Kingdom of Heaven: Kongo (1390–1914)

A name is never just a name. It is a lineage, a claim — and sometimes a prophecy.

The Name James

The name James comes from the Latin Iacomus or Iacobus, a form of the Hebrew name Jacob, meaning “supplanter” or “he who follows the heel.” The Latin form itself can also suggest “may God protect” or “he who controls his actions.”

It entered English through Old French from the biblical Iacobus (Greek Iakobos), and it is a classic name linked to biblical figures such as the apostles and the brother of Christ.

King James — Iacobus, Iakobos, Ya’aqov: “supplanter,” “heel,” “holder of the heel.”

Biblically, the name comes from the Hebrew Yaakov, “supplanter” or “holder of the heel,” after the patriarch Jacob, who was born holding his brother Esau’s heel.

“For Esau is the end of the world, and Iacob is the beginning of it that followeth.”

— 2 Esdras 6:9

Akọ́bí: The Firstborn

Akobi (or Akọ́bí) means “firstborn” or “first child” in Yoruba, from a- (one who), kọ́kọ́ (first) and bí (to give birth).

“And thou shalt say unto Pharaoh, Thus saith the Lord, Israel is my son, even my firstborn: And I say unto thee, Let my son go, that he may serve me: and if thou refuse to let him go, behold, I will slay thy son, even thy firstborn.”

— Exodus 4:22–23 (KJV)

The Kingdom of Kongo (1390–1914)

The historical flag of the Kingdom of Kongo shows a red saltire — an X-shaped cross — on a white field. The design comes to us through the Italian missionary Giovanni Cavazzi da Montecuccolo and reflects Christian influence, though exactly how it was used is still debated.

The flag speaks of the kingdom’s deep bond with Christianity, while the Kongo “Four Moments of the Sun” traces the cycle of life. Today, this symbol keeps the memory of the great Central African realm alive.

The Jacobites

The Scottish tradition, carried on through the Royal Stuarts and their Jacobite heritage, always held a markedly different attitude from the English toward people of African origin — embracing them without the slightest racial discrimination.

The Jacobites were supporters of the exiled Stuart monarchs — King James II and his descendants — who sought to restore them to the thrones of England, Scotland and Ireland after the Glorious Revolution of 1688. The movement was defined by a series of failed risings in the 18th century, ending in 1745–46 under Bonnie Prince Charlie, which brought the Stuart claim to a close and led to harsh crackdowns in the Scottish Highlands.

Their name comes from the Latin Jacobus — James. Often identified by the white rose, they drew Catholics, Tories and Highlanders who opposed the Protestant Hanoverian succession and believed in the divine right of kings.

The “Pretender”

James II died in exile at Saint-Germain-en-Laye in France after a brain haemorrhage in September 1701. His son, James Francis Edward Stuart — James III and VIII to the Jacobites — was proclaimed king by his supporters immediately. The English, Scottish and later British governments never recognised him; to them, William III, and then Anne, were the lawful monarchs.

A rare royal proclamation from that same autumn survives in only five known copies: one at the National Archives in London, two at Harvard University, one at the University of Michigan, and one in a private collection. Issued by William III at Hampton Court on 11 November 1701, it dissolved Parliament and declared the speedy calling of another. It matters not only for what it proclaims, but because it is perhaps the earliest known use of the word “Pretender” by the English government for James Francis Edward Stuart.

1701 was also the year of the Act of Settlement, designed to secure the Protestant succession to the throne and to strengthen the guarantees of parliamentary government. Parliament held a strong Tory majority, sharply at odds with the Whigs, who were campaigning eagerly for war with France. Parliament was prorogued in June, and by September the King was being pressed into an election — the second in a single year. William gave way, but refused to rebuild his ministry until a new Parliament had been elected.

The session had made one thing plain: foreign policy could no longer be treated as the monarch’s private concern, beyond Parliament’s reach. And as the proclamation itself records, the King of France, among others, recognised James as king — while most of the English Parliament did not.