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Afonso I of the Kongo to Manuel I of Portugal Requesting Religious ParaphernaliaKongo Kingdom, June 8, 1517
Not on view
In his extensive correspondence with European leaders, Afonso I (r. 1509–42) portrayed himself as a devout Christian who took a hands-on approach to matters of faith. An ongoing subject of his petitions to the Vatican was to have a Kongo bishop designated. In this letter he requests religious artifacts such as crucifixes, breviaries, and images of Catholic saints from his Portuguese counterpart Manuel I (r. 1495–1521).
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