Angola and Portugal compared

Entangled histories

16 events in which either nation’s sourced chronicle names the other — including under earlier names of the same state. Each is the same record, with the same sources, as on its own chronicle; nothing here was written for this page.

1. 1483

   Portuguese reach the Kingdom of Kongo

   The navigator Diogo Cão reached the mouth of the Congo River and made contact with the Kingdom of Kongo, opening relations between this powerful Central African monarchy and Portugal.

   Peoples & Migration · from the Angola chronicle · Kongo, Ndongo and the kingdoms of Central Africa · Angola — Colonialism, Independence, Civil War (history), Portuguese Angola, Kingdom of Kongo

2. c. 1491

   Kongo adopts Christianity

   The Kongo ruler was baptised and, under his son Afonso I, the kingdom embraced Catholicism, literacy and sustained diplomatic ties with Portugal and the papacy.

   Religion · from the Angola chronicle · Kongo, Ndongo and the kingdoms of Central Africa · Kingdom of Kongo, Angola — Colonialism, Independence, Civil War (history)

3. 1576

   Portuguese found Luanda

   Paulo Dias de Novais established São Paulo da Assunção de Loanda on the Angolan coast, creating the base from which Portuguese power and the slave trade would expand.

   Colonisation · from the Angola chronicle · Luanda, Queen Njinga and the Atlantic slave trade · Luanda, Angola (1576– ), Portuguese Angola, Portuguese Angola

4. 1617

   Founding of Benguela

   The Portuguese established the port of Benguela to the south, which would become a second major outlet for the export of enslaved Africans to the Americas.

   Colonisation · from the Angola chronicle · Luanda, Queen Njinga and the Atlantic slave trade · Portuguese Angola, Slavery in Angola

5. 1624

   Njinga becomes queen of Ndongo

   After leading a diplomatic mission to the Portuguese in 1621, Njinga Mbande took the throne of Ndongo, beginning a decades-long struggle against Portuguese expansion.

   Politics & Power · from the Angola chronicle · Luanda, Queen Njinga and the Atlantic slave trade · Nzinga of Ndongo and Matamba, Njinga a Mbande: Power and War in 17th-Century Angola, Angola — Colonialism, Independence, Civil War (history)

6. c. 1631

   Njinga rules from Matamba

   Driven from Ndongo by the Portuguese, Njinga rebuilt her power in the eastern kingdom of Matamba, from which she resisted, raided and negotiated with the colonisers until peace in 1656.

   War & Rupture · from the Angola chronicle · Luanda, Queen Njinga and the Atlantic slave trade · Nzinga of Ndongo and Matamba, Njinga a Mbande: Power and War in 17th-Century Angola

7. 1836

   Portugal abolishes the slave trade

   Portugal formally outlawed the transatlantic slave trade, ending Luanda's centuries as a slaving port, though clandestine traffic and later forced labour persisted in Angola.

   Politics & Power · from the Angola chronicle · The slow conquest of the interior · Slavery in Angola, Portuguese Angola

8. 1884–1885

   Berlin Conference and the Scramble

   The Berlin Conference required Portugal to demonstrate effective occupation of Angola, spurring the military campaigns that would subdue the independent interior kingdoms.

   Colonisation · from the Angola chronicle · The slow conquest of the interior · Portuguese Angola, Angola — Colonialism, Independence, Civil War (history)

9. c. 1890–1904

   Conquest of the Ovimbundu kingdoms

   Portuguese forces conquered the Ovimbundu kingdoms of the central highlands, bringing one of Angola's largest peoples under colonial control.

   Colonisation · from the Angola chronicle · The slow conquest of the interior · Angola — Ovimbundu and Kwanhama Kingdoms, Angola — Colonialism, Independence, Civil War (history)

10. 1904

    Battle of the Cunene

    Heavy fighting against the Kwanhama (Ovambo) in the south marked the violent and protracted character of the Portuguese conquest of Angola's interior frontier.

    War & Rupture · from the Angola chronicle · The slow conquest of the interior · History of Angola, Angola — Colonialism, Independence, Civil War (history)

11. by the 1920s

    Effective occupation completed

    Only in the early twentieth century, with pacification campaigns continuing into the 1920s, did Portugal establish effective control over the whole of Angola.

    Colonisation · from the Angola chronicle · The slow conquest of the interior · History of Angola, Angola — Colonialism, Independence, Civil War (history)

12. January–March 1961

    Revolt breaks out

    The Baixa de Cassanje cotton workers' revolt, the 4 February attack on a Luanda prison, and the UPA's 15 March uprising in the north marked the start of Angola's war of independence against Portugal.

    War & Rupture · from the Angola chronicle · Revolt, liberation movements and independence · History of Angola, Angola — Colonialism, Independence, Civil War (history), Baixa do Cassange Revolt

13. 25 April 1974

    Carnation Revolution in Portugal

    A military coup overthrew Portugal's dictatorship, and the new government moved to decolonise, opening the path to Angolan independence.

    Politics & Power · from the Angola chronicle · Revolt, liberation movements and independence · The Angola Crisis 1974–75, Angola — Colonialism, Independence, Civil War (history)

14. January 1975

    Alvor Agreement

    Portugal, the MPLA, the FNLA and UNITA signed the Alvor Agreement, providing for a transitional government and independence, but trust between the movements quickly collapsed into open conflict.

    Politics & Power · from the Angola chronicle · Revolt, liberation movements and independence · The Angola Crisis 1974–75, Angola — Colonialism, Independence, Civil War (history)

15. 1975

    Decolonisation of the African empire

    Following the revolution, Portugal's African colonies, including Angola and Mozambique, became independent in 1975, ending an empire begun in 1415.

    Colonisation · from the Portugal chronicle · Republic, Dictatorship, Revolution and Europe · Revolution of the Carnations, Estado Novo (Portuguese history)

16. 11 November 1975

    Independence proclaimed

    As the Portuguese departed, the MPLA proclaimed the People's Republic of Angola in Luanda under Agostinho Neto, marking the country's independence amid a contest with the rival movements.

    Independence · from the Angola chronicle · Revolt, liberation movements and independence · The Angola Crisis 1974–75, Angola Gains Its Independence From Portugal, Angola — Colonialism, Independence, Civil War (history)