Afonso I Mvemba a Nzinga, King of Kongo: His Life and Correspondence: John K. Thornton, Luis Madureira

Posted on April 27, 2024 | Leave a comment

“John K. Thornton’s new book is another must-read. It contains both translations of the extant letters of the most significant king of Kongo’s history, Afonso I (r. 1506–1542), and a powerful, learned, and highly readable analysis of what these letters tell us about the life and times of one of the most important rulers anywhere in the world during the sixteenth century. This book will be essential reading for scholars, teachers, and students engaged with the history of the Kingdom of Kongo.”
—Toby Green, King’s College London

Review

“Historians of Africa and the Atlantic World have long known of King Afonso I’s pioneering efforts in establishing the Catholic Church in Kongo, as well as his efforts in fighting the Portuguese slave trade. But until now there has been no authoritative biography of one of the world’s most important political figures of the sixteenth century. Thornton’s account fills this gap, vividly revealing Afonso’s complicated life and legacies on the global stage. As Thornton deftly demonstrates, Afonso was neither a victim of European deception nor a naïve dupe. Rather, he was an astute, innovative statesman who advanced Kongolese political interests both at home and abroad.
“Accompanying Thornton’s biography are unique, translated letters penned by Afonso that will also be of great interest to historians of Africa and the Atlantic World. In these letters, Afonso reveals his firsthand thoughts on Kongolese political sovereignty, the distinctiveness of Kongolese Christianity, and his demands to control the slave trade in his kingdom. Additionally, he expresses his desires to expand the technological capacity of the kingdom through education and literacy campaigns, as well as by offering apprenticeships in carpentry, masonry, and medicine. Afonso’s letters, along with those of his European and African contemporaries, are a treasure trove of primary source materials that reveal Kongo’s key role in early modern Atlantic history.”
—James H. Sweet, University of Wisconsin-Madison

“Only decades of research and engagement with primary sources and centuries of secondary historical analysis could yield such a detailed, insightful account of a pivotal reign in the history of Kongo, Atlantic Africa, and the early modern world at large. It may be the author’s most impressive book yet.
“Both the biography and the translated letters will serve for many years to come as sources for research and material for teaching. They will bring knowledge about Afonso, Kongo, and their world-shaping role in the early modern period to students and researchers well beyond specialist circles. I look forward to the new wave of research, discoveries, and debates the book will spur.”
—Cécile Fromont, Yale University

“This is a page-turner that students and their professors will appreciate. Through a compelling narrative and translated primary sources focused on the life of an important African leader, Thornton examines larger issues around African development, religions conversion, slavery, the rise of the Atlantic trade in enslaved people, and interconnectedness of the 16th-century world.”
—Walter Hawthorne, Michigan State University

“With this monograph, John K. Thornton, the doyen of West Central African history, has not only further cemented his place in the field, but has also steered the ‘biographical turn’ in the precolonial history of Africa into a new phase. This is regional history on a grand scale, an exceptional feat for Sub-Saharan Africa during the first half of the XVIth century, made possible by a career-long passion with understanding the Kingdom of Kongo.”
—José C. Curto, History, York University, Canada

“Never has the voice of the ruler of the early sixteenth-century Kongo Kingdom, the renowned Christian Mwene Kongo, King Afonso, resonated in language so accessible to a modern audience and yet so faithful to original historical context. Luís Madureira provides a superb translation of Afonso’s most significant correspondence along with an insightful translator’s note that contributes to confidence in his rigorous effort. Scholars and students can at last understand the original meaning of Afonso’s letters.
“With the translation and contextualization provided here, Afonso’s complaints of Portuguese slave trading, for example, can be better understood. Other episodes recounted in the letters, such as Afonso’s victory over his non-Christian brother, attributed to the miraculous appearance of Saint James, will provide for fascinating class discussions. Going beyond its key contribution to African history, this edition will be widely used in the study and teaching of early modern global history.”
—David Gordon, Bowdoin College

About the Author

John K. Thornton is Professor of History and African American Studies, Boston University.

Luis Madureira is Professor of African Cultural Studies, University of Wisconsin–Madison.

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Hackett Publishing Company, Inc. (November 22, 2023)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 288 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1647921392
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1647921392
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 13.7 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 0.75 x 9 inches

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