Company]] who had captured [[Luanda]] from the Portuguese. Between 1641 and 1644, Njinga was able to reclaim large parts of Ndongo. Alongside the Dutch, she defeated the Portuguese in a number of battles but was unable to take the [[Fort Nossa Senhora da Vitória|Fortress of Massangano]]. In 1648, the Portuguese [[Recapture of Angola|recaptured Luanda]], with the Dutch leaving Angola. Njinga continued to fight the Portuguese until a peace treaty was signed in 1656.<ref name="nyt-elliott-hughes-2019" />

In the centuries since her death, Njinga has been increasingly recognized as a major [[historical figure]] in Angola and in the wider [[Atlantic Creole]] culture. She is remembered for her intelligence, her political and diplomatic wisdom, and her [[military tactics]].