Chapter 2 introduces the kingdom of Ndongo and focuses on its relationship to Kongo in terms of political and social structures. It looks at the election of Philipe Hari I to the throne of Pungo-Andongo, examining his rivalry with and family ties to Queen Njinga, and how the Portuguese used his election to foster trade relationships in Angola by introducing the baculamento tax system. The chapter then explores the role of João Hari II (Dom João de Sousa), also known as Ngola Aiidi, the son who succeeded Hari I, and the ideology of Francisco de Távora ‘Cajanda’, the Portuguese governor of Luanda at the time. It investigates the destruction of Pungo-Andongo and the sending of the kingdom’s princes and princesses, Queen Njinga’s nephews and nieces, to Brazil. The chapter is concerned with exploring the political environment of Angola and the wider region as the backdrop to Mendonça’s debate on freedom and enslaved Africans in the Atlantic region.

Chapter 3 examines how the exile of the Ndongo royals to Salvador and Rio de Janeiro was aligned with power struggles in Luanda. The House of Ndongo was led by a generation that rejected the Portuguese alliance that its predecessors had endorsed. The new generation broke away from this alliance when Portugal was gaining independence from Spain. The chapter focuses on the royals’ lives in Brazil, on what they saw there of the treatment of enslaved Africans and Indigenous people, how their stay was shaped by African slave communities, Black Brotherhoods, and how these experiences shaped Mendonça’s discourse in the Vatican. It examines the case of runaway slaves and connects it with those of Quilombo dos Palmares. It looks at how this community forged a political and economic alliance with Cristovão de Burgos, a judge in the High Court of Salvador. Palmares provoked the governing authorities in Bahia to reconsider their strategy, which led them to send the royals to Rio. The authorities in Brazil feared that the exiled royals’ status could help fortify the enslaved fugitives’ community, which would endanger Portuguese economic interests.

Relates the Jaga invasion of Kongo, the entry of Portugal into West Central Africa, and Portugal’s war with Ndongo

Lunda becomes an important kingdom and begins expanding east and west, Matamba and Kasanje struggle over the Kwango Valley, the Portuguese consolidate their control over the colony of Angola, Kongo enters a period of civil war, and Beatriz Kimpa Vita tries to restore it

The Portuguese alliance with the Imbangala allows the defeat of Ndongo, but war on Kongo is unsuccessful, Queen Njinga emerges to lead Ndongo

Traces the struggle between Ndongo and Kongo over Ambundu and introduces surrounding areas in the Central Highlands and the Lower Kasai