Kingdom of Lunda

State · 1709–1889 CE · at its largest around 1709 CE

A Central African kingdom in the southern Congo basin ruled by the Mwata Yamvo, whose trade networks and political model influenced much of the surrounding region.

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.
Congo Free State (1885–1908 CE): Colony privately ruled by King Leopold II of Belgium, where forced labour for rubber collection caused mass deaths; international outcry led Belgium to annex it in 1908.