Anna Zingha, Queen of Matamba

François Villain
Anna Zingha, Queen of Matamba
19th century
Lithograph
Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Photographs and Prints Division, The New York Public Library

Submitting to no European, she kept her kingdoms intact.

Ana Njinga
c. 1583–1663, b. Kabasa, Angola
Ruled over Kongo kingdoms of Ndongo and Matamba from Matamba, Angola

Credit: In Cavazzi, Giovanni Antonio. Relation historique de l’Ethiopie occidentale: contenant la description des royaumes de Congo, Angelle, & Matamba. A Paris: Chez C.J.B. Delespine le fils, 1732
Widener Library, Harvard University

When meeting with the Portuguese governor, Njinga was given a mat, rather than a chair, on which to sit so as to indicate her subservience to the European power. Njinga ordered one of her servants to sit on all fours and sat on his back—looking the governor in the eye, as (at least) his equal.

• A skilled diplomat and military tactician, Njinga was queen of the kingdom of Ndongo, later conquering Matamba when forced out of her original court.
• Njinga offered sanctuary to runaway slaves while resisting the Portuguese who sought a more pliable leader for the kingdoms.
• Njinga negotiated a treaty with the Dutch against the Portuguese—pitting one European power against another while protecting her kingdoms.