African Kings and Black Slaves: Sovereignty and Dispossession in the Early Modern Atlantic
Herman L. Bennett's African Kings and Black Slaves presents a scholarly reexamination of the first century of sustained African-European contact, beginning as early as 1441 when Portuguese and Spanish trading vessels navigated the West African coast. This academic work challenges conventional narratives by examining how Iberians and African kingdoms negotiated sovereignty, diplomacy, and political recognition during the early modern period.
Historical Context and Diplomatic Encounters
Before widespread European colonization, West African kingdoms possessed significant territorial power and political autonomy. Bennett documents how Iberian traders were required to participate in elaborate diplomatic rituals, establish formal treaties, and negotiate trade practices with these autonomous territories. These interactions were complex political exchanges rather than simple economic transactions.
Sovereignty and Legal Frameworks
The book examines how Iberians interpreted African sovereignty through the lens of medieval European political precepts grounded in Roman civil and canon law. Bennett reveals that European assessments of which African polities qualified as sovereign states directly influenced determinations about who could legitimately be enslaved. This legal and political framework had profound consequences for the transatlantic slave trade and the identities of enslaved Africans in the Americas.
Archival Research and Methodology
Drawing from historical archives across Europe and Africa, Bennett reconstructs how Iberians mapped Africa's political landscape, recognized specific sovereigns, and categorized subjects according to their rulers. This archival approach provides evidence of the diplomatic complexity that characterized early African-European relations.
Beyond the Slave Trade Narrative
African Kings and Black Slaves offers a reappraisal of the dominant depiction of African-European exchanges as being solely mediated through racial difference and the slave trade. By analyzing how both Europeans and Africans configured sovereignty, polities, and subject status, Bennett illuminates the formation of diasporic identities that shaped slaves' experiences throughout the Americas.
