Kingdom of Kongo

State · 1440–1669 CE · at its largest around 1440 CE

A central African kingdom near the mouth of the Congo River, with its capital at Mbanza Kongo, whose rulers adopted Christianity after contact with the Portuguese in the late 15th century.

On its lands while it lasted

Kingdom of Kongo (c. 1390–1914 CE): Central African kingdom with its capital at Mbanza Kongo; after Portuguese contact in 1483 its rulers adopted Christianity, and it later became deeply entangled in the Atlantic slave trade.
M'banza-Kongo (c. 1440 CE): Capital of Kingdom of Kongo (1440–1669).
Afonso I of Kongo (c. 1456 CE – 1542 CE): King of Kongo (Nzinga Mbemba) who promoted Christianity and wrote to the Portuguese king protesting the abuses of the slave trade.
Diogo Cão’s voyages to the Congo and Namibia (c. 1482–1486 CE): The Portuguese navigator Diogo Cão reached the mouth of the Congo River and made contact with the Kingdom of Kongo, then on a second voyage sailed down the coast of Angola to Cape Cross in Namibia, marking his landfalls with stone padrões.