Editing Nzinga of Ndongo and Matamba (section)

=== Rise to power ===
In 1624, her brother died of mysterious causes (some say suicide, others say poisoning).<ref name=":4" /> Before his death, he had made it clear that Nzinga should be his successor. Nzinga quickly moved to consolidate her rule, having her supporters seize the ritual objects associated with the monarchy and eliminating her opponents at court.<ref>Heywood (2017) p. 64, 65</ref> She also assumed the title of ''[[Ngola (ruler)|Ngola]]'', conferring a position of great influence among her people.<ref name=":7" /> An opulent funeral for her brother was arranged, and some of his remains were preserved in a ''misete'' (a [[reliquary]]), so they could later be consulted by Nzinga.<ref name=":7" /> One major obstacle to her rule, her 7-year-old nephew, was under the guardianship of Kasa, an Imbangala war chief. To remove this potential pretender to her throne, Nzinga approached Kasa with a marriage proposal; the couple were married, and after the wedding she had her nephew killed—in Nzinga's view, final revenge for her own murdered son.<ref>Heywood (2017) p. 65</ref>

However, her ascension to the throne faced severe opposition from male claimants from other noble families.<ref name=":7" /> According to Mbande tradition, neither Nzinga nor her predecessor brother had a direct right to the throne because they were children of slave wives, not the first wife. Nzinga countered this argument, strategically using the claim that she was properly descended from the main royal line through her father, as opposed to her rivals had no bloodline connection. Her opponents, on the other hand, used other precedents to discredit her, such as that she was a female and thus ineligible.<ref name=":8" /> In addition, Nzinga's willingness to negotiate with the Portuguese (as opposed to previous rulers, who had fought against them) was seen as a sign of weakness by some of the Ndongan nobility; specifically, the treaty's allowing of Portuguese missionaries inside Ndongo was seen with distaste.<ref name=":8" />

While the succession crisis deepened, relations between Ndongo and Portugal became more complex. Nzinga hoped to fulfill the treaty she had signed with the Portuguese in 1621, and thereby regain Ndongan lands lost during her brother's disastrous wars. Governor de Sousa was also keen to avoid conflict, and both he and Nzinga were eager to re-open the slave trade that was so vital to the region's economy. However, tensions rose between Nzinga and de Sousa. When Nzinga asked for the return of ''kijikos'' (a servile caste of slaves traditionally owned by the Ndongan royalty) living in Portuguese controlled territory, as had been agreed in the treaty, de Sousa refused and demanded that Nzinga return escaped Portuguese slaves serving in her army first. De Sousa also demanded that Nzinga become a vassal of the king of Portugal and pay tribute, demands she refused outright.<ref name=":41">Heywood (2017) p. 66, 67, 68</ref> Further straining relations, in late 1624 de Sousa began an aggressive campaign to force Mbande nobles, ''sobas'', to become Portuguese vassals. ''Sobas'' were traditionally vassals of the ruler of Ndongo, and provided as tribute the valuable provisions, soldiers, and slaves needed to control Angola – thus, by making the ''sobas'' vassals of Portugal, the Portuguese were able to undermine Nzinga's position as queen of Ndongo.<ref name=":41">Heywood (2017) p. 66, 67, 68</ref>

To weaken the Portuguese colonial administration, Nzinga dispatched messengers (''makunzes'') to encourage Mbande slaves to flee Portuguese plantations and join her kingdom, thereby depriving the colony of its income and manpower. When the Portuguese complained about the escapes, Nzinga replied that she would abide by her earlier treaty and return escaped slaves, but that her kingdom had none.<ref>Heywood (2017) p. 66-68</ref> Her actions were a success and many ''sobas'' joined forces with her, strengthening her position and causing the Portuguese to fear a Mbande uprising was imminent.<ref name=":41">Heywood (2017) p. 66, 67, 68</ref>

Despite these successes, Nzinga's policies threatened the income of the Portuguese and Mbande nobles, and soon the Portuguese began to foment rebellion in her kingdom. In late 1625, the Portuguese sent soldiers to protect<ref name=":18">Heywood (2017) p. 70-74</ref> Hari a Kiluanje, a ''soba'' who had broken ties with Nzinga. Kiluanje opposed having a woman rule Ndongo, and was himself descended from the royal family; upon learning of his actions, Nzinga sent warriors to crush his revolt but was defeated, weakening her position and convincing more nobles to revolt. Nzinga petitioned the Portuguese to stop supporting Kiluanje, and attempted to negotiate as long as possible while she gathered more forces, but the Portuguese guessed this was a delaying tactic and soon recognized Kiluanje as king of Ndongo.<ref name=":18" /> The Portuguese subsequently declared war on Nzinga on 15 March 1626.<ref name=":18" />