The Kingdom of the Kongo rose to power at the end of the 1300s.
It controlled a large portion of Central Africa (Kongo, Gabon, and Angola) until 1914, when it became colonized by Portugal leading to its decline.

The King of the Kongo was called  Mwene Kongo  meaning "Lord or ruler of the Kongo kingdom".
He was also called Monikongo which is the Portuguese translation of Mwene Kongo

Traditional Historians tell us that the kingdom was founded by Lukeni lua Nimi in about 1390. It started out as a  loose federation of smaller nations.
As the Kingdom of Kongo expanded, it conquered the smaller territories and integrated them into its society.

The capital of the kingdom where the King resided was known as Mbanza Kongo