The Lady King: Njinga Mbande

My characters in this historical novel on the Lady King Njinga are mainly fictional in this, my tribute, to an African Warrior in her final magnificence. A female leading a powerful army had not been heard of by the Portuguese. She was well-known for her lightning speed and surprise attacks and responsible for whole companies rebelling and deserting to her side, bringing the enemy's superior weapons and ammo along with them. She was also instrumental in persuading some vassal rulers to revolt and unite with her cause of endeavoring to prevent total destruction of their territory. And her coalition with the Dutch from 1641 to 1648 is believed to be the first African-European alliance against another European aggressor. Although forming an alliance with the Dutch, official documents in Portugal maintain that she returned to the Catholic Church that baptized her Ana.