Born 1461
Kongo (now Democratic Republic of the Congo)
Died c. 1550
Kongo

Ruler of Kongo Kingdom

Afonso I (pronounced ah-FAHN-so) was a Christian king of Kongo (now Democratic Republic of the Congo) who attempted to found the first Europeanized kingdom in Africa. During his reign (1506 to 1543) he established a partnership with the kings of Portugal, who had been sending explorers and traders to Kongo since the 1480s and 1490s. In 1518 Afonso's son, Henrique, became a bishop in the Roman Catholic church, further strengthening ties between Kongo and Portugal. Yet cultural and religious concerns were soon overshadowed by the slave trade, as Portuguese and Africans alike scrambled to make huge profits on the growing demand for slaves. Although Afonso took a stand against this alarming development, his kingdom was eventually destroyed and his experiment ended in tragedy.