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{{Infobox royalty
| name = Lukeni lua Nimi
| title          = [[Manikongo|Mwene Kongo]], Founder of the Kingdom of Kongo Dia Ntotlia
| birth_date = around 1380
| death_date = 1420
| successor = [[Nanga of Kongo]]
| father = Nimi a Nzima
| dynasty = Lukeni kanda
|image       = Lukeni Lua Nimi-2 (1) (1).jpg
|caption     = Drawing by Milora Lipscomb
}}

'''Lukeni lua Nimi''' (also ''Ntinu Nimi a Lukeni''; {{Circa|1380}}–1420) was the traditional founder of the [[Kilukeni|Lukeni kanda]] dynasty, [[List of rulers of Kongo|first king of Kongo]] and founder of the [[Kingdom of Kongo]] Dia Ntotila.  The name Nimi a Lukeni appeared in later oral traditions and some modern historians, notably [[Jean Cuvelier]], popularized it.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Thornton |first=John |authorlink=John Thornton (historian) |title=Elite Women in the Kingdom of Kongo: Historical Perspectives on Women's Political Power |pages=437–460 [p. 445] |journal=[[Journal of African History]] |volume=47 |year=2006 |issue=3 |doi=10.1017/S0021853706001812 }}</ref><ref name = thornton>{{cite journal |last=Thornton |first=John |title=Origins and Early History of the Kingdom of Kongo, c. 1350–1550 |journal=[[International Journal of African Historical Studies]] |volume=34 |issue=1 |year=2001 |pages=89–120 |jstor=3097288 }}</ref> He conquered the kingdom of Mwene.

==Biography==
He was the son of [[Nimi a Nzima]],ruler of [[Mpemba Kasi]] and Luqueni Luansanze,the Mwene Mbata's daughter (a marriage arranged to form an alliance between Nimi's domain and [[Mbata Kingdom|Mbata]]), according to traditions recorded by [[Giovanni Cavazzi da Montecuccolo]] in the mid 17th century. His given name was that of his mother, Lukeni lua Nsanze, meaning that he was at least the fourth-born son. During his father's reign, Lukeni lua Nimi was responsible for collecting tolls from passers-by in his domain while he was absent. This gave rise to a story, where Lukeni lua Nimi was forced to kill a pregnant female relative as she did not want to pay the toll. He was not punished for this by his father, and it was a respected act (either for being bloodthirsty or for impartiality in regards to law).<ref name = thornton/>{{rp|109}}

Although he comes from Vungu (or Bungu), located in [[Mayombe]] (between the present-day [[Republic of Congo]] and the present-day [[Democratic Republic of Congo]]),<ref> Jan Vansina, ''Notes sur l'origine du royaume de Kongo'', The Journal of African History, 1963, Vol. 4, No. 1, p. 33-38 </ref><ref> Louis Jadin, ''Relations sur le Congo et l'Angola tirées des Archives de la Compagnie de Jésus 1621-1631'', Academia Belgica, 1968, p. 392 </ref> he is traditionally credited with conquering the region of modern-day [[Mbanza Kongo]], displacing a local ruler named Mwene Kabunga or Mwene Mpangala and building his capital there, taking the title of ''Ntinu'' and founding the state of Kongo. He probably ruled in the late 14th century. He is thus regarded as the founder of the Kingdom of Kongo, although some attribute it to his father. Some sources attribute the conquest of the [[Inkisi valley]] to Lukeni lua Nimi, ending in the annexation of [[Nsundi]] and then [[Mpangu]]. The land was then parcelled out to his followers and relatives.<ref name = thornton/>{{rp|114}}

He probably died young, as his son (not an adult at the time of his death), [[Nkuwu a Ntinu]], was not allowed to succeed him, with the title being passed to Lukeni's cousin, [[Nanga of Kongo]]. The circumstances of his death and succession allows historians to place his birth date from 1367-1402 and his death date from 1402-1427.<ref name = thornton/>{{rp|107}}

==See also==
*[[Kingdom of Kongo]]
*[[List of rulers of Kongo]]
*[[History of Angola]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== Bibliography ==
*Thornton, John K (2020). ''A history of west central Africa to 1850''.  Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

*Mateso, Bruce (2022). ''Nimi A Lukeni : Le roi forgeron de Kôngo''.  La Loupe, N'Tamo (Brazzaville). Paris: Paari éditeur (in French).
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{{succession box | before=Nimi a Nzima | title=[[Manikongo]] | years=1390s | after=[[Nanga of Kongo|Nanga]]}}
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[[Category:Manikongo of Kongo]]
[[Category:14th-century births]]
[[Category:1420 deaths]]
[[Category:Kongolese royalty]]
[[Category:14th-century monarchs in Africa]]
[[Category:15th-century monarchs in Africa]]
[[Category:African slave owners]]


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