"Sir, Your Highness (of Portugal) should know how our Kingdom is being lost in so many ways. ... This is caused by the excessive freedom given by your agents and
officials to the men and merchants who are allowed to come to this Kingdom to set
up shops with goods and many things which have been prohibited by us, and which
they spread throughout our Kingdoms ... in such an abundance that many of our
vassals, whom we had in obedience, do not comply because they have the things in
greater abundance than we ourselves... It is doing a great harm ... [to] the security
and peace of our Kingdoms...
"The mentioned merchants are taking every day our natives, sons of the land and the
sons of our noblemen and vassals and our relatives, because the thieves and men of
bad conscience grab them wishing to have the things and wares of this Kingdom
which they are ambitious of, they grab them and get them to be sold; and so great,
Sir, is the corruption and licentiousness that our country is being completely
depopulated."
Letter from King Nzinga Mbemba (Afonso I) of Kongo to King John III of Portugal,
1526

a)Briefly describe one claim made in the excerpt

b) briefly describe one historical development illustrated by the excerpt