Manuel was the brother of
Daniel I, and when he was killed in the Sack of São Salvador, became the main
Kimpanzu claimant to the Kongo throne. He retreated to Mbamba Lovata, where he established himself as the Awenekongo which became one of three main post-
civil war states, the other two held by separate
Kinlaza claimants to the throne of Kongo. In 1680,
King Pedro III was ruling the rival kingdom of Lemba, where he claimed the Kongo throne in opposition to the
House of Kimpanzu partisans residing in Soyo's southern province of Luvota. The particular episode in Kongo's history would become one of the sticking points keeping the nobility from finding lasting peace. After the assassination of
Pedro III, Manuel fought to establish his claim over Kongo, which eventually culminated in a Battle for São Salvador, where he allied with Pedro Constantinho da Silva and his partisans who were once subordinates of
Pedro IV. The forces of Pedro and Manuel clashed, but eventually, Pedro was victorious, leaving him in control of the capital and therefore de facto Manikongo of Kongo. Manuel did not give up his claim for 6 years and continued to rule a rival administration in Mbamba Lovata until an agreement between Pedro and Manuel in 1715 led to the re-establishment of the throne alternating between the Kinlaza and Kimpanzu houses. ==Rule in São Salvador==