Nzinga was born to Nzinga a Mbande Ngola Kiluaje and Guenguela Cakombe around 1583. She lived during a period when the Atlantic slave trade and the power of the Portuguese in the region were growing rapidly.

The first historical record of Nzinga was from a peace conference with the Portuguese governor in Luanda with the Ngola Ngoli Bbondi, her brother. Nzinga managed to complete a treaty and even converted to Christianity, changing her name to Doña Anna de Souza. The date of this meeting and treaty remains unknown to me.

The treaty was broken by the Portuguese and Nzinga once more asked her brother, who refused, for help. To be able to fight the Portuguese she therefore formed an alliance with the Jagas to fight the Portuguese. She did this by marrying their chief. Soon she has also conquered the Matamba kingdom and allied, in 1635, the kingdoms of Kongo, Kassanje, Dembos, and Kissama. During battles, both with other African states and with Portugal, she would personally lead her troops and demand to be entitled as King and not Queen.

Still fighting the Portuguese, she was soon betrayed by the Jaga and allied the Dutch instead. From 1641 - 48, the Dutch held Luanda with her support but Dutch technology. When the Dutch forces were fought back by the Portuguese, she retreated to Matamba and continued to resist Portugal. She continually fought the Portuguese until 1659, still leading her troops until she was well into her sixties.

Again in 1659, she signed a peace treaty with Portugal, which lasted for the rest of her life. Until her death in December 1663, she was working on creating an economy which was not based on slave trade, something with which she only partially succeeded.

After her death, also European powers came to respect her and in modern times, she has been remembered as a great freedom-fighter with wit, intelligence and will.