The Tio Kingdom was a West Central African state in modern-day Republic of the Congo and DR Congo, belonging to the Tio people (Eastern Teke). With its capital on the Mbe plains (where modern-day Mbe is) and its commercial capital at Pool Malebo, the kingdom extended over north to south, and over east to west.
Founded around the 14th century, it rivalled the Kingdom of Kongo for much of its early existence. During the 18th century, (boxes containing charms which legitimised power) were introduced among Tio lords, diminishing the authority of the (king) and empowering a lord in the north titled . In the early-19th century after the death of , Opontaba captured the nkobi, causing an internal conflict against northern lords which ended inconclusively, yet saw royal prestige strengthened. The kingdom soon entered another period of decline amid the Bobangi wars and a revolt, and became a French protectorate in 1880. The kingdom continued to exist as a non-sovereign monarchy, and the current monarch is , ruling since 2021.
Geography
The environment consists of expansive grasslands on a plateau, with small forest in some places. The eastern Teke (Tio proper) inhabited this plateau near Pool Malebo, with the western Teke on lower ground in the basins of the Nduou River (a tributary to the Upper Niari River) and the Foulakary and Djoué rivers (tributaries to the Lower Congo River). The plateau is covered by Hyparrhenia, Rhynchelytrum, Landolphia, and Imperata grasses, as well as the odd Hymenocardia acida or Annona tree, also being home to lions.
History
Origins Tio tradition holds that they have always inhabited the grassland plains; from neighbouring groups reporting that the Tio (eastern Teke) were already there when they arrived, it is known for certain that they were there from at least the 13th century. While Tio tradition also says that their kingdom has always existed, historian Didier Gongola says that it was founded in the 14th century through the fusion of smaller kingdoms. Jan Vansina wrote that the political system of squires/chiefs ( or ) who governed domains () likely evolved into kingship and statehood, and that the (king) was likely initially based on the northern plains. He considered the king to have derived authority from mystical prowess, with which he used to give titles to lords and squires and receive tribute. This is evidenced by a series of six anvils dedicated to the king and five lords, who were all from the north, located near the Falls of Lefini where Nkwe Mbali (the national nature spirit) was believed to reside. The association of kingship with smithing is believed to have originated among the Tio before spreading to the kingdoms of Loango and Kongo.
Early history In the 15th century, the Kingdom of Kongo's conquests eastward brought it into conflict with the Tio Kingdom which halted their expansion. In 1491 the (Kongo's king) asked the Portuguese for help against the Tio. The earliest written mention of an was of a "Mukoko Ansiko" in 1507. The Tio continued to war with Kongo throughout the 16th century, killing at least one of its manikongos (Henrique I in 1568 and possibly Bernardo I in 1567). At the same time the Jaga invaded Kongo from the east, disrupting trade. Written records from this time mention multiple Tio kingdoms, possibly indicating a degree of decentralisation. They bordered Mwene Muji to the northeast. Kongo traditions claim the sent them tribute.
After being expelled from Kongo in the early-17th century, the Jaga moved north, settled near Loango, and overran the western Teke. In the 1630s the Tio had close relations with the Boma Kingdom and "held a peace". In the mid-17th century Dutch writer Olfert Dapper wrote that the Tio king ruled over 13 other "kings", possibly a reference to the "twelve lords of the crown" who all had titles associated with the king's installation ritual (). At this time, the king's capital was recorded as "Monsol". In 1698 a war broke out between lord of Ntsaasa (now Kinshasa) on one side and his (vassal squires) and the chiefs of Lemba on the other. The rebels burnt Ntsaasa, causing to flee to Ntamo (now Kinshasa). As both sides garnered allies from nearby settlements, returned to his domain's border at the Lukunga River to fight a battle, however wasn't successful. The rebels installed another candidate as . In the late-17th and early-18th centuries the Tio warred against the Boma. Around 1710 a Tio prince led an army far into Boma territory, though was forced to withdraw due to heavy rain and floods. Another campaign was defeated near Luvua around 1740.
and royal authority In the 17th century there were two main trade routes from Pool Malebo: one from the Vili in Loango and one from the Portuguese in Luanda. Around 1700, following an influx of wealth from the Loango route, (boxes containing charms which legitimised power) were introduced among lords on the northern plains after diffusing from Abala, creating an ideology of power detached from the king. A lord titled (based just north of the ) is said to have obtained them, and gave them to high lord , who was based at Ntsaa (south of the Nkéni River). He then sold and distributed them among his (vassal lords), diminishing the king's authority. Tradition portrays as wealthy and powerful, and he was said to have owned lots of (luxury brass objects from Loango). His hunters (which included Tswa) hunted elephants for ivory, and were sold into slavery if they came back empty-handed. He regularly declared "war at the limits" on other lords in order to accrue ivory and slaves, and tradition recounts that he exploited every possible source of income. Using his wealth, retinue, muskets, and slaves, came to be (leader) of all lords.
After the death of in the early-19th century, Opontaba (who built Mbe Nkulu, "Old Mbe", as his capital), captured all eight or twelve nkobi in the north, assisted by lords near Mbé. Another powerful lord, Mpio, led the northern lords against the king, culminating in a battle at Idzwa Itieerie (near Mbé) that ended inconclusively. It is unclear whether the lords settled at Mbe Nkulu, or they were defeated and Opontaba appointed their successors there. According to tradition, the nkobi were redistributed among those of the northern plains near Ntsaa, and those in the east near Mbé. Vansina however thought the status quo antebellum to have been maintained. Regardless, the king's authority had been reaffirmed.
Bobangi wars, decline, and French colonisation From around the time of the death of Õkoo Opontaba sometime between c. 1810 and c. 1820, Mbe Nkulu and royal prestige entered a second period of decline. This has been attributed to famine, the Bobangi wars, and internecine conflict between lords. Sometime between 1820 and 1840/50 the Tio fought a conflict against the Bobangi, who were attempting to break the Tio's monopoly over trade. The conflict consisted of a series of raids and counter-raids between Tio lords and Bobangi chiefs. The Bobangi launched an unsuccessful attack on Ntsaasa. With help from the Nunu the Bobangi won the second war, though weren't able to settle there; the conflict resulted in the Tio retaining control over the trade centres at the Pool, while the Bobangi gained control over the river. Around the mid-19th century, Pieele ( Opontaba's son) faced a revolt from a claimant (his nephew) supported by the , forcing him to leave Mbe Nkulu for a new capital, Ngõ. The claimant was defeated, and Pieele sent his brothers and nephews, who he had appointed as lords (possibly a cause of the revolt), to settle further away to act as buffers to the defeated claimant; this diminished the king's control over his lords. Over the second half of the 19th century, the decline of royal prestige intensified, mostly because of the prosperity , a powerful high lord, enjoyed at Mieel a yoo.
Iloo I ( Pieele's son) came to power sometime between 1865 and 1875. In 1877 a runaway slave called Ngaliema came to rule in Ntamo. In 1879 a squire in the north met Italian-French explorer Pierre Savorgnan de Brazza, who was looking to buy land, and sent him to the capital, Mbe. There Iloo, ignoring the advice of lords Opontaba (Iloo's brother) and Ikukuri, negotiated a treaty with de Brazza, signed 10 September, which transferred the Tio's sovereignty to France. De Brazza promised benefits of trade and an alliance, which was likely interpreted as military assistance. While some sources attest that Iloo was aware of the consequences, Vansina wrote that "it seems clear that he only wanted to cede land for the establishment of a commercial station", and that his desire for an alliance may have been influenced by the hostility of Henry Stanley's expedition a few years earlier (who had been ambushed by ). De Brazza gained most of Mfwa (now Brazzaville), planted a French flag at Okila, and signed another treaty with some lords on 3 October, before leaving Malamine Camara in charge. The Franco-Belgian rivalry over the Congo latched onto divisions in Tio politics as Stanley and the Belgian Association came to side with Ngaliema of Ntamo, and De Brazza and the French with of Ntsaasa, with similar divisions deriving from commercial competition elsewhere at the Pool. In 1881 under pressure from his chiefs and traders, Ngaliema turned against Stanley, though the latter gained the support of the , causing Ngaliema to renege. Leopoldville was subsequently founded as a commercial station in December 1881.
On the Mbe plains in 1881, a dispute arose between Ikukuri and the over their father's inheritance. War broke out, and was forced to flee to the Bobangi, coming to side with Stanley and the Association. Opontaba sided with while Iloo leant support to Ikukuri and . Opontaba came to have good relations with the Association, causing Ngaliema to attempt to blockade Leopoldville in 1883. The French and de Brazza returned, with whom Iloo ratified the treaty in April 1884, to which Opontaba and were forced to agree, signifying a political victory for Iloo. The French brought copious amounts of gifts for the king, with lords receiving half of his amount; Brazzaville was founded in May. In response the Association pressured Opontaba to resume his hostility, and the French spread rumours of murder plots to the king. The French sent a garrison to Iloo's Mbe while the Association sent firearms to Opontaba. The result of the Berlin Conference in 1885 neutralised the Franco-Belgian rivalry. Over the course of the next few years the French and the Association expanded the remit of their administrations, no longer needing their African allies. The Europeans became more violent and burnt down the Humbu's Lemba, the Bobangi's Mpila, and Ngaliema's Ntamo, as the Tio came to submit and focus on commerce. From 1888, the French began granting brass collars, a Tio symbol of rule, to lords at the Pool, and enacted taxation. The Mbe plains were ignored by the French, and the situation there at this time are unknown, other than that the hostility between Iloo and Opontaba dissipated. Iloo died in 1892.
Colonial and postcolonial periods