The Resume

(circa 1583-December 17, 1663)
Born in Kabasa, Ndongo (located in present-day Angola)
Succeeded her brother Mbandi as ruler of Ndongo (1624)
Married Kasanje, a warlord of Imbangala (1629)
Conquered Matamba and assumed the throne (1635)
Ruled lands in the northern part of present-day Angola
Fought a series of wars against Portugal

Why she might be annoying:

Her name had almost as many different spellings as Muammar Gaddafi's, including Nzinga, Nzingha, Njinga, Njingha, Jinga, Ginga, Singa, Zinga, Zhinga, Zingua, and -- after her conversion to Catholicism -- Ana de Sousa and Anna de Souza.
After taking power, she had her brother's seven-year-old son executed to eliminate a potential rival for the throne.
Her expansionist policies eventually caused her husband to form a coalition of Imbangala leaders against her and lead an invasion Matamba (which soon bogged down, making little progress).
The lands she ruled derived much of their wealth from the slave trade.
To show the sincerity of her conversion to Catholicism, she had several prominent priests of native religions sold as slaves to the Portuguese, with a request that they be shipped out of Africa.
In 'Philosophy in the Bedroom,' the Marquis de Sade depicted her as a cruel nymphomaniac, with a fondness for arranging duels to the death between warriors, then sleeping with the victor.

Why she might not be annoying:

Growing up, she was trained as a warrior by her father.
She was taught the Portuguese language by visiting missionaries, which proved useful when she negotiated a peace treaty during her brother's reign.
When her brother took the throne, he had her son killed.
After converting to Catholicism, she corresponded with Pope Alexander VII, who praised her efforts to convert her subjects.
After decades of recurring warfare, the Portuguese signed a peace treaty acknowledging her rule (1656).
Spanish Capuchin priests who wrote the first biographies of her praised her military, political and diplomatic skills.
She was embraced as a symbol of resistance to the Portuguese during the Angolan War of Independence.

Credit: C. Fishel

Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

• African Royalty
• C. Fishel's Profiles [Series 92]
• I Converted to Catholicism
• I Outlived My Child
• Look at Me, My Picture Is Art
• Monarchs, Royalty and Nobles
• My Child Was Murdered
• Profiles 57001-57250 (Ranked: 57214)
• Slave Owners

Year In Review:

For 2024, as of last weekly ranking, Out of 1 Votes: 100% Annoying
In 2023, Out of 19 Votes: 21.05% Annoying