Alfonso I of Kongo

Alfonso I of Kongo, born Mvemba a Nzinga (c. 1456-1543), was King of Kongo from 1509 to 1543, one of the earliest African rulers to establish sustained diplomatic and religious ties with a European power. He converted to Christianity following contact with Portuguese missionaries and traders and worked to build Kongo as a Christian kingdom, sending Kongolese nobles to Portugal for education and corresponding directly with the Portuguese crown. As the Atlantic slave trade grew during his reign, he became increasingly alarmed at its disruptive and destabilizing effect on his kingdom, writing letters to the King of Portugal protesting Portuguese subjects' involvement in kidnapping and illegal slave trading within Kongo territory, though he was ultimately unable to halt the trade's expansion or its long-term damage to Kongolese society.